The Doomsday Prophet: 5 Shocking Revelations From Chad Daybell’s Death Row And Triple Murder Conviction

The case of Chad Daybell, the former gravedigger and self-published doomsday author, continues to captivate and horrify the world, with the latest updates cementing his fate on death row. As of today, December 12, 2025, the focus shifts from the shocking 2024 triple murder conviction to the chilling aftermath: the appeals process and the bizarre letters he is reportedly sending from prison, maintaining an unshakeable, yet terrifying, claim of innocence. This article delves deep into the man, the murders, and the apocalyptic religious extremism that led to the deaths of three innocent people in a stunning case of murderous faith.

The story of Chad Daybell and his co-conspirator, Lori Vallow Daybell, is a dark convergence of fringe religious doctrine, illicit romance, and cold-blooded murder. The Idaho jury’s decision to impose the death penalty on Daybell for the killings of his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and Lori’s two youngest children, Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow, concluded a nine-week trial that exposed a cult-like belief system involving "zombies," "dark entities," and the imminent end of the world. The details of the case are a stark warning about the dangers of religious extremism.

Chad Daybell: Biography and Profile

Chad Guy Daybell was a seemingly ordinary man who transformed into a self-proclaimed "Doomsday Prophet" and leader of a fringe religious sect. His life trajectory, from a quiet gravedigger to a convicted triple murderer, is one of the most unsettling aspects of the entire saga.

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• Full Name: Chad Guy Daybell
• Born: August 11, 1968
• Birthplace: Provo, Utah
• First Wife: Tammy Daybell (married 1990; died October 19, 2019)
• Second Wife: Lori Vallow Daybell (married November 5, 2019)
• Children: Five children with Tammy Daybell.
• Occupation: Former Cemetery Sexton (Gravedigger), self-published author of doomsday fiction and religious books.
• Religious Affiliation: Former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS); excommunicated after developing and promoting radical, apocalyptic doctrines.
• Notable Books: One Foot in the Grave: The Strange But True Adventures of a Cemetery Sexton; The Great Gathering (part of the Standing in Holy Places series).
• Current Status: Convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy; sentenced to death by an Idaho jury on June 1, 2024.

1. The Chilling Doomsday Doctrine: "Zombies" and Dark Entities

The core of the Daybell-Vallow case lies in the couple’s twisted and radicalized religious beliefs, which they used to justify murder. Both Chad and Lori Vallow Daybell were members of the LDS Church before their descent into a bizarre, cult-like ideology.

The Light and Dark Scale

Chad Daybell developed a complex, apocalyptic worldview centered on a "light and dark scale." He claimed to have the spiritual ability to determine if a person's soul had been taken over by a "dark entity." According to his teachings, once a person's soul was gone, their body became a "zombie." In this corrupted state, the person could only be freed through death, which Daybell and Vallow referred to as a "casting."

The Victims as "Zombies"

This horrifying doctrine was allegedly applied directly to the victims. Testimony during the trial revealed that Lori Vallow Daybell referred to her two youngest children, Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow, as "zombies." The prosecution argued that Daybell and Vallow believed they were divinely chosen to lead 144,000 people during the imminent return of Jesus Christ, and that the victims were "obstacles" or "dark spirits" that needed to be eliminated. The bodies of the two children were later discovered buried on Chad Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho, in June 2020.

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2. The Triple Murder Timeline and Key Entities

The conspiracy to commit murder spanned several months in 2019 and involved multiple victims, all linked by Daybell’s fringe religious beliefs and his desire to be with Lori Vallow Daybell.

• July 2019: Lori’s estranged husband, Charles Vallow, is shot and killed by Lori's brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona. Vallow had previously expressed fears about Lori’s increasingly radical beliefs and her obsession with Daybell.
• September 2019: Tylee Ryan, 16, and J.J. Vallow, 7, disappear in Idaho. Tylee’s remains were found dismembered and burned, while J.J.’s body was found wrapped in plastic and duct tape.
• October 19, 2019: Tammy Daybell, Chad’s first wife, dies suddenly at the age of 49. Her death was initially attributed to natural causes, but an exhumation and autopsy later determined she died of asphyxia, leading to murder charges against Chad.
• November 5, 2019: Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow marry in Hawaii, just two weeks after Tammy’s death. This swift remarriage, coupled with the children’s disappearance, raised immediate suspicion from law enforcement and family members like Melani Pawlowski and Ian Pawlowski.
• June 2020: The remains of Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow are found buried in the backyard of Chad Daybell’s property.

The prosecution successfully argued that Daybell murdered Tammy to collect on her life insurance policies and free himself to marry Lori, and that he conspired with Lori to murder her children under the guise of their apocalyptic "zombie" doctrine. He was also convicted of insurance fraud charges related to Tammy Daybell’s death.

3. The Death Sentence Verdict and Appeals Process

After a lengthy trial, the jury found Chad Daybell guilty on all counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy. The case then moved to the penalty phase, where the jury had to decide between life in prison without parole or the death penalty.

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The Jury’s Decision

On June 1, 2024, the Idaho jury sentenced Daybell to death. This decision was a powerful statement from the community on the severity of the crimes, which involved the capital charges of murdering a child and multiple victims. Daybell himself declined to speak when given the opportunity at his sentencing, maintaining a stoic, unreadable demeanor throughout the proceedings.

The Road Ahead on Death Row

Despite the verdict, the legal battle is far from over. The death sentence automatically triggers a lengthy and complex appeals process in the Idaho court system. This process can take many years, involving multiple levels of state and federal courts, as his defense attorneys challenge the conviction and sentence. The case is expected to remain a subject of legal and public interest for the foreseeable future, with updates likely stretching well into 2026 and beyond.

4. The Post-Conviction Shock: Letters from Death Row

In a bizarre and recent development, Chad Daybell has reportedly been sending "shocking letters" from his cell on death row. These letters, which have been posted on a new website, are part of his continued effort to maintain his innocence and offer his own explanation of the events. He attempts to portray himself not as a murderer, but as a misunderstood spiritual leader whose musings can help people "understand him better." This post-conviction behavior only adds another layer of disturbing complexity to the "Doomsday Prophet" persona, as he uses his incarceration to continue promoting his fringe, cult-like ideas.

5. Lori Vallow Daybell's Parallel Fate

While Chad Daybell faces the death penalty, his wife and co-conspirator, Lori Vallow Daybell, received a different sentence. Lori was convicted in 2023 for the same murders and conspiracy charges. However, the jury in her trial did not recommend the death penalty, and she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The difference in sentencing highlights the separate jury decisions on the capital charges, though both individuals are now serving time for their roles in the horrific triple murder.

The case of Chad Daybell is a cautionary tale of how extreme religious beliefs can be weaponized with catastrophic results. The chilling details of the "zombie" doctrine, the cold-blooded elimination of family members, and the subsequent death sentence have ensured that the name Chad Daybell will remain synonymous with religious extremism and one of the most disturbing murder conspiracies in modern American history.