This article was originally reported by East Idaho News
Chad Daybell is ready to tell his story through letters from prison and his daughter’s help.
A newly created website called Letters from Chad says it will feature writings “uncensored and unfiltered” from the convicted killer’s cell on death row at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna.
A jury sentenced Daybell to death last year after he was found guilty of murdering his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and two children – Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan – belonging to his current wife, Lori Vallow Daybell. Lori Vallow Daybell is serving a life sentence for the same crimes.
The letters began appearing on the website and X at the end of August. EastIdahoNews.com was unable to verify the writings, but in an email to The U.S. Sun, Daybell’s daughter, Emma Murray, confirmed the authenticity of the letters.
“My father, Chad Daybell, was convicted by the state of Idaho to die. I started a page on X to share his letters and thought you might be interested,” she wrote to the publication.
Murray and her brother Garth Daybell testified on behalf of their father at his trial. They appeared on “48 Hours” with their three siblings in 2021 and said their dad was framed.
Four letters had been posted as of Thursday, and each one features book and music recommendations sections titled “Chad’s bookshelf” and “Chad’s musical notes.”
“Hello, my friends! This is Chad Daybell, writing to you from my cell in Idaho’s Maximum Security Institution,” he writes in his first post. “This is the first of several letters I will send. I want to thank everyone who sent me cards and letters while I have been incarcerated. Your kind words of support really helped me. I cherished each one!”
Daybell says he’s “settled in” since being booked in June 2024 and that, as the newest arrival on death row, it “isn’t my place” to talk about his daily schedule or other inmates.
“I am using this method to share my story because I want you to receive it uncensored and unfiltered, directly from me,” he writes. “I am aware of how I have been portrayed in the media. Frankly, those portrayals of me are unrecognizable. I am not the man the media has created. I am not a cult member who should be feared. I am not a conspirator or a killer. I never have been. I am a father, a grandfather, a husband, a son, a brother, and a friend with a firm faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Daybell he followed his attorney’s advice to “sit quietly, not smile, and not show any emotion as evidence was presented,” which although “standard protocol … made me appear to be cold and uncaring, which is the opposite of who I am.”
“I share in your sadness, pain, and grief over the deaths of Tammy, Tylee and JJ,” he writes. “I don’t have all the answers even now, but I’m grateful a more complete story will be shared during my appeals process.”
Other letters include Daybell’s reflections from his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Jersey. He was excommunicated from the faith in August 2020 after JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan were found buried on his property.
Daybell also writes a letter devoted to Tammy.
“I loved her, and I still do. She was my life partner and the mother of our five amazing children. We built a wonderful family together. We were married for nearly 30 years, and I always sought to keep her safe and protected. She was the anchor of my life, and I never considered harming her,” he writes.
In another letter, he claims Tammy had been sick for months before she died and ignored his advice to go to a doctor because she believed in holistic medicine. Daybell wrote that Tammy had coughing fits, swollen joints, fainting spells and a lack of energy.
“The day before she passed away, she came home completely worn out from setting up the displays for the school’s upcoming book fair. That evening she told family members she wasn’t feeling well, and later had a bad coughing fit before throwing up. We went to sleep, and when I woke the next morning, she had passed away. I will describe that terrible morning and subsequent events in a future letter,” Daybell wrote.
He continued, “As word spread of her death, everyone was devastated, because she had been such a powerful, wonderful influence to so many people. We all feel that loss every day. I miss her and love her.”
Multiple witnesses, including co-workers, friends and family members, testified at Daybell’s trial that Tammy did not show any signs of illness, was physically active, attended Zumba classes and never complained of feeling sick.
Daybell did not testify at his trial and hasn’t spoken publicly about the case since being arrested over five years ago.
The X account says Daybell aims to have letters posted twice a week and says he receives no financial compensation. So far, none of the letters have mentioned Lori Vallow Daybell.
