Lori Vallow Update: Judge Rejects Chad Daybell, Wife's Requests To Move Trial Date

An Idaho judge has set a new trial date for Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell after rejecting their lawyers' requests to move the date.

On Thursday, Judge Steven Boyce decided the 10-week trial, which was initially set for January 2023, would begin on April 3, 2023.

Vallow and Daybell have pleaded not guilty to several counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of Vallow's children Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 7, Tylee Ryan, 16, and Daybell's former wife, Tammy Daybell.

Although Vallow and Daybell have been ordered to stand trial together, their attorneys had conflicting requests about when the trial should take place.

Jim Archibald, who is a part of Vallow's legal team, argued that the trial should be set for February 2023 since his client is entitled to a speedy trial.

"For purposes of trial, my client has not waived her speedy trial. By our calculation, we cannot agree to anything past Feb. 21, 2023," Archibald said.

"The court needs to set our client's jury trial for that time. If it's after, then we believe her speedy trial rights have been violated, and we will file a motion to dismiss the case."

However, Daybell's lawyer, John Prior, wanted the trial pushed to no earlier than October 2023 after he received a thumb drive containing more than 115 items from the prosecutor on the morning of the hearing.

"Some of these items of discovery address significant items, and it is going to take a significant amount of time for not only myself but my investigative team to go over all of it," Prior said.

"I'm creeping up on two years of this thing, and it blows my mind that after two years, I can't get the simplest items of discovery on this case. You'd think that would be a priority."

While Daybell has waived his right to a speedy trial, Judge Boyce expressed concern over prolonging the trial date further due to the length of time Vallow has been in jail.

"By my calculations, I have Ms. Vallow, who has been in custody two years and 10 days since her initial arrest. Mr. Daybell has waived his right to a speedy trial and has been in jail 912 and a half days by my calculation," said Boyce. "The length of incarceration is of great concern to me. I have a defendant who has never waived her right to a speedy trial."