(NewsNation) — The prosecution and defense have rested in the trial of Lori Vallow, who is accused of killing her two youngest children, almost-17-year-old Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, 7.
The trial so far has been going on for over five weeks, and according to the East Idaho News, more than 60 witnesses were called.
Vallow will not testify, nor will her team call any witnesses. Closing arguments are set for Thursday, and attorneys will work on jury instructions Wednesday.
The verdict is set to be livestreamed on the courtroom’s YouTube page.
Tylee and JJ went missing in September 2019. Their bodies were found on Vallow’s current husband, Chad Daybell’s, Idaho property the following June.
Vallow also faces charges in connection with the October 2019 death of Chad Daybell’s previous wife, Tammy.
While Chad Daybell is also charged, the couple is being tried separately.
The case has gained notoriety nationwide, both for the severity of the crimes and because of the “doomsday” beliefs the couple reportedly shared. Chad Daybell was a follower of “Preparing a People,” and took their teachings to an extreme. Speaking about “zombies” and demons possessing people, Chad Daybell would tell his followers the world was going to end.
So far during testimony, it has been revealed through texts that Chad Daybell and Vallow were having an affair while their spouses were still alive. In texts reviewed by FBI Special Agent Douglas Hart, who took the stand Monday, Chad Daybell and Vallow spoke about Tylee and JJ’s “death percentages,” and relatives around them being “obstacles.”
On Tuesday, the state called FBI Tactical Specialist Nicole Heideman to the stand. It was Heideman’s second time testifying. She was the one who participated in the investigation to find JJ and Tylee. As part of it, she reviewed data from cell phones and Vallow’s iCloud accounts, which included a story about “James and Elena.”
According to the East Idaho News, James and Elena is a reference to a love story Chad Daybell wrote to Vallow through a series of text messages. Chad Daybell referred to himself as James, and Vallow was referred to as Elena.
While the defense tried to get Heideman to admit the “James and Elena” story was fictional, she testified that she did not believe it was.
There were multiple parallels to James and Elena’s story and Chad Daybell and Vallow’s real life: the real and fictional pair met at a conference in Arizona, and both couples went to a Mormon temple while there, for instance.
Nicholas Edwards, the lead investigator for the Idaho Attorney General’s Office who helped law enforcement agencies probe Tammy Daybell’s death, also took the stand Tuesday.
Tammy Daybell’s official cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation.
But about ten days before she passed away, the East Idaho News wrote she filed a report with the sheriff’s office, saying a masked man approached and shot at her with a paintball gun.
During Edwards’ testimony Tuesday, a timeline was shown of messages between Chad Daybell, Vallow, and her brother Alex Cox before the attempted shooting of Tammy Daybell.
Zulema Pastenes, Cox’s future wife, also joined in on later calls.
Earlier that same day, Vallow and Pastenes performed a “casting,” on Tammy Daybell. According to KSL, previous witnesses have said the term “casting” refers to getting rid of a demonic spirit from someone who is possessed.
More evidence entered showed that a day before Tammy Daybell died, there were again a number of calls between Vallow, Chad Daybell, and Cox.
A few days later was Tammy Daybell’s funeral, and Vallow was in Hawaii. While there, she and Chad Daybell texted. He wrote to her about wanting to get in shape physically and asked Vallow to come spend the night.
“I know how you feel,” Chad Daybell wrote to her. “I’m feeling sad but not for the reason everyone thinks.”
Three weeks after Tammy Daybell’s death, Vallow and Chad Daybell married in Hawaii.
Defense attorneys pointed out Edwards did not know the content of the messages between Vallow, Chad Daybell and Alex Cox before Tammy Daybell’s attempted shooting and eventual death, and argued they could be innocuous.
However, the prosecution re-established that the three were communicating more than normal on both days.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.