Tom Evans

On April 1, 2023, I took a seat in the jury box for the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell—a place I never wanted to be. What started out as a dark and discouraging experience became something far more meaningful. By the end of the trial, I found myself not only changed, but proud and honored to have witnessed the justice system at work and to have played a small part in it.

I was raised in Northern California during the 1960s and ’70s, where life revolved around the outdoors—fishing the Eel River, casting lines into the Pacific surf, and riding dirt bikes through miles of rugged wilderness. My early adult years were spent working as a millwright in a sawmill before I moved to the city to study Architectural Engineering. After marrying in 1984 and starting a family, I left college to pursue a hands-on path, designing and building custom homes.

In 2005, my family and I relocated to Idaho, where we continued both our work and our life together. Along the way, we welcomed a foster daughter into our home, completing a family that now includes three grown children and five grandchildren.

Serving on that jury left a lasting impression on me. I came away with two clear convictions: that I had witnessed something worth respecting, and that something good should come from it. Writing became my way of honoring that experience and sharing the human side of what I saw.

Money, Power and Sex: The Lori Vallow Daybell Trial by Juror Number 18 is my personal account of that journey—an honest reflection shaped by duty, observation, and a deep respect for truth. I followed this work with Chad Daybell, The One Mighty and Strong: Religious Zealotry, Mormon Fundamentalism and Murder in Idaho, inspired by my attendance at the trial of Chad Daybell. I finished the trilogy with On The Left Hand Of Christ: How We Created Lori Vallow Daybell, covering the Lori Vallow Daybell trials in Arizona and finally answering the question that haunted me throughout this journey of discovery.