Chad Daybell was convicted on Thursday in the murders of his first wife and two children of his current spouse, Lori Vallow Daybell. The couple’s extreme beliefs drew attention to the case.
An Idaho judge on Saturday sentenced a man to death, two days after he was found guilty of first-degree murder and other charges in the 2019 killings of his first wife and two of his current wife’s children, capping a case that drew scrutiny because of the couple’s “doomsday” religious beliefs.
The decision came after jurors took more than a day to deliberate during the special sentencing proceeding in the case against the man, Chad Daybell, 55, in Ada County District Court in Boise, Idaho.
Earlier on Saturday, the jury had recommended the death penalty before the judge ordered a short recess to make a final sentencing decision.
As the judge, Steven W. Boyce of the Seventh Judicial District, read his decision, Mr. Daybell sat with his hands in his lap, expressionless at the defense table. Defense lawyers did not have any questions when asked by the judge.
“The court typically would address the defendant further,” Judge Boyce said. “But in this special sentencing proceeding, the victim-impact statements and the evidence has already demonstrated on the record, I think, the seriousness of what’s occurred.”
“I don’t find any reason to further delve into the court’s rationale, other than what was listed in the statute,” he added.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
