(NewsNation) — Doomsday author Chad Daybell is on trial for the deaths of his ex-wife and two of current wife Lori Vallow’s children.
The death penalty was taken off the table for Vallow, but not Daybell, despite his attorney’s efforts.
Larry Woodcock, the grandfather of victim JJ Vallow, told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield that Daybell’s trial “feels different” when comparing it to Vallow’s.
“With Chad, I think I’m better prepared, and I’m able to focus deeply. … I feel like I see more, and I hear more. It just feels different.” Woodcock said during an appearance Monday night on “Banfield.” Woodcock says he isn’t as emotionally invested this time around.
“We loved Lori, and we gave her (JJ), the most precious gift we could we could give anybody. But with Chad, this is 100% business.”
Vallow was sentenced to life in prison last year for the murder of her two youngest children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, and 16-year-old Tylee Vallow, as well as Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell.
Vallow is currently in Arizona, awaiting trial on additional charges of conspiring to kill her estranged husband Charles Vallow and her niece’s ex-husband Brandon Boudreaux.
Police believe Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed Charles Vallow at his home in a Phoenix suburb. The husband and wife were estranged, and Cox told police he acted in self-defense. He was never charged in the case and died later that year of what authorities determined were natural causes.
Charles Vallow had filed for divorce earlier that year, contending in court papers that Lori Vallow believed herself to be a deity tasked with helping to usher in the biblical apocalypse.
The two were, however, still legally married at the time of his death. Lori Vallow was indicted in 2021 for conspiring to kill him.
Who is Chad Daybell?
Chad Daybell is now married to Vallow, his second wife. He previously ran a small publishing company and wrote fictional books about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also hosted a podcast about preparing for the apocalypse.
He also had a religion-focused podcast that Vallow appeared on and the pair hosted gatherings of people who shared their religious beliefs, CBS reported.
Those close to Daybell said he claimed he received visions from “beyond the veil.”
NewsNation’s Katie Smith contributed to this report.