The History Of The Death Penalty In Idaho

With Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell's fate hanging in the balance, we take a look at the history of the death penalty in Idaho. Is it likely for these two?

After the news of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell's indictment this week, the discussion of the death penalty has made the rounds, including from J.J. Vallow's grandparents. The Idaho State Journal reported that Larry and Kay Woodcock said, "We absolutely want capital punishment, absolutely". This made me wonder... How common is the death penalty in Idaho? Well, if Vallow and Daybell ended up receiving the death penalty, they would be just the 4th and 5th people to die from it in Idaho since capital punishment was reinstated back in 1976. In that time, there were three people who died by execution, specifically by lethal injection; Keith Eugene Wells in 1994, Paul Ezhra Rhoades in 2011 and Richard Albert Leavitt in 2012.

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In total, 29 executions have been made in the history of Idaho since 1864. In fact, according to deathpenaltyinfo.org, "The death penalty was established in Idaho in 1864, before statehood. Since 1864, Idaho has carried out 29 executions. In 1901, executions were moved to Idaho’s state prison. Prior to that, executions were carried out on a county level, and were often public. Idaho’s last hanging was conducted in 1957."

In the case of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell, after committing several murders, including those of Lori's children, the death penalty is not entirely off the table. In fact, this is something prosecutors have been debating this week. Obviously it will be a long time before sentencing, but it will certainly be something that Idaho's eyes will be on for some time.