Day 11: Vallow Daybell’s son accuses her of murdering his siblings in jail recording

The third week of Lori Vallow Daybell’s criminal trial started Tuesday morning.

Vallow Daybell, a 49-year-old Rexbug mother, and her husband, Chad Daybell, are charged with the first-degree murders of her two children — 7-year-old Joshua Jaxon “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.

She is also accused of conspiring to murder the children and Chad Daybell’s then-wife, Tammy Daybell. Vallow Daybell faces a felony charge in Arizona as well for allegedly conspiring to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.

Chad Daybell — whose trial date hasn’t been set — also faces a first-degree murder charge in Tammy Daybell’s death.

The 18-person jury last week heard from eight witnesses, including Vallow Daybell’s brother Alex Cox’s widow Zulema Pastenes, who testified Friday for roughly four hours. Vallow Daybell’s defense attorney John Thomas wrapped up his cross-examination Tuesday morning.

Pastenes told the courtroom about the Daybells’ religious beliefs and how she participated in “castings” with Vallow Daybell, where they would cast out “dark spirits” from certain people’s bodies.

READ MORE: 5 key highlights from witness testimony in Lori Vallow Daybell’s jury trial

1 p.m. — Vallow Daybell’s brother made 46 gun-related purchases

Vallow Daybell, along with Tylee and JJ, moved to Idaho around Sept. 1, 2019, Rexburg Det. Chuck Kunsaitis said during his testimony Thursday. He was able to confirm this information by looking at the family’s financial records, which showed their travels northwest from Arizona to Idaho.

Tylee was last seen roughly a week later on Sept. 9, 2019.

Kunsaitis said that after early September, Tylee’s bank account was the “opposite of what her spending habits were.” He said that Tylee typically purchased items in person, and that her account was very active but once they were in Idaho, the purchases were made mainly online.

Kunsaitis also said that by Oct. 20, 2019, all of the children’s monthly Social Security payments were going to a sole account that Vallow Daybell opened.

Kunsaitis also reviewed a rental application for Vallow Daybell’s Rexburg apartment. In the application, which was presented in court, Vallow Daybell wrote that she was moving to Idaho because Tylee wanted to attend Brigham Young University-Idaho, but she was too young to live alone so Vallow Daybell was relocating with her.

Vallow Daybell’s eldest son, Colby Ryan, said in his testimony early Tuesday that Tylee had received her GED certification. East Idaho News reported that Tylee was never enrolled in any Idaho school.

In August 2019, Cox received a $21,000 loan, and at the same time, he began purchasing a large number of firearms and ammunition. Kunsaitis said Cox made 46 gun-related purchases between August and October.

The Rexburg Police Department, according to Det. Ray Hermosillo, located several firearms, silencers, ammunition, knives, duct tape and rope inside the garage of Vallow Daybell’s Rexburg apartment.

Court adjourned at 3:20 p.m., and the prosecution is expected to continue its direct examination of Kunsaitis Wednesday.

12:30 p.m. — Special agent outlines Vallow Daybell’s children’s Social Security benefits

Mark Saari, a special agent with the Social Security Administration, during his testimony Tuesday, outlined the amount of money that JJ, Tylee and Vallow Daybell were receiving from the government.

Prosecutors have also charged Vallow Daybell with grand theft for allegedly continuing to collect Social Security benefits on behalf of her children, according to the indictment.

“Tylee had money, Lori wanted it, Tylee’s gone,” Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake told the court during the prosecution’s opening statement on Monday, April 10.

Tylee and JJ each received nearly $2,000 a month in what Saari referred to as survivor benefits. They both received the money because their fathers had died. Tylee’s biological father, Joseph Ryan, died in 2018 from natural causes, while JJ’s father, Charles Vallow, was shot and killed in July 2019.

Vallow Daybell also received nearly $2,000 from Social Security benefits from Charles Vallow’s death to help support her children.

Saari said during his testimony that the bank account in which Tylee’s survivor benefits were being deposited changed on Aug. 20, 2019. It changed from a JP Morgan account to a Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, also known as BBVA, account.

Tylee was last seen on Sept. 9, 2019.

Saari said that if a child dies, moves or is no longer under a parent or guardian’s care, the Social Security Administration needs to be notified. He added that they also need to be notified when someone gets remarried.

When asked if Vallow Daybell ever notified the agency, Saari said she didn’t.

11 a.m. — ‘You murdered my siblings.’ Vallow Daybell’s son accuses mother in recording

An explosive recorded video call between Ryan and Vallow Daybell was played in court Tuesday. The call occurred in August 2020 — less than two months after police had located the remains of Tylee and JJ on Chad Daybell’s property.

“You murdered my siblings,” Ryan told his mother in the recording. Audible gasps were heard in both the courtroom and overflow rooms as spectators listened to the recording.

“I didn’t,” Lori responded. “I’m sorry that you feel that way.”

“You didn’t do anything, right?” Ryan said. “Mom, I prayed for you in my worst moments, I prayed for my siblings who you swore to me were OK.”

Ryan later in the recording told Vallow Daybell that God will convict people who acted on his behalf in “pure blasphemy.” The comment caused Vallow Daybell to begin laughing, which seemed to enrage Ryan.

He questioned his mother repeatedly in response, saying, “You’re laughing?!”

Vallow Daybell then told Ryan that he can judge her because the whole world already is, and that he wasn’t there and doesn’t know what happened to Tylee and JJ.

“They love me and they are fine and they know the truth,” Vallow Daybell said about the children.

But Ryan said it doesn’t matter what happened if Tylee and JJ “were buried in your new husband’s background.” He later told his mother that his “little dead siblings” are the ones who needed protecting and that Vallow Daybell had ripped out his heart.

“Everyone is gone except for you and you’re in jail because of it,” Ryan said.

Ryan repeatedly asked his mother throughout the video call whether her actions were done in Jesus’ name.

“You can tell me right now that Jesus Christ — the savior of the world — is on your side right now?” Ryan asked his mother.

“I can tell you that,” Vallow Daybell responded.

10:30 a.m. — ‘Who taught you that God is good?’

Jim Archibald, one of Vallow Daybell’s defense attorney’s asked Ryan nearly a dozen yes or no questions about Vallow Daybell’s religious beliefs during cross-examination.

During the trial last week, two of Vallow Daybell’s former friends — Melaine Gibb and Zulema Pastenes — testified about the Daybell’s religious fringe religious beliefs, specifically that the Daybells believed “dark spirits” or “zombies” could inhabit a person’s body.

The Daybells, who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had extremist beliefs the world was going to end in July 2020, and that they were a part of the 144,000 people who, according to the Book of Revelations, would be saved during the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

“Did she teach you about zombies?” Archibald asked Ryan.

“No,” Ryan responded.

Archibald asked Ryan some form of this question several times, asking if Vallow Daybell ever taught or mentioned reincarnation, evil spirits, the 144,000 or other beliefs that former friends had testified the Daybells believed. He responded to almost every question “no.”

“Who taught you that God is good?” Archibald asked Ryan.

“The church and my mom,” Ryan responded.

9:45 a.m. — Vallow Daybell’s eldest son called to the witness stand

The prosecution briefly called Ryan, to the witness stand Tuesday.

He testified that Vallow Daybell told him that Charles Vallow died from a heart attack and it wasn’t until he saw Cox later that July night that he learned Cox shot and killed Charles Vallow.

Ryan also testified that on Nov. 27, 2019, Arizona authorities contacted him and asked if he knew anything about Tylee and JJ’s whereabouts. He said that Vallow Daybell never told him where she was moving when she left Phoenix, but that she was moving somewhere cold.

“It was dangerous for her to tell anyone where she was going,” Ryan said, recalling what Vallow Daybell had told him.

Ryan added that he was concerned about Tylee before police reached out to him because of the way Tylee had been texting him and that he received texts from “Tylee” until late September 2019.

Tylee was last seen on Sept. 9, 2019.

Vallow Daybell’s defense team is expected to begin cross-examination.