Lori Vallow-Daybell and Chad Daybell hearing to continue Friday

ST. ANTHONY, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - UPDATE: The hearing to kick prosecutor Rob Wood off the Lori Vallow-Daybell and Chad Daybell cases will continue.

It lasted most of Wednesday and will continue Friday afternoon.

At the center of this hearing is a recording that reveals the prosecution's efforts to seek murder charges against Lori Vallow-Daybell and Chad Daybell.

The recording is a piece of evidence presented by the defense team to support their claims that Wood worked to coerce or intimidate witnesses in the case.

The defense says it is an unethical attempt to communicate with Lori without counsel.

In the recording, you can hear Wood talking to Summer Shiftlet, Lori's sister, about Lori's attorney Mark Means.

"We were able to put them in jail on high bail on these lower charges and put together a case," he said. "Our goal is to have such a strong case that when she has competent counsel. I don't know if you know, her attorneys have never handled a felony case before. He's never, never, done any meaningful criminal work at all. He doesn't know what he's doing. He's a nice guy, but he doesn't know what he's doing and once we file further charges she will be appointed counsel who know what they are doing and our goal is to put together such a case that they are smart enough to say, "It's going to be better to talk.""

The defense team is calling Wood's actions "absolutely taboo."

Legal experts who testified today say they also take issue with Wood's practices throughout the recording - calling it "clear coaching." 

Wood denies these accusations.

ORIGINAL: A hearing to consider whether to disqualify Special Prosecutor Rob Wood from prosecuting Lori Vallow-Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell in connection with the disappearance of Vallow’s children, Tylee and J.J. is set for Wednesday morning.

You can watch below. The court went into recess until Friday at 1 p.m.

The action was announced in December following a closed hearing. You can read the Judge's orders here.

Seventh District Judge Steven Boyce denied two motions for a judicial protective order. One was filed by the Prosecutor, the other by Vallow’s attorney. 

The court did approve a motion from the defendants to extend the time they require to prepare for trial. By stipulation, Boyce has vacated a hearing on the defendants’ joint motions for a change of venue, originally scheduled for January 6, 2021. 

Instead, the court will hear joint motions to disqualify the prosecutor on that date.  

Although Daybell had requested that hearing be conducted in-person, the Judge determined it would be held remotely, by Zoom.

Daybell’s attorney had also requested the January 6 hearing be closed.  Vallow’s attorney objected to that request. The court has asked both parties to submit written supplemental arguments on the issue of closing the hearing. Those arguments must be submitted by 5 p.m. December 30.

You can see all of our coverage of this case here.