DAY 10 | LIVE UPDATES: Alex Cox's widow says Chad and Lori Daybell taught demons needed to be bound or burned - East Idaho News
DAY 10

DAY 10 | LIVE UPDATES: Alex Cox’s widow says Chad and Lori Daybell taught demons needed to be bound or burned

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LIVE UPDATES FROM THE LORI VALLOW DAYBELL TRIAL

Here are the sketches from today.

04 14 2023 03 Judge Steven W. Boyce

04 14 2023 02 Witness Detective Duncan DefenseTable

04 14 2023 01 Witness Zulema Pastenes Prosecutor Rachel Smith 1

3:23 p.m. Thomas has more cross-examination, but questioning is done for the day. The jury is being dismissed. No court on Monday, but we will resume Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. I’ll post the sketches and audio when we get them later this afternoon.

3:21 p.m. Zulema says the entire goal was to cast out and banish the evil spirit. This entire hand-written chart shows how to do this with Biblical scriptures listed on the paper.

3:18 p.m. Burning as on the fifth level of the priesthood chart. The sixth level is escorting, and the seventh level is sealing. Zulema says escorting is when the evil spirit is escorted out of the seventh level, sealing the spirit out of the body. The next level is to banish, then expel, reject, purge and then evict the evil spirit.

3:17 p.m. Thomas asks how someone would burn the body or around the body. Zulema says it was done spiritually and verbally during the casting. “You verbally describe burning.” Zulema says it had nothing to do with physical burning.

3:15 p.m. Zulema says she now knows Chad and Lori did not have the authority to cast out evil spirits, but she believes evil spirits can be cast out because Jesus did it when he was alive.

3:12 p.m. Zulema explaining Chad and Lori taught that to prevent another demon from taking over the body, you have two minutes to burn around the body to prevent another demon from going into the body.

3:11 p.m. Thomas showing another page from the journal. Zulema says she was trying to write the order of the priesthood.

3:10 p.m. Zulema says the drawing was in February/March 2019 around the time Chad and Lori started teaching about the light and dark scale. Zulema would carry this page around with her.

3:10 p.m. Thomas asks Zulema why she drew it. She doesn’t know. He is now showing another page from Zulema’s journal showing some drawings.

3:07 p.m. Thomas displays the image from Zulema’s journal showing the circles with multiple lives and the circle showing where spirits go to stay in limbo for two minutes after the body dies.

3:06 p.m. Zulema said she had a belief in Chad that made her think what he taught was true.

3:04 p.m. Thomas clarifying the lunch meetup Zulema had with Chad, Lori and Melanie Gibb. Zulema says Chad relayed to her all of her past lives during that meeting. Thomas says earlier, Zulema only said Chad shared about her second past life – not all of them.

3:03 p.m. Zulema says she often texted Chad to ask questions about spiritual topics.

3:02 p.m. Zulema talking about the times Chad has given her blessings.

3 p.m. Zulema says Chad made her feel very special, and the blessings he gave were very personal.

2:58 p.m. Thomas asks Zulema about when she was ordained to the Church of the Firstborn. She says it was done but she doesn’t remember when it happened.

2:56 p.m. Thomas: “You’re not a real gullible person. You have some sophistication, right?” Zulema responds, “I have always believed people and I believe in the goodness of people. I see their positive sides, their good sides, and I tried to believe their intentions are always good. I have become a lot more cautious since meeting Chad and Lori, and my views have changed a little in regard to that.”

2:55 p.m. Zulema is a job coach in Arizona. She helps train people and helps them gain employment.

2:53 p.m. Thomas asks Zulema if her views on the casting and light work have changed. She responds, “There are two children that have died and a mother of five who have died. I will consider that evil. Yes, sir.” Zulema says Chad and Lori’s work had a direct tie to the children and spouse who died.

2:52 p.m. Zulema says she had been married multiple times before Chad gave her a blessing saying she would get married. Thomas asks for clarifications on the castings. She says nobody was ever physically harmed – it was meant to bind the spirit of the person.

2:50 p.m. Zulema says she isn’t specifically sure what visions she was referring to at the time, but she remembers seeing herself in a beautiful room with a big table. She was sitting at the table, and there were people all around. A man was sitting on the other end – “a very light being.”

2:50 p.m. Thomas reads a text message Zulema sent to Chad where she said she was having visions at the temple after Chad gave her a blessing.

2:48 p.m. Zulema found it amazing that Lori said she had seen Jesus, so she wanted to know more about it. Zulema says she had her own amazing spiritual experiences in the temple.

2:47 p.m. Zulema says when she met up with Lori, they usually talked about spiritual things.

2:45 p.m. Zulema says Melanie Gibb often had different people come to her house to talk about their books. Thomas asks if Zulema, Melanie Gibb, Lori were “very active” in the LDS Church. They went to the temple quite often and met up with each other there.

2:43 p.m. John Thomas is conducting cross-examination on Zulema. He says, “Your testimony this morning was dramatically different than your testimony this afternoon. Did you talk to anyone about the case?” She says she did not but her nerves were different in the morning than this afternoon.

2:41 p.m. Boyce reminds everyone in the audience that they cannot speak with each other and give commentary during witness testimony – especially to those seated near the jurors. Jury is being brought back in the courtroom.

2:39 p.m. Lori is very chatty with her attorneys today. She is smiling back and forth between Jim Archibald and John Thomas.

2:19 p.m.Smith’s final question for Zulema: “Alex took his role seriously to protect Lori?” Zulema responds, “Absolutely.” We are now taking a 15-minute afternoon break.

2:18 p.m. Zulema says Alex believed everything Lori said, and he believed his mission was to protect Lori. That mission was given to Chad and Lori during a blessing.

2:17 p.m. Smith has a few more questions for Zulema. Zulema says Lori and Chad taught that if you were exalted in another probation, this time you came to the earth didn’t count for you because he had already proven yourself in another probation. Lori often said, “It doesn’t count for me.”

2:14 p.m. Boyce asks for a brief sidebar with attorneys to discuss scheduling.

2:12 p.m. Zulema asked Alex how he felt after shooting someone following Charles’ death. Alex responded, “He was a zombie.” Lori told Zulema that JJ was going to have a very short life, and at a meeting in August 2019, Chad said JJ would have a very short life because he was going to come right back as Colby Ryan’s child. Alex believed all of this, according to Zulema.

2:11 p.m. Chad told Alex he was to be Lori’s protector.

2:09 p.m. Serena was a very powerful goddess, according to Chad. Zulema does not remember Melani B.’s gift. Alex’s responsibility was to be a warrior. Chad told him he was going to be a defender, a warrior and he would be training many other warriors that would be moving to Rexburg in the future.

2:08 p.m. Smith now asking about castings and the gifts people had. Chad told Zulema her gift was the elements – she was able to work with the elements. Melanie Gibb’s gift was a gatherer – she was meant to gather people who were “awake” – aware of the signs and the times.

2:06 p.m. Photo admitted into evidence. It shows Serena and Zulema at the conference.

2:03 p.m. At the conference, Zulema spoke with Chad about how Lori wasn’t able to make it. She canceled her trip at the last minute. Chad told Zulema that Lori wasn’t there so she could be protected, and the person who was going to serve her divorce papers wouldn’t be able to find her.

2:01 p.m. Smith asks Zulema if she remembers chatting with Chad at the Preparing a People conference in Boise. She remembers. They stayed at the same hotel. The conference happened before Charles died.

1:57 p.m. Smith asks to admit three photos. The first photo shows Zulema sitting with a group of women in a row at a conference. The second photo shows Chad with four women, including Melanie Gibb and Zulema. The last photo shows another group of the women at the conference.

1:53 p.m. On the chart, Tylee’s rating was 4.1 dark. Charles Vallow’s rating was 3 light. Melani B.’s rating was 3 light. Brandon’s was 3 dark.

1:52 p.m. Zulema says Chad showed her the rating chart at a meeting in early August 2019.

1:49 p.m. Zulema describes another document that shows the ratings for all of Lori’s family members. Lori apparently asked Chad to give her family members these ratings.

1:48 p.m. Zulema says one way to prevent another evil spirit from entering is by binding the body. Another way is using fire. Remember – JJ’s body was bound with duct tape and Tylee’s body was burned.

1:46 p.m. Another page of the journal says, “cast out” and “get rid of them.” Smith asks if Zulema had to destroy the body once an evil spirit was cast out of it. Zulema says that Lori and Chad taught every time a demon is passed out, the two-minute window leaves an opening for another one to come in. To prevent another demon from coming in, you need to do certain things, like using water and fire to destroy the body.

1:44 p.m. The next page shows the light and dark rating scale. There are levels of light and dark – from 1-6 on both the light and dark sides. Zulema was a 4.2 light. Lori was a 4.3 light.

1:44 p.m. Eighteen pages from Zulema’s journal are admitted into evidence.

1:43 p.m. Chad said he and Lori had already been married seven times on this earth. They were also married and exalted in other worlds together. Alex believed all of this, Zulema says.

1:42 p.m. Zulema says Alex Cox “absolutely” believed this. Chad claimed in the creations that he had been the brother of Heavenly Father and Jesus, and in another creation, Chad had been the Holy Ghost.

1:41 p.m. On the other side of the page is a circle showing limbo – a place where spirits go. “If a person dies, there is a two-minute window where a demon can take over the body and inhabit it,” Zulema says. “The original spirit goes into limbo, waiting for the body to be placed to rest.”

1:40 p.m. The first page shown from the journal is a diagram showing multiple creations and worlds that one person can come to. Zulema says Lori taught her this. There are five worlds on this page, each with a Satan and a Savior. The fifth world is the lowest and the darkest world.

1:37 p.m. Rachel Smith asks to admit Zulema’s journal (or portions of it) as evidence.

1:33 p.m. Zulema asked Alex if he had anything to do with Tammy’s death. He wouldn’t answer. She began pressuring him for information and said things were very “weird.” She kept asking, “Where are Lori and Chad?” Alex eventually responded, “I think I’m being their fall guy.” Zulema said, “Fall guy for what? What have you done that you would be the fall guy for?” Zulema said she was very frustrated because Alex wouldn’t say much. He eventually said, “Either I am a man of God, or I am not.” Alex died the next day.

1:31 p.m. On Dec. 11, Alex was on the phone with Chad and Lori. Zulema walked in the room and Chad and Lori told Alex that Tammy’s body was being exhumed. Zulema was very confused about why they would be exhuming Tammy’s body. Zulema asked why this would be happening if she died of natural causes.

1:31 p.m. Zulema didn’t know police were looking for JJ and Tylee until after Alex died. Alex passed away on Dec. 12, 2019.

1:29 p.m. Zulema went to Alex and said, “How can Kay be looking for JJ when JJ is supposed to be with her?” Alex responded, “I know,” but he didn’t answer her otherwise.

1:28 p.m. Zulema said her reaction to Melanie’s call was “utter confusion.” “To hear my friend saying all of this is happening and at the same time knowing how much trust I put in these two people – it was very, very confusing, and I was very distraught.”

1:28 p.m. Melanie Gibb called Zulema around this time and was very upset, very emotional. Melanie said she felt they had been deceived by Chad and Lori, and they were asking her to lie for them. Melanie felt they were doing something wrong.

1:27 p.m. Alex and Zulema married in Las Vegas on Dec. 1.

1:26 p.m. Zulema says after Chad and Lori got married, they had a layover in Phoenix, so Zulema met them to have dinner. She asked Lori where JJ was if they were in Hawaii. Lori said JJ was with Kay.

1:25 p.m. Lori said the day after Tammy’s funeral, Chad was going to move into her apartment. Zulema said that seemed a little too fast, and shouldn’t there be time for grieving? Lori didn’t respond to that.

1:23 p.m. Lori told Zulema that Lori and Chad had received instructions from angels about how to cast demons out. That is the reason Tammy died and Lori said she and Chad were going to settle down in Rexburg – Zion – a place of refuge. Lori and Chad then suddenly said they were going to go somewhere else.

1:21 p.m. On the night Tammy was shot at, Melani B., Lori and Zulema were at the casting. Lori said she received some new information on the casting. They were going to be using the cosmos, and Lori kept telling Zulema how awesome she was. Lori then got a call, and Zulema said Lori was “very, very angry – scary angry.” Lori was using terms such as “idiot” and “moron,” and she was very angry with whoever was on the phone. Lori then said to Zulema, “Idiot can’t do anything right by himself.”

1:20 p.m. Before Tammy died, Lori told Zulema that Tammy had been possessed by a demon, and Lori needed Zulema’s help casting the evil spirit out of her. The demon was named Viola.

1:18 p.m. Zulema remembers hearing Tammy Daybell had been shot at on Oct. 9. Melanie (unsure which one) called Zulema 10 days later and said Tammy had died. Zulema says she was confused and didn’t know what to think.

1:16 p.m. Zulema had no communication with Chad and Lori as they were in Hawaii. Zulema says Alex was communicating with them, but when Alex left Rexburg to visit her in Arizona, they stopped communicating with him. He was upset and said something like, “Can you believe they are being such jerks after how much I helped them, and now they don’t want to talk to me?”

1:15 p.m. JJ and Tylee were not in Rexburg on Nov. 7. Zulema said during that Idaho visit, she and Alex did not know where Chad and Lori were but they ended up getting photos from Chad and Lori in Hawaii.

1:13 p.m. Alex returned to Arizona from Rexburg on Halloween and Alex stayed at Zulema’s house with Melani P. Melani stayed in Zulema’s bedroom. Zulema and Alex stayed up all night and it was the first time they kissed and held hands. They ended up getting engaged on Zulema’s next trip to Rexburg on Nov. 7.

1:12 p.m. Before Alex moved to Rexburg, Zulema and Alex went to dinner to get to know each other. They watched movies, got to know each other and had fun talking.

1:11 p.m. Chad and Lori taught that a man and a woman should always be together because they are stronger than being separate. If they are together, they can have the priesthood together. Once Alex and Zulema started to date, Lori and Chad pushed them to get married.

1:10 p.m. Zulema says Chad gave her a separate blessing in August 2019 in Lori’s Arizona house. He told Zulema that she needed to go to Rexburg and will be getting married to someone.

1:09 p.m. Alex also received a blessing from Lori and Chad that day. Chad told him the Savior was standing next to him giving him the words to say. Alex was told all his sins were forgiven, and he started to sob.

1:08 p.m. Chad gave Zulema a blessing and said that the Savior was standing right next to him. Chad said the Savior was telling her that all her sins were forgiven and it was time for her to leave Babylon and move to Rexburg. Lori, Chad, Alex and Zulema were present for the blessing.

1:07 p.m. Melani Boudreaux had recently received a large divorce settlement. Zulema said that’s Melani’s money, not hers. Zulema said she asked Melani about what Lori said and Melani responded she was sad that people would say that about her money.

1:05 p.m. Zulema had a job and family in Arizona so she couldn’t move. Lori told her not to worry about that because Melani Boudreaux has enough money for all of them.

1:04 p.m. Tammy was still alive during Zulema’s visit in Rexburg. Zulema said Chad asked her to lie and send him a text asking for him to come and speak at an event. Zulema says Chad wanted an excuse to be with Lori. Zulema sent the text and Chad came over. She says Lori and Chad were aggressively trying to convince Zulema to move to Rexburg.

1:02 p.m. Zulema says JJ was in Rexburg when she visited and he was playing outside with his friends. JJ came inside to ask for a popsicle and a snack. Lori brought him in around 7 p.m. and started getting him ready for bed. Lori told Zulema she had hired a babysitter/nanny to help care for JJ and bought a subscription to a bounce house-type business for JJ’s entertainment.

1:01 p.m. JJ had a service dog named Bailey. Lori said the evil spirits attacking JJ were going into the dog because it was easier to get into him so Lori sold the dog after Charles died.

1 p.m. Before Lori moved to Rexburg, Lori told her a few times that Tylee had been possessed by a demon named Hillary. Lori said a few times that JJ was being attacked by demons.

12:58 p.m. Zulema went and stayed with Alex in Rexburg in September. Zulema never saw Tylee and asked Lori where Tylee was. “She had to be freed,” Lori told Zulema. Zulema asked what she meant by that and Lori lifted her hand, put it up to Zulema’s face and said, “Don’t ask.”

12:55 p.m. Zulema says one day Lori told her she was moving to Rexburg because part of her mission needed to be done in Idaho. Alex and Lori, along with JJ and Tylee, moved into the same apartment complex. Lori told Zulema she was receiving Social Security benefits from the death of Tylee’s dad and JJ was receiving Social Security from Charles dying. Lori said because she had been married for over 10 years to Charles, she was also receiving Social Security. The total amount was around $6,000 a month so she said she didn’t need to work.

12:51 p.m. Back from lunch. Here is a sketch of Zulema Pastenes on the stand this morning. She resumes testimony shortly.

04 14 2023 01 Witness Zulema Pastenes Prosecutor Rachel Smith

12 noon Lunch break until 12:45 p.m.

11:57 a.m. Lori told Zulema that Chad told her that Lori needed to move to Rexburg, Idaho, because it was going to be a refuge as other countries were going to invade the United States. Chad said soldiers and warriors would defend Rexburg, and the area had been prepared as a place of safety.

11:55 a.m. Lori told Zulema certain things needed to happen before the Second Coming, and she needed to cleanse the earth of evil spirits. She was taking steps to usher in the Second Coming, and Charles’ death one of those steps.

11:52 a.m. Lori told Zulema that on the day Charles died, he came from out of town to pick up JJ for school. While he was putting JJ in the car, Lori took Charles’ phone, and he came back for it, but she would not give it to him. They started arguing about the phone. Alex was there and got involved in the fight as Alex was trying to protect his sister. Tylee came into the middle of the fight with a baseball bat telling Charles to leave and Charles took the bat away from Tylee. Charles then hit Alex on the back of the head with the bat. Charles and Alex wrestled and Alex got his gun and he shot Charles, all according to what Lori told Zulema.

11:50 a.m. Lori always told Zulema she had a connection with the number 711. Lori mentioned it all the time and said she had a spiritual connection with the number. Lori told Zulema it was 711 when Charles died so his death was all orchestrated by God and Hiplos had been delivered to her and Alex.

11:49 a.m. Zulema asked Lori why she moved to Texas with Charles after all the problems she had with him. Lori said she needed to go so she could get her finances straight.

11:48 a.m. Lori said this was a powerful demon and the castings were not working. Lori said Charles moved to Texas because there were doctors to help people who were possessed by demons and they could help keep the bodies alive. Alex was aware of all of this, Zulema says.

11:46 a.m. Lori moved to Texas, but she asked Zulema and the other women to be on a conference call for another casting so Hiplos could be removed from Charles. Christina, Nicole, Melanie Gibb, Melani Boudreaux, Lori and Zulema participated in this casting. Zulema says several castings were done on Charles during this time.

11:45 a.m. Lori said Ned had been removed, but now a more powerful demon had possessed Charles, and this time it was a demon “expert” named Hiplos that had done the same things for hundreds of years.

11:43 a.m. Lori is looking at Zulema as she testifies and doesn’t show much emotion. Zulema says if someone is dark/a demon, they are considered dangerous. Alex believed this more than anyone else, Zulema says.

11:42 a.m. After the casting, Lori called Chad and was very confident that it had worked. Lori had told the group they needed to fast like Jesus did, and they could not eat until after the casting.

11:41 a.m. During the second casting, everyone had a different part. Smith asks Zulema was Alex’s part was. She takes a minute to think and then says she believes Alex was a warrior but she doesn’t exactly remember who he was. Lori assigned everyone’s roles.

11:39 a.m. Then Chad and Lori said Alex had been exalted in other creations and had been on other earths multiple times. Because of this, he was now a powerful spiritual being. Zulema says Alex believed this and was very excited to find out who he was.

11:38 a.m. Zulema was told another casting needed to be done to get rid of Ned. This was done at Zulema’s house again. Nicole, Serena, Melanie Gibb, Alex Cox and Lori were all there. Lori and Chad originally said Alex was a “first creation” – meaning it was his first time on earth, and he wasn’t as spiritual as other people, so certain things could not be discussed in front of him.

11:35 a.m. Zulema says at the end of the casting, Lori called Chad to verify if it worked. Chad told Lori it worked but then later Lori and Chad said even though the demon had been cast out, another more powerful and skillful demon named Ned had come into Charles.

11:34 a.m. Second photo shows Zulema with Melanie Gibb and Serena Sharp standing like warriors with their hands out and their fingers shaped like guns. This was the first time Zulema had ever done a casting.

11:34 a.m. First photo shows Zulema with Melanie Gibb and Serena Sharp.

11:32 a.m. Smith asks to admit two photos into evidence that were taken the night of the castings.

11:30 a.m. Zulema said that all the women believed what they were doing had value. Lori was “very convincing and has a charming way of expressing things that are believing.” Lori had expressed before that she had been visited by heavenly beings. “If someone is telling the truth about that, I wouldn’t be questioning them. I would believe they are telling the truth because I would never think that someone would lie about something as sacred as that.”

11:29 a.m. Zulema said Melanie Gibb and the other ladies in the group knew Lori and Charles were separated. Lori told everyone she had been in Hawaii and not living in the house with Charles.

11:27 a.m. This casting was to get rid of Garrett, the evil spirit that was possessing Charles. Zulema remembers back to the original lunch at Firebirds when Lori told her she and Charles had been arguing. Lori said she and Charles separated in March and she took away Charles’ pickup, keys and all of his stuff.

11:24 a.m. Zulema says the women needed to hold hands and Lori assigned roles in the casting. Each women were given tools and roles in the casting. Lori asked Zulema to use fire. Each person said their part, and then Lori would finish it by doing a sealing of the casting.

11:21 a.m. The women met at Zulema’s house at the end of March. Nicole, Christina, Serena, Melanie Gibb, Lori and Zulema were there. Lori had a whiteboard and drew the same diagram she had at the restaurant. Lori taught about multiple probations and the light/dark scale. Lori gave Zulema a sticky note with her prior lives and all the other women received theirs too. Lori told the women they needed to cast out the demon from Charles and said they needed to do a casting on him.

11:20 a.m. Zulema says Lori told her she had slept with Charles twice “not knowing he was possessed.” Lori later told Zulema that toward the end of March, Lori wanted a group of women to meet so Lori could show them and teach them some things.

11:18 a.m. Zulema asks to “take a second.” She pours herself some water, wipes her nose and eyes with tissues.

11:17 a.m. Zulema said while they were at the Preparing a People conference, Lori said that she and Charles were having financial difficulties. Lori said she had been the beneficiary of former husband Joseph Ryan’s $60,000 life insurance policy before he died.

11:15 a.m. This conversation at Firebirds took place in February 2019. Zulema kept a receipt from that lunch because that’s where Lori drew the diagram. Zulema eventually turned over the receipt, and it will be admitted into evidence a bit later.

11:14 a.m. During their lunch, Lori told Zulema that Charles was possessed by a dark spirit named Garrett. She said Charles was acting different, more organized than he was before, he was a completely different person and he looked shorter than he was before.

11:13 a.m. Zulema says her light level was 4.2 – a very high number on the chart. Lori’s number was 4.3.

11:12 a.m. Zulema doesn’t recall how Lori explained where she got the information but Zulema assumes it came from Chad because he was one who had given Zulema her light/dark scale rating.

11:10 a.m. Lori later invited Zulema to go to lunch at Firebirds. When they met, Lori made a diagram explaining how many worlds there are, how many probations one person has and how people are either light or dark.

11:09 a.m. Zulema says in a previous probation, Chad told her she was Lori’s daughter. Zulema was raped and killed at age 14. Her body was dismembered by the Lamanites, and she was killed at the same time Lori was killed when Lori was her mother.

11:08 a.m. Zulema says her thoughts are jumbled and has taken several drinks of water. She has also wiped her eyes with a tissue and is sitting in silence.

11:06 a.m. Chad was trying to give Zulema the information but she says Chad and Lori did not want Melanie to hear what he was going to say. Later, Chad called Zulema to tell her about her prior lives. He said there was a way he rated people on the light and dark scale. He gave Zulema a light rating and said she had other lives on the earth with the times and who she was in prior lives.

11:04 a.m. During his visit, Chad said he wanted Zulema to meet him, Lori and Melanie Gibb for lunch at Firebirds in Gilbert. Chad told Zulema he had information to give her about her prior lives and probations.

11:03 a.m. After the conference, Melanie continued to see Melanie Gibb at church. Zulema says she used to visit Melanie Gibb a lot and there was a meeting with Chad, Lori and Zulema at Melanie’s house. Chad came to record a podcast with Lori and Melanie.

11:01 a.m. Chad ended up giving Zulema a blessing. During the blessing, he told her she was a very special person, she was going to do some amazing things in the future and he was grateful to know her. The blessing was full of a lot of praise. Lori was present for the blessing.

10:59 a.m. Everyone was visiting with each other at the house and then Lori, Chad and Zulema went outside to the backyard. Lori was playing basketball and asked Chad to play with her. Zulema says she felt like a third wheel – Lori was being flirtatious with Chad, and it make Zulema uncomfortable. Chad said he was going to go inside with Zulema and Lori said something like, “Why, are you scared of me?” So they stayed outside a little longer.

10:58 a.m. Zulema ended up going to Lori’s house. Some other women were there along with Chad and Alex Cox, Lori’s brother.

10:57 a.m. Zulema says a blessing is given by someone who holds the priesthood and they receive inspiration, words of comfort or encouragement and convey those words to the person receiving the blessing.

10:56 a.m. Zulema wasn’t going to go to Lori’s house, but Chad said he really wanted her to go because Chad wanted to give Zulema a blessing.

10:55 a.m. Lori told Zulema she asked Charles to go somewhere so people could stay at her house during the conference.

10:52 a.m. After the St. George conference, Zulema says she saw Lori at a Preparing a People conference in Mesa, Arizona. Chad Daybell was there with his table. Lori had been “ghosting” Zulema, so they had not spoken in a while. Zulema went to chat with Chad, and Lori approached “very sweet” and invited her to come to her house for a small gathering after the conference.

10:51 a.m. The next photo shows Chad Daybell with Zulema, Melanie Gibb, Lori and another woman at the conference.

10:48 a.m. The first photo shows Zulema with an author, Melanie Gibb, and two other women at the conference.

10:46 a.m. The exhibits are photos – two taken at a Preparing a People conference in St. George and one taken at a conference in Boise.

10:45 a.m. Smith asks if photos were taken at the conference. Zulema says yes. Smith to admit three exhibits as evidence.

10:43 a.m. Lori had Zulema and Melanie look up scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants about the 144,000 people who will usher in the return of Jesus. In court, Lori is attentively listening as Zulema testifies.

10:41 a.m. Lori drove their car back with Melanie Gibb and Zulema in the back seat. Lori was asking the women to look up scriptures about James the Less. Chad had told Lori in a previous life, they had been married to each other and he had been James the Less. She was his wife Elaina.

10:40 a.m. Lori said she was going to stay at Chad’s table until she sold all of his books for him. She stayed at the table a lot. Zulema says at the end of the conference, they helped Chad pack up his table and he only had one box left of books. They loaded up his car and then Chad left.

10:38 a.m. Zulema says Lori spent a lot of time at Chad’s table during the conference. They were talking with each other, and Lori was very flirtatious, giggly and “putting the moves” on him.

10:38 a.m. Zulema had met Chad Daybell at a prior conference and she saw him again at the St. George event. Zulema does not think Lori knew Chad before the conference.

10:36 a.m. Zulema says during the trip to St. George, they sat next to each other in the car and their friendship developed. The conference was for “Preparing a People” – a conference to teach you how to be better prepared for anything that may happen – disasters, etc. – as well as preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

10:35 a.m. Zulema got Lori’s phone number, and then they took a trip to St. George, Utah for a conference.

10:34 a.m. Zulema says it was significant when Lori said she was a witness of Jesus Christ because it means Lori would have seen Jesus and this would be the highest spiritual experience a person could have. Lori said angels put names in the computer for her to take to the temple. Zulema says she believed Lori.

10:33 a.m. Zulema says when someone is getting visitations from heavenly beings, it would mean this person has a very high spiritual standing, is very righteous and is spirutually above other people.

10:32 a.m. Zulema and Melanie met at church and were in the same ward. When Zulema met Lori at Melanie’s house, Lori testified that angels had visited her, including the angel Moroni, and she was a personal witness of Jesus Christ.

10:30 a.m. Rachel Smith is questioning. Zumela lives in Gilbert, Arizona. Zulema says she met Lori in early fall 2018 at Melanie Gibb’s house. Melanie was having a meeting at her house, and she invited Zulema to come and see Lori speak.

10:28 a.m. Zulema is called to the stand. She is wearing a gray skirt with a matching suitcoat and white high heels.

10:25 a.m. Jurors are being brought back into the courtroom.

10:18 a.m. Zulema Pastenes was married to Alex Cox for only two weeks before he died. Here’s a story I did about her police interview: “What Alex Cox revealed days before he died and the unusual massage he gave his wife.” Zulema was close friends with Lori, Melanie Gibb and others in their group.

10 a.m. Court taking a 15 minute break.

9:58 a.m. Boyce says if her attorney is here as personal counsel in regards to matters in Arizona, it should be OK to have Zulema’s attorney in the courtroom during her testimony. Her attorney is Garrett Smith, who also represented Melani and Ian Pawlowski. (Melani is Lori’s niece.)

9:57 a.m. Prosecuting attorney Rachel Smith says Zulema’s attorney is here more for aide and counsel. Smith says there is zero evidence that Zulema will take the fifth and her attorney is here “out of an abundance of caution.” Zulema was offered a limited-use immunity agreement signed four years ago with prosecutors.

9:54 a.m. Zulema’s charge is from 1998 and was for felony drug possession. Thomas argues it’s not appropriate for Zulema’s attorney to be here as he’s not licensed in Idaho. The defense says it will not bring up Zulema’s prior charge.

9:51 a.m. Madison County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Spencer Rammell says the next witness is Zulema Pastenes and the prosecution has recently learned of a criminal conviction in Arizona in the 1990s. Zulema is here with an attorney.

9:49 a.m. Judge calls for a mid-morning recess to discuss some items outside the presence of the jury.

9:44 a.m. Thomas says the defense has no questions for Det. Duncan.

9:43 a.m. Blake has no further questions. John Thomas will now cross-examine Det. Duncan.

9:42 a.m. Chad responds that he can come and he will talk with “Karen” later about the flight. Lori was living in Houston in April 2019.

9:39 a.m. Duncan reading an email sent from a Karen Walker in April 2019 to Chad Daybell about having him come and speak to a youth group in Houston. The sender asked for Chad to come that month and share his stories at a youth conference. The sender stresses the urgency of responding and coming to Houston.

9:37 a.m. Duncan reads a chain of messages between Zulema and Lori on June 2, 2019. The messages range from 11:52 a.m. to 12:42 p.m. They are talking about being ready, sending fire, “blinding him with light,” “I’m feeling it big time,” “I feel him,” “Did he leave?” “I can’t see him. I felt like I was chasing him,” “Get him,” “Oh, I’m chasing,” “You are amazing lady,” “I’m tired now. lol,” “Me too. I’ll keep the fire going til he’s gone.”

9:35 a.m. Hiplos was the spirit/entity that allegedly inhabited Charles’ body. On July 2, 2019, Zulema sent Lori a message saying she was given instructions to “rip, tear or burn thee auto of Hiplos to let the body energy out.” Chad sends Zulema a message that day thanking her for her help with Hiplos, saying, “Mother Earth is very grateful” for what she and Lori are doing.

9:32 a.m. Duncan reads messages from Lori to Zulema on May 29, 2019. “Perfect. I found out there are four. One is a level four entity. His name is Hiplos.”

9:30 a.m. Blake asks to admit another exhibit as evidence. They are messages from Zulema Pastenes’ phone and Charles Vallow’s iCloud account.

9:27 a.m. More text messages. Alex sent to Lori on Sept. 3, 2019 “Network name is anti-laman. pw (password) is 2manykids.” Lori responds, “Funny!”

9:24 a.m. Another message from Chad to Lori on July 26, 2019. “I’m a grown-up version of Harry Potter, who has to live with the Dudleys in his little space under the stairs. Every few weeks I get to escape and have amazing adventures with my Goddess lover, but then I have to return to my place under the stairs, feeling trapped. But I sense permanent freedom is coming!”

9:22 a.m. Duncan reads more messages from July 18, 2019. Chad says, “I love you. This is terrible but it is probably another step in bringing down the Gadiantons, especially Brandon.” Lori responds later that she spoke to the insurance company and the beneficiary was changed in March. “It was probably Ned before we got rid of him. They can’t tell me to who of course but it’s done. I’ll still get the 4,000 a month from SS.”

9:20 a.m. Duncan reads text message between Lori and Chad on July 18, 2019. “I just got a letter from the insurance company that I am not the beneficiary. It’s a spear thru my heart. Who do you think he changed it to? Brandon or possibly Kay?” Chad responds, “Wow. That’s terrible. There is no way to find out.” These messages were exchanged seven days after Charles Vallow died.

9:19 a.m. Duncan says there were several messages on Lori’s phone that were not located in iCloud, which is not uncommon. The texts were between Lori and Chad and occurred right before the murder of Charles Vallow.

9:17 a.m. Lori sends Alex a message on July 9, 2019. “So the plot thickens. Call me when you can.” Lori texts Alex later: “Getting sleepy – going to need you to stay close…Lots to do. Thank you for standing by me. It’s all coming to a head this week. I will like Nephi I am told and so are you.”

9:16 a.m. Duncan talking about another email account – Lollytime@iCloud.com. It is linked to two cell phone numbers belonging to Lori Vallow. This account contained messages between Lori Vallow and Alex Cox.

9:14 a.m. Duncan now reading a text message from Lori to Colby Ryan, her eldest son, on Nov. 22, 2019 about Tylee’s Venmo account. “I text Ty to send it but I haven’t heard back yet. She will probably just do it before she tells me. Hope you got the Venmo.”

9:12 a.m. A woman named Nicole Earl texted Lori on Oct. 19, saying that Chad’s wife Tammy had died. Lori responded. “Oh my gosh. I did not hear that.” Nicole asks Lori what happened. Lori responded that Tammy awoke in the night coughing and then died. Melanie Gibb sent Lori a message later the same day. “I hear what happened to Chad’s wife. Oh my gosh!” Lori responded, “Hello What?”

9:11 a.m. Lori referred to the evil spirit in Charles’ body as Ned or Garrett.

9:10 a.m. Duncan now reading messages Lori sent to Alex in March 2019 talking about getting rid of “Ned” – the evil spirit/zombie they said was inhabiting Charles’ body.

9:08 a.m. Another story on the emails here.

9:06 a.m. Here is an in-depth story EastIdahoNews.com did on the text messages and emails from July 1, 2021.

9:04 a.m. Blake asks to admit a document as evidence that shows data collected from Lori’s iCloud and phone accounts.

9:02 a.m. Duncan says the messages from Charles to Adam were sent from the address where Charles was killed.

9:01 a.m. Duncan reading messages between Charles and Adam sent before Charles was killed on July 11, 2019, between 7:35 and 7:37 a.m.

9 a.m. The messages were sent July 1, 2019. Charles was shot and killed on July 11, 2019.

8:58 a.m. Duncan says Lori was not always responsive to Charles’ texts and emails. Duncan now reads messages from July 1, 2019. Charles to Lori: “I’m going to Idaho first to see Tammy Daybell.” Lori to Charles: “She won’t listen to you. She is my friend.” Charles then asks why Lori sent a “BS email” about a book he wants ghostwritten. “There is no reason for it other than to get him in Arizona and have an excuse for his wife.”

8:57 a.m. Charles to Lori: “You have destroyed me. I have never been lower in my life. Please explain. We have a son to raise, but that’s all we have in common. You owe me an apology for all the false accusations you’ve made. I’ve been entirely faithful to you since the first day we met. I deserve an apology from you. Please respect that much.” This text was sent on June 30, 2019.

8:55 a.m. Duncan now reading another text message from Charles to Lori. “You accused me of infidelity, but it’s you who has been having an affair. It keeps killing me, but maybe that’s your goal. … The fact you will continue to go to the temple after all you’ve done shocks me. There really is something wrong with you. You have to be exposed for what you really are.”

8:54 a.m. Duncan now reading an email he sent to Chad. “I’m Lori’s husband, but I’m sure you already knew this.” Charles said he is not writing a book and will not be paying anyone for anything. “Either you or Lori need to tell me what’s going on, or this will be exposed for all to see,” he wrote to Chad. “And does your wife know you have several of Lori’s dance videos? Explain how that is. She sent them to you in January at your request.”

8:53 a.m. Charles sent Tammy another email. “Your husband and my wife are having an affair. It’s devastating, I know.” Duncan contacted the Sugar-Salem School District, and officials told Duncan there was no indication the emails were ever read, but they were sent from Charles’ account.

8:52 a.m. Duncan now reading the email Charles sent to Tammy saying he had disturbing evidence about her husband and his wife. “I apologize to be the one sending this, but something has to be done. I feel it’s best to shed some light on this issue.”

8:50 a.m. Charles sent Lori multiple text messages saying she needed to explain herself or he was going to contact Tammy. He said he was going to talk to Tammy – in person, if he had to – and told Lori “her game was up.” Charles said he had already contacted Tammy via text and phone. Duncan says Charles sent two emails to Tammy – one to her personal address, one to her work address.

8:49 a.m. Duncan now reading text messages Charles and Lori sent to each other. Charles sent Lori a text message confronting her about the affair with Chad and calls her evil. Says he will take JJ back to Texas. “Just so you know, I have Tammy’s email address. I will send a copy of my email you sent. Tammy will know what you’re up to. You better explain.”

8:48 a.m. Duncan says there was no indication this email came from Charles. Charles discovered the email at the end of June 2019 and sent it to Adam Cox, Lori’s brother. Charles then confronted Lori about the email. Duncan said Charles had no relationship with Chad Daybell at all.

8:46 a.m. This came from the email address kkwalker75@yahoo.com. Duncan served a search warrant to Yahoo, and the name associated to the account was a Karen Walker. The IP came back to an area in Katy, Texas. The phone number and birthday associated with the account was linked to Lori Vallow.

8:44 a.m. Duncan reads the email that purports to be from Charles, saying he is ready to work on a book with Chad. “I am willing to pay you well to help me get this book into shape as a ghost writer. I really liked your autobiography and the tone you took with sharing experiences without preaching.” The email invites Chad to come visit him in Arizona.

8:43 a.m. First slide in the PowerPoint is an email sent from Charles’ email account to Chad Daybell.

8:41 a.m. Duncan says in early 2020, Chandler was working with Idaho police to try and find JJ and Tylee. The PowerPoint exhibit will now be shown to the court.

8:40 a.m. Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Blake is questioning Det. Duncan. He is talking about cell data and information found in Charles Vallow’s iCloud account.

8:38 a.m. Lori just turned around, smiled and mouthed, “Hi,” in our direction. John Thomas, her attorney, has some family members here sitting in front of us, so it’s likely she was smiling at them.

8:34 a.m. Yesterday, the defense had some questions about a PowerPoint exhibit the state wanted to admit into evidence. Defense says they have no objection to the presentation, and the jurors are about to be brought into the courtroom.

8:27 a.m. Back in the courtroom. Lori is wearing a black jacket and white/cream colored pants with a pattern on them. Larry and Kay Woodcock are in the courtroom with family members. Annie Cushing is also here. Chandler Police Det. Nathan Duncan will be back on the stand this morning.

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