Defense calls into question electronic, forensic evidence in Chad Daybell murder trial
May 22, 2024, 3:30 PM
Patrick Eller, a data forensic examiner, testifies on the mountain of digital information he analyzed for the Chad Daybell murder trial on Wednesday. (Judge Steven W. Boyce via Youtube)
(Judge Steven W. Boyce via Youtube)
BOISE, Idaho — Two forensic experts testified Wednesday about digital and DNA evidence, or the lack thereof, used by the prosecution in the murder trial of Chad Daybell.
Patrick Eller, a data forensic examiner, said he was given almost 10 terabytes of data to review from cellphone towers, search warrants and device metadata. For reference, he told the jury, digitizing the entire Library of Congress would equate to about 1 terabyte of information.
Related: KSL’s complete coverage of the Chad Daybell case.
Defense attorney John Prior questioned Eller primarily about the availability of location data that places Daybell on his property during key time periods.
In the days following the disappearance of the two children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, cellphone data showed Lori Vallow Daybell’s brother Alex Cox on Chad Daybell’s property. Prior asked, “Do you have any electronic information or data of any kind to suggest Chad Daybell’s device was on the property at the same exact time?” Eller replied “no.”
Madison County prosecutor Rob Wood, on cross-examination, walked through a presentation showing call logs between Chad Daybell and Alex Cox, and device data from the same days in question.
“Are you aware that …. looking at that data placed on the screen right now was how law enforcement found Tylee Ryan?” Wood asked. Eller said Chad Daybell used multiple phones, but no geolocation data was found associated with those devices.
