JJ Vallow's heartbroken grandfather Larry Woodcock, 66, said he was 'so glad' his wife wasn't present when images of the boy's decomposing remains were shown during Lori Vallow's harrowing murder trial.
Although Woodcock and his wife Kay led the national manhunt - while JJ, 7, and his sister Tylee, 16, were missing in late 2019 and early 2020 - he admitted that the trial had unearthed information they 'weren't aware of.'
Vallow, 49, allegedly murdered JJ, and her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, as she took part in a wicked doomsday cult with her husband Chad Daybell. The couple also allegedly murdered Daybell's wife, Tammy.
Woodcock is married to JJ's grandmother, Kay Woodcock, who took the witness stand on the trial's opening day.
JJ Vallow's heartbroken grandfather Larry Woodcock, 66, (right) said he was 'so glad' his wife Kay (left) wasn't present when images of the boy's decomposing remains were shown during Lori Vallow's harrowing murder trial
Vallow, pictured during a court hearing in March 2020, allegedly murdered her children after believing they had become 'possessed' by demons
The 66-year-old said viewing the gruesome images of seven-year-old JJ Vallow, shown in court on Tuesday, marked the 'deepest' point in proceedings so far.
He also praised prosecutors for their 'spot on' handling of the case and said Vallow's defense team had nothing to 'grasp' at that could clear her.
Speaking outside Ada County Court in Boise, Idaho, after Friday's proceedings, which included chilling details about Vallow's deranged religious ideas, Woodcock said the trial laid bare the 'unnecessary death of so many people'.
'I have been here since the opening statements and I want to hear the word of everybody involved,' he said.
'There's a lot of things that were brought forth that we were not aware of. Obviously we had not ever seen the hardest part, which was Tuesday.
'Tuesday was a killer day for me and I'm so glad my wife was not here and didn't have to go through it and see what I saw.'
The 66-year-old said viewing the gruesome images of seven-year-old JJ Vallow, shown in court on Tuesday, marked the 'deepest' point in proceedings so far
Woodcock and his wife Kay (pictured left and right) led the national manhunt - while JJ, 7, (center) and his sister Tylee, 16, were missing in late 2019 and early 2020. The doting grandparents are pictured with JJ
The images of JJ's remains sent a wave of shock through the courtroom, where cameras are banned throughout the trial.
The boy - who was wearing red pajamas, a pull-up night diaper and covered in a blue child's blanket - had been wrapped in thick layers of duct tape and placed in a black plastic bag.
But Woodcock said the trial process was 'enlightening' and praised the judge for his 'spot on' handling of the proceedings.
He added: 'The prosecution, from my perspective, have left nothing undone so far. They have been spot on, they have been calm, cool, collected. They have been measured.
'I think the defense is doing their job. But I think it must be a little bit hard to do a job and what they are supposed to do when there is just not a lot for them to grasp.'
The key individuals in Lori Vallow's tangled family tree, including her five husbands, two dead children and killer brother
Woodcock said he wants to hear 'every word' of the trial.
He said it was 'God, our family and justice' that had helped him get through the process so far.
'I think [justice] will all come out. I think this court is righteous and there will be justice,' he said.
Ten weeks has been set aside for the trial but it could be completed in five to eight weeks.
Timeline of Lori Vallow's and Chad Daybell's alleged crimes
July 11, 2019: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, is killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona. Police initially rule that Alex acted in self defense but reopen the case months later after the children are reported missing.
August, 2019: Lori moves children JJ and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho, close to where her future husband Chad Daybell lives with his wife Tammy.
September 8, 2019: Tylee is seen alive for the last time during a trip to Yellowstone National Park with Lori, JJ and Alex. In the following weeks Lori tells people that her daughter is studying at Brigham Young University's Idaho campus.
September 23, 2019: The last time JJ is seen at his school in Rexburg. Lori emails the school the following day claiming she is moving the family to California for a new job.
October 2, 2019: Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of Lori's niece Melani Pawlowski, is targeted in a drive-by shooting in Arizona. Police identify the vehicle carrying the shooter as a Jeep registered to Charles Vallow, Lori's late husband.
October 19, 2019: Chad's wife Tammy, 49, dies at their Idaho home. An obituary states that she passed away peacefully in her sleep. Chad declines an autopsy and her death is listed as due to natural causes.
October 25, 2019: A friend of Tylee receives a vague 'miss you' text from her phone but says that it didn't sound like the teen.
November 5, 2019: Lori and Chad tie the knot on a beach in Kauai. Receipts indicate that Lori purchased her own wedding ring from Amazon nearly three weeks prior to Tammy's death.
November 26, 2019: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on JJ. Lori and Chad claim he is in Arizona with relatives and ask their friend, Melanie Gibb, to lie and say she took the boy there for Thanksgiving. Police soon learn that no one has seen JJ or Tylee, since September.
November 27, 2019: Police execute a search warrant related to the children at Lori's home and discover that she and Chad have fled Idaho.
December 11, 2019: Tammy's body is exhumed from a Utah cemetery and her death is reclassified as suspicious.
December 12, 2019: Lori's brother, Alex Cox, is found dead in a bathroom in his Arizona home. Months later an autopsy determines that he died of natural causes while he had the overdose drug Narcan in his system.
December 21, 2019: Rexburg police issue the first press release about JJ and Tylee, revealing they believe their disappearance could be linked to Tammy's death and asking the public for information.
December 24, 2019: Lori and Chad issue a statement through an attorney saying they love their son and daughter and look forward to addressing 'allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor'.
December 30, 2019: Police accuse Lori and Chad of lying to investigators and say they believe the couple know where the kids are or what happened to them.
January 3, 2020: Police search Chad's home in Salem and remove 43 items, including tech devices and journals. They also comb over sections of the snow-covered yard with rakes and metal detectors.
January 26, 2020: Lori and Chad are seen for the first time in months as police serve them with two search warrants in Kauai. Lori is also served with a court order to produce the children to authorities in Idaho in five days. The couple are approached by the media while officers serve the documents and refuse to say anything about the children.
January 30, 2020: Lori misses the court deadline to produce the children to Idaho authorities.
February 20, 2020: Lori is arrested in Kauai and charged with two felony counts for desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, and one misdemeanor count each for resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime, and contempt of court.
March 5, 2020: Lori is extradited to Idaho, where she is held on $1million bond at Madison County Jail.
March 17, 2020: Lori professes her innocence in a statement through her attorney as two other members of her defense team quit and the judge removes himself from the case.
March 24, 2020: Court documents filed in the divorce of Lori's niece Melani and her husband Brandon Boudreaux allege that Lori told people she believed her children were zombies before they disappeared.
April 9, 2020: Authorities reveal they are investigating Lori and Chad for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in connection with Tammy's death.
June 9, 2020: Police search Chad's home in Salem for the second time and discover human remains in the backyard. Chad is taken into police custody and charged with destruction or concealment of evidence.
May 25, 2021: Lori and Chad are charged with first degree murder in the deaths of the children. Chad is also charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife Tammy.
May 27, 2021: Lori is deemed incompetent to stand trial on the murder charges in Idaho.
August 5, 2021: Prosecution announces it will seek the death penalty for Chad.
April 11, 2022: Lori is restored competency. Criminal proceedings against her in Idaho are ordered to continue.
April 14, 2022: Lori is taken to the Madison County Jail in Rexburg, Idaho, by Fremont County Sheriff officers.
April 10, 2023: Lori Vallow goes on trial for the murders of JJ, 7, and Tylee, 16.
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