‘Doomsday mum’ Lori Vallow’s husband Chad Daybell sentenced to death for killing her 2 kids, his first wife

Chad Daybell has been sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering his first wife and the children of his mistress-turned-wife Lori Vallow.

Chad Daybell has been sentenced to death

Chad Daybell has been sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering his first wife and the children of his mistress-turned-wife Lori Vallow.

Daybell, 55, declined to make a statement on his behalf in court after sitting emotionless for the entire sentencing hearing.

The self-proclaimed Doomsday prophet was convicted on Thursday of killing Tammy Daybell, Tylee Ryan, 16, and JJ Vallow, 7, in 2019 after jurors deliberated his fate for nearly six hours, The Sun reports.

Daybell sat motionless with his hands in his lap as the sentencing verdict was read out.

When asked if he would like to make a statement, Daybell told the judge “No.”

Daybell was also sentenced to 15 years in prison over two counts of insurance fraud.

His death warrant is not expected to be filed until 42 days after the sentence hearing.

Earlier in the week, he sat calmly on the defence table with his hands folded as he heard impact statements from nine family members of Tammy, JJ, and Tylee.

Rob Douglas, Tammy Daybell’s father, remembered his daughter as a beloved mother, saying he was at ease knowing she was resting peacefully.

Douglas said the result of his daughter’s death strained his relationship with his five grandchildren.

Chad Daybell was found guilty in his triple murder trial. Picture: Rexburg PD

He was found guilty of killing his first wife Tammy and the two children of his mistress-turned-wife ‘cult mum’ Lori Vallow Daybell (pictured). Picture: Rexburg PD

“The tragedy of the case has harmed our family’s relationship with the kids. I will remain open to rebuilding a relationship with them,” Douglas told the courtroom.

Tammy was found dead in the bedroom of her and Chad Daybell’s home in Rexburg, Idaho, on October 19, 2019.

Less than a month after her death, on November 5, 2019, Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow, 50, married in a ceremony in Hawaii.

The two married a year after they first met at a religious conference in Utah in October 2018.

Vallow, at the time, was married to her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.

Charles was shot and killed by Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, in July 2019 in an alleged act of self-defence.

His death was ruled a homicide, and Vallow is currently awaiting trial in Arizona on charges of conspiring to kill her estranged husband.

The bodies of Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow and Tylee Ryan were found buried on Chad Daybell’s property nearly a year after they disappeared. Picture: AP

Lori Vallow missing kids story – Tylee Ryan, 17, and Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, seven. Picture: AP

Vallow was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in July 2023 for the murders of her two children and conspiring in the murder of Tammy Daybell.

Kay Woodcock, JJ Vallow’s grandmother, fought back tears as she called Friday’s sentencing “difficult and bittersweet.”

“I sit here today, trying to explain the immense pain that me and everyone in my family continues to endure daily.

“I continually wonder what he would have been. What kind of man would he have become,” Woodcock said of JJ, whom she remembered as a caring and loving boy.

Woodcock described Tylee as a “mama’s girl” with “the most previous blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl.”

“This is our life now, trying to comfort our other grandchildren as they try to comfort us,” the grandmother added.

“There is a hole in my heart and in the hearts of every member of my family, that cannot be filled and will remain for the rest of my life.”

Lori Vallow missing kids story – Tylee Ryan, 17, and Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, seven. Picture:

Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow’s oldest son, struggled to speak through tears as he emotionally mourned the death of his sister and brother, Tylee and JJ.

“I lost the ability to watch Tylee and JJ grow up,” Ryan said.

“I lost my relationship with my little brother, which took years to build. I lost everything I’ve ever known.

“I lost the ability to share my children with them or have my children have the privilege to know them and be loved by them.

“My three kids will never know the kindness of Tylee’s heart. Or JJ’s silly, goofy personality. More importantly, Tylee and JJ lost their lives.”

Ryan described the murders of his siblings as “a nuclear bomb dropping.”

“JJ will never get to grow up and share a wonderful, kind personality with the world, and everyone who has lost him feels this way.

“I stand here today, motherless, fatherless, sisterless, and brotherless. The only course forward is to trust in Christ, knowing that he has them in his arms, and wait for the day that we all meet again.”

Chad and Tammy Daybell married in 1990 and had five children together. Picture: Facebook

Samantha Gwilliam, Tammy Daybell’s sister, said the moment she learned of her sibling’s death she never felt peace.

“She is dead, and others who were supposed to stand up for her, protect her, and love her did not,” Gwilliam said through tears.

“From the moment I found out she was gone, I have never felt peace.

“She loved being a mum, and especially a grandma. She was so excited to be a part of our lives. She was intent and happy.

“My last visit I had with Tammy is the last time I have felt any peace. I would not be a good sister if I did not defend Tammy as well.”

Gwilliam continued, “I am not a dark person or a zombie, and for me and my family to be portrayed this way is unacceptable.

“My sister should not be dead right now.”

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell at their wedding. Picture: Fox10

During his two-month trial, Chad Daybell declined to testify on his behalf.

The prosecution argued that the former pastor and self-published author was motivated by “money, power, and sex” and went to extreme lengths to pursue his romantic relationship with Lori Vallow.

“Three dead bodies on the defendant Chad Daybell’s property and or on the residence,” Fremont County prosecutor Lindsey Blake told jurors.

“Two of them children, his mistress’ children, Joshua Jackson Vallow and Tylee Ryan, were found buried in the defendant’s backyard.

“Tammy Daybell was found dead in their marital bed, and for what? Money, power, and sex.

“That’s what the defendant cared about.”

Blake detailed the first time the doomsday couple met, and how Vallow flirted with Daybell.

“At the time, Chad and Lori met, their spouses were alive and well,” the prosecutor said during closing arguments.

“Charles Vallow and Tammy Daybell were alive.

“Lori and Chad were both married, but Chad was Googling about Lori.”

The prosecution said Daybell and Vallow viewed their spouses and children as “obstacles” that stood in the way of them being together.

The two tried to justify their affair after Daybell told Vallow they were married in a previous life

“They were married to other people, but because they had been married in prior lives, prior probation, prior creations, everything they were doing was okay,” Blake added.

Meanwhile, John Prior, Daybell’s lawyer, placed the blame on Lori Vallow and her brother, Alex Cox, arguing they were behind the murders.

“Lori Vallow knew what was going on because her beloved big brother could be tagged with the murder of Charles Vallow because two kids saw it,” Prior said during closing arguments.

Investigators believe Tylee and JJ were killed sometime in September 2019. Their charred remains were found in a shallow grave in the backyard of Chad Daybell’s property nearly a year later on June 9, 2020.