Maricopa County Attorney's Office refuses to prosecute Chad Daybell for attempted murder of Arizona man

Chad Daybell: Maricopa County Attorney's Office refuses to prosecute Idaho man for attempted murder of Arizonan

Chad Daybell is at the center of a complex case involving the death of his first wife, as well as the deaths of his new wife's two children, in a case that has garnered national and global media attention. In 2021, Gilbert Police recommended attempted murder charges for Daybell and his new wife, Lori Vallow, in connection with the attempted murder of Vallow's niece's ex-husband. FOX 10's Justin Lum has an update on the case.

PHOENIX - We have an update on the complex case involving Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow, who are facing murder charges in connection with the deaths of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, as well as Daybell's first wife, Tammy, in the state of Idaho, in a case that has since garnered global media attention.

Full Coverage: Lori Vallow-Chad Daybell case

This saga began in the East Valley, with Gilbert Police recommending attempted murder charges for the couple in November 2021 in connection with Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of Vallow's niece.

We have since learned that as officials with MCAO have declined to prosecute Daybell in the attempted murder of Boudreaux, as prosecutors say there is no likelihood of a conviction.

The recommended charge for Vallow, however, remains under review.

Incident happened in 2019

"I heard the bang, and immediately I pulled forward because I'm getting shot at," said Brandon Boudreaux, in a body camera video captured in 2019.

Boudreaux told a Gilbert Police officer on Oct. 2, 2019 he saw someone open fire at him from the back of a Jeep, as he pulled into his driveway. Boudreaux said the bullet shattered the window of his Tesla vehicle.

Broken window and bullet hole on Brandon's Tesla.

"All I could think was someone shooting at me. What do I do? I need to hit the gas and get out of here," said Boudreaux.

More than two years later, investigators identified the shooter as the Vallow's late brother, Alex Cox. Cox died in December 2019.

According to a police report, Cox, Vallow and Daybell prepared to murder Boudreaux by the tinting the windows of the Jeep Wrangler, removing the backseat and backwheel, and placing them in a rented storage unit in Rexburg, Idaho.

Investigators believe Vallow and Daybell's unorthodox spiritual beliefs led to Boudreaux being identified as a so-called ‘dark soul.’ At the time, Daybell was a fictional doomsday author in Idaho who Vallow followed from Chandler, shortly after her fourth husband, Charles, was shot to death by Cox.

Since the incident involving Boudreaux, Vallow has been indicted in the death of Charles, She is accused of conspiring with her brother in the fatal shooting. Boudreaux's near-shooting happened just months after Charles was shot dead.

Daybell's murder trial is scheduled for January 2023. Vallow is supposed to stand trial with him, but as of now, she is still deemed not competent to proceed with the charges against her, although the extension for her mental health commitment is supposed to end by next week.