The attorney for Chad Guy Daybell, husband and co-defendant of Idaho woman Lori Norene Daybell (aka Lori Norene Vallow), is scheduled for a court appearance Wednesday over DNA evidence in his criminal case. Court is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. MT. You can watch in the player above.
Daybell is the lead defendant in a Fremont County conspiracy case, in which he is charged with hiding the bodies of his wife’s children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, on his property. Lori Daybell is also charged in Madison County with snubbing a court order and trying to get a friend to lie to authorities while the children were considered missing. Citing cell phone evidence, investigators placed her brother Alex Cox at the scene of the victims’ gravesites shortly after the respective disappearances of the children, but he died in December 2019 of what authorities in Maricopa County, Arizona called a blood clot. No one has been charged with killing JJ and Tylee.
According to a motion filed Thursday, lawyer John Prior said that prosecutor Rob Wood sent correspondence announcing plans to test DNA samples and noted that this move would use up all of such evidence.
“This would preclude the defense from seeking independent testing by their own expert,” Prior wrote.
He wants the defense to get half of the samples for their own testing. Prior is also asking for a court order letting them learn more about any testing the state has done. This also includes letting the defense DNA expert attend any labs testing the samples and ordering testing agencies to “photograph, record and document” any tests. Basically, the defense is laying out specific ways they want to look over authorities’ shoulders.
[Image via John Roark/the Post-Register/Pool]
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