Rick Robinson: Realtor who sold Lori Vallow's Idaho townhome says 'evil feeling' hit him during walkthrough
Warning: This content contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion is advised.
BOISE, IDAHO: A man who was given the task to sell Lori Vallow Daybell's Rexburg, Idaho townhome has described how he got an eerie feeling about the place before he even knew about the seller and the backstory. Real estate agent Rick Robinson said that as he did a walkthrough of the property, he noticed how there was a thickness in the air despite the lights being switched on.
Vallow is on trial for the deaths of her children JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, as well as that of her fifth husband Chad Daybell’s former wife, Tammy Daybell. In 2020, the bodies of her children were found buried on Chad’s property.
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'There was just something in that place'
"I remember walking into that place and just this overwhelming, just thick, nasty, dark feeling just hit me. It was the weirdest thing I had ever experienced and I’ll never forget it. There was just something in that place. Just right now talking about it literally gives me the chills. I don’t know what it was but there was something dark in that place and I can’t describe it any way other than just, like, an evil feeling," he said, according to Court TV.
Robinson later refused to go back to the condo alone. When other people accompanied him, he said they too felt the negative, creepy vibe about the place. Despite the dark energy, however, the home was spotless, Robinson claimed. When he entered the garage, he noticed a large cardboard box labeled “JJ." He immediately messaged his wife and said, "I think the townhome we are selling is Lori’s townhome.”
The home was eventually purchased by an investment company and there have been no reports of any problems with the home since. This townhome was where JJ Vallow, 7, was last seen alive.
JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan's cause of death revealed
On Wednesday, April 26, a forensic pathologist revealed the causes of death for the cult mom's children, JJ and 17-year-old Tylee. JJ, who had autism, died of asphyxia by a plastic bag over his head, Fox News reports. Tylee died of homicide by unspecified means, Ada County coroner Dr Garth Warren said. Prosecutors had previously revealed that Tammy, too, died of asphyxiation.
Warren "did not see any trauma to the internal organs or evidence of overt natural disease to any of" JJ's organs, he testified, according to East Idaho News reporter Nate Eaton. JJ, however, had an abrasion on his neck, bruising on his arm, and a hemorrhage on his right thumbnail. "There were also other areas that were concerning or suspicious — bruising on the ankles that may have been associated with the duct tape," Warren said.
Tylee's burned remains were found in "three separate bags," making her autopsy "different." Her "organs had severe decomposition, significant burning artifacts, they were charred and shrunken. Presumably the rest of the organs burned away or were never found," Warren said.
Vallow was arrested by authorities in February 2020 and Chad in June 2020. They were indicted in late May 2021 on multiple counts each of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception, and first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of JJ, Tylee, and Tammy. In June 2021, officials also indicted Vallow in the July 2019 murder of Charles Vallow, her former husband.