Chad Daybell pleads not guilty to murder, conspiracy charges. What happens next?
Chad Daybell has entered pleas to the slew of charges against him — including counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Daybell appeared in a Fremont County courtroom Wednesday morning beside his attorney, John Prior. After a delayed start to the hearing, Judge Steven Boyce read the details of the nine charges Daybell faces.
As Boyce read each count, Daybell responded “not guilty” to each of his charges.
Daybell faces nine felony charges, including three counts of first-degree murder and multiple counts of conspiracy to commit murder and insurance fraud. The murder charges and conspiracy to commit murder charges stem from the deaths of Chad’s former wife, Tammy Daybell, and Lori Vallow Daybell’s children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua “JJ” Vallow.
The case against Lori Vallow Daybell, Chad’s current wife, who is also charged with multiple murder counts, is on hold after she was deemed not competent to stand trial last month. After initially disputing the ruling, a prosecutor withdrew a contest to the court’s decision. A judge on Wednesday committed Lori to a state mental health facility in an effort to have her competency restored for trial.
Chad Daybell’s next hearing is set to take place June 23, when the court will schedule dates for a potential jury trial.
This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 12:01 PM.
