Mega Edition: Chad Daybell Trial (Part 17) (10/22/26)
Day seventeen of Chad Daybell’s trial began with FBI Special Agent Steve Daniels finishing his testimony about the June 2020 search of Chad’s property and the recovery of JJ Vallow’s remains. Daniels walked jurors through the burial site near the pond and pet cemetery, explaining how investigators noticed disturbed ground, carefully removed layers of soil and eventually uncovered JJ wrapped in black and white plastic beneath boards and rocks. Jurors were shown graphic photographs of the excavation that were withheld from the public livestream because of their nature. Daniels testified that investigators had been guided to the general area through cellphone-location data and other evidence, but physical signs at the property helped identify the exact burial location. Lori Vallow’s niece Melani Pawlowski then took the stand and described how Chad and Lori had introduced her to teachings about people being “light” or “dark,” casting out evil spirits and using a pendulum to receive spiritual answers. She testified that Chad had been the source of the light-and-dark classifications and acknowledged that Charles Vallow, Tylee Ryan and JJ had all ultimately been labeled dark. The afternoon focused heavily on Melani’s husband, Ian Pawlowski, and secret recordings he made while cooperating with the FBI in late 2019. Jurors heard portions of conversations involving Chad, Lori, Melani, Alex Cox and Zulema Pastenes in which Chad and Lori portrayed certain law-enforcement officers as “dark,” discussed spiritual attacks and talked about their belief that they were leaders in gathering the 144,000. Chad was also heard giving Ian and Melani an unusual blessing in which he spoke about portals, spiritual cords, cleansing the earth through earthquakes and their supposed role in a larger divine mission. Ian testified that Chad and Lori had urged him and Melani to get away from law enforcement and that, despite the growing search for JJ and Tylee, neither Chad nor Lori ever told him where the children were or did anything to help locate them. Day seventeen therefore connected three major parts of the prosecution’s case at once: the physical reality of JJ’s burial on Chad’s property, the belief system Chad promoted within the group and recorded conversations showing how Chad and Lori responded as police closed in. to contact me: [email protected]