BOISE, Idaho (NewsNation) — Lori Vallow has been found guilty, so what does that mean for her husband and co-defendant Chad Daybell?
Vallow, 49, was convicted of killing her two children JJ Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16. She was also found guilty of all the other charges she faced, including conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the case of her husband’s first wife Tammy Daybell, and grand theft.
Daybell is awaiting trial on the same murder charges, but his trial is expected to take place in June 2024.
Criminal defense attorney Mark M. O’Mara told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield that Daybell’s defense may have an advantage because they’ve gotten a preview of everything the state is going to argue.
“It’s great. They get to see what’s coming and best plan for it. … I love it when another co-defendant goes first because they get to see the state’s best case,” O’Mara said.
O’Mara said the best thing Daybell’s lawyers could do at this point is help him avoid the death penalty and potentially accept a plea deal.
“We all do what’s called damage control. … If he truly wants to live out his days without getting executed, then they could be reaching out to the state to say, ‘We’re done.’ We’ll take the life sentence and move on. Save a lot of money for Idaho, save a lot of time, a lot of trouble and just move the case forward. And we as defense attorneys, have to look at those options,” O’Mara said.