Chad Daybell sentenced to death for the murder of his first wife and his second wife's two children

Idaho apocalyptic author Chad Daybell, who was convicted of murdering his first wife and his second wife's two youngest children, was sentenced to death Saturday.

Jurors on Thursday found Daybell guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the killings of his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16 years old. Daybell was also found guilty. of insurance fraud.

During the trial that lasted more than a month in Boise, Idaho, prosecutors portrayed Daybell as someone who was fond of apocalyptic thoughts and who called people “zombies” and “dark spirits.”

The children's remains were found in June 2020 on Daybell's property in Fremont County, Idaho. Police said they believe Daybell hid the remains between September 2019 and June 2020.

Tammy Daybell died in 2019, a few weeks before Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow's wedding. His death was initially thought to be of natural causes, but his remains were later exhumed. The autopsy determined she was killed by asphyxiation in a homicide.

In 2021, Daybell and Vallow were charged with murder and theft by deception in the deaths of Vallow's two youngest children.

They were also charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with Tammy's death.

Vallow was convicted last year and received multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.

After Thursday's guilty verdict, state District Court Judge Steven W. Boyce instructed the jury on the capital sentencing phase.

Several family members read victim impact statements Friday before the sentence was handed down. Ron Douglas, Tammy's father, said the case made him “angry.”

“It destroys me to know that Tammy was treated the way she was,” he said.

Matthew Douglas, Tammy's brother, recalled how she was the “heart and glue” of the siblings. Benjamin Douglas opened up about how his sister's death affected him.

“My children only know their Aunt Tammy through photos, stories and a headstone that they frequently ask to visit,” he said. “They only know their father as someone dealing with a lot of grief and anxiety.”

Joshua's grandmother, Kay Woodcock, also addressed the court.

“There is a hole in my heart and in the hearts of every member of my family that can never be filled and will remain that way for the rest of our lives,” she said.

The case began in 2019 after concerned family members told Rexburg police they had not seen or spoken to Joshua and Tylee. Police began searching for the children in November.

Authorities had accused Daybell and Vallow of lying to police and failing to cooperate in the investigation into the children's disappearance.

They initially told officers that Joshua, who was adopted and had special needs, was in Arizona with a family friend, but police determined that was a lie.

The couple abruptly left Rexburg and went to Hawaii. In February 2020, Vallow was taken into custody by Hawaii police after failing to report the children to authorities in Idaho.

Court documents revealed that Joshua was buried in a pet cemetery and that Tylee was dismembered and burned in a fire pit.

This story was originally published on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com