DAY 19 | LIVE UPDATES: DNA analyst says hair found on adhesive was Lori Vallow Daybell’s

LIVE UPDATES FROM THE LORI VALLOW DAYBELL TRIAL

8:55 a.m. Thomas asks Coleman about her educational background and the standards Bode must follow to be an accredited agency.

8:53 a.m. Wood has no further questions. John Thomas now questioning Coleman.

8:52 a.m. “The partial DNA profile matched the DNA profile provided for Lori Vallow Daybell,” Coleman says. “The probability of randomly selecting a random individual in relation to that profile 1 is 71 billion.” This hair belonged to Lori.

8:50 a.m. Coleman says a portion of the hair was put into a test tube. It went through a series of washes to get rid of any extraneous DNA on the hair. “We were trying to focus on the hair.” Additional chemicals were added to the sample and it then went through heat and cool samples. “We determined how much DNA was in the sample and then made lots and lots of copies.”

8:49 a.m. Boyce says Coleman needs to testify from personal memory and she can refer to her notes but can’t read them. Coleman says in May 2022, she received three DNA profiles from Lori Vallow Daybell, Tylee Ryan and Melanie Gibb. She also received several items of evidence including a hair attached to an adhesive.

8:47 a.m. Coleman describes what a DNA profile is and what a partial DNA profile is. She says Bode Technology received information from the Rexburg Police Department about the Daybell case. She asks to refer to her notes and Boyce says that’s ok as long as the defense can review them first. John Thomas looking over Coleman’s notes.

8:45 a.m. Wood asks Coleman if controls are used in DNA testing. She says two controls are used – a positive control, which is a known DNA profile. A negative control is all of the chemicals you are using in the biological procedures but they have no DNA added to it.

8:43 a.m. Wood asks Coleman to describe DNA. “The biological material that makes each person unique and it’s found in almost every cell of your body. You get half of the DNA from your mom and half from your dad. 99% of DNA is the same among individuals but 1% is unique among individuals and that’s the DNA we are looking at.”

8:41 a.m. Coleman has processed thousands of DNA samples as an analyst and has participated 20 times in proficiency testing. Bode has been performing DNA testing since it was established in 1995.

8:40 a.m. Coleman explains her educational background and the training she’s received for her job.

8:37 a.m. Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Wood says the next witness will be Keeley Coleman. She is a senior DNA analyst at Bode Technology in Virginia. Wood will be questioning her.

8:33 a.m. Judge Boyce has entered the courtroom and is on the bench. Jurors are being brought in.

8:25 a.m. The bailiff reminds everyone of the courtroom conduct order in place – no recording on cell phones, no photos, no food.

8:21 a.m. Lori Daybell has just entered the courtroom. She is wearing a maroon top with a black jacket and black dress pants. She is chatting and laughing with her attorneys. The prosecutors and defense attorneys are sitting at their tables. John Prior, Chad Daybell’s attorney, just walked into the courtroom, said a few things to John Thomas (one of Lori’s attorneys) and then left.

8 a.m. It’s Monday and we are back at the Ada County Courthouse for week five of Lori Vallow Daybell’s murder trial. We expect to have more witnesses called by prosecutors today. You can get caught up on what happened Friday here.