BOISE — Melanie Gibb, the former best friend of Lori Vallow Daybell, testified Thursday about multiple disturbing conversations she had with Chad Daybell and Lori Daybell.

Those conversations included prayers for the deaths of their current spouses, lying about where Lori Daybell's missing children were, justifications for such lies, analyzing people as "dark" or "light" — including the children — descriptions of previous lives they claim they lived as biblical figures, and more.

On day six of Chad Daybell's murder trail, Gibb described the day Lori Daybell met Chad Daybell, a man she would marry just over a year later. "They seemed to be attracted to each other; that caught my attention," she said.

Gibb said she can't remember if she introduced then-Lori Vallow to Chad Daybell, or if Lori Daybell introduced herself, but said they "communicated a lot" at a conference where they met and were very interested in the topics they were talking about. The meeting occurred in St. George in 2018, just a few weeks after Gibb had met Lori Daybell.

Multiple lives and light and dark scale

Gibb said Lori Daybell told her the two talked about "multiple lives" and described living many previous lives on Earth. Gibb testified that Lori Daybell had previously talked to her about living multiple lives, but she had new information following a conversation with Chad Daybell — that the two had been married to each other in a previous life.

The friend said Lori Daybell was receptive to that information, and she told Gibb they would be married together again in this life. She also said Daybell felt it was her mission to gather women to the 144,000 — a number in the Bible representing people who would gather the righteous at the end of time — and Chad Daybell shared this belief.

In November 2018, Gibb said Chad Daybell stayed at Lori Daybell's home and during that visit, they "talked often with each other — they seemed to be very interested in each other."

The friend described their relationship in the months afterward and said she would communicate with Lori Daybell almost daily. She said Lori Daybell would seek advice from Chad Daybell and then share the information he told her with Gibb and with others. She said Chad Daybell would tell them whether certain people had lived previous lives or how "light" or "dark" those people were.

Gibb testified that there was a light and dark scale, and a person's position on that scale was determined by contracts they had made before coming to Earth. Later, Lori Daybell said a light person could become dark, and it wasn't something set in stone.

Gibb said the first person she was told went from light to dark was Charles Vallow, who was Lori Daybell's husband at the time. She said Chad Daybell told Lori Daybell her husband's name was actually "Ned Schneider."

She testified about "castings," where the two would pray for an evil spirit to leave someone, including Charles Vallow. Gibb said if the casting was successful, either the person would die or a new spirit would enter their body. Gibb said although she understood a successful casting would cause a person to die, she did not have an understanding that there would be violence involved.

Gibb participated or was present for "castings" on Charles Vallow, Chad Daybell's wife Tammy Daybell, and Lori Daybell's nephew-in-law Brandon Boudreaux, but said she never participated in a casting for the children, 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow, and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.

Gibb: Lori Daybell seemed 'happy' after husband's death

Gibb said she had met Tylee, JJ, and Charles Vallow early in her friendship with Lori Daybell. She said Tylee and her mother had a difficult relationship.

"They didn't necessarily get along very well," she said.

Gibb said she could tell that Lori Daybell had an affectionate relationship with JJ, but he was autistic and "seemed to be very busy for her."

Gibb testified about being woken up one day and told to leave Lori Daybell's home because Charles Vallow was coming home and Gibb was told that he was going to try to kill Lori Daybell — but that Alex Cox, Lori Daybell's brother, would protect his sister.

Friend discusses mysterious deaths, an earthquake, confronting Chad and Lori and her message for them now

It was Oct. 19, 2019. Melanie Gibb was in Arizona when she received a text message from a friend who had learned on social media that Tammy Daybell had died.

About four days after Charles Vallow's death, Gibb said Lori Daybell told her that Cox had shot him in self-defense after he had threatened her. She was told that Tylee had attempted to protect them with a bat, and Cox got into a physical fight with Vallow, leading him to grab a gun.

She said Lori Daybell showed no signs of sadness or grief about the death, saying she seemed "happy."

Gibb said Cox told her a similar story about the shooting, and seemed "thoughtful" and "a little unsure of himself."

While Charles Vallow was still living, Gibb said Lori Daybell spoke with her about her love for Chad Daybell and said there was physical affection in their relationship and they had "missions" together. Gibb said Lori Daybell would tell her she would ask Jesus how much physical affection was acceptable before meeting with Chad Daybell in hotels.

Gibb testified that Lori Daybell told her Chad Daybell did not get a divorce because if he did, he would be "in trouble with Jesus" and would "lose his exaltation." Charles Vallow, at the time, had started the process to divorce Lori Daybell.

When Chad Daybell visited after Charles Vallow's death, Gibb said he and Lori Daybell "seemed super excited to be together" and were "excited to share their future plans together," although Chad Daybell's wife Tammy Daybell was still alive at the time.

Gibb listed multiple "positions" Lori Daybell told her she had lived in previous lives that were related to people in scriptures, including once when she was Elena and was married to James, an apostle, who she said was Chad Daybell.

She said Lori Daybell moved to Idaho with her children because she wanted to be with Chad Daybell and start their missions together.

Lori Daybell's children 'become dark'

Investigators believe JJ was killed during the night of Sept. 22 and Sept. 23, 2019. Gibb and her boyfriend were staying at Lori Daybell's Idaho home that night. During the visit, she said Chad and Lori Daybell "seemed to be a couple that was close," and described hugging, singing and hand holding.

Gibb had been staying in Tylee's room and said she was told that Tylee was staying with roommates at BYU-Idaho. She said there was no clothing in Tylee's room, "just furniture."

She said previously she was told Tylee was "dark," and Lori Daybell told her the day before she arrived that JJ had "become dark." Gibb didn't see any behaviors from JJ that caused her concern, but said Lori Daybell seemed troubled about JJ.

Gibb said Lori Daybell wanted Kay Woodcock, JJ's grandmother, to take over caring for him and mentioned various ideas to make that happen, like saying she had cancer.

Gibb said she was recording a podcast in Lori Daybell's house when Cox walked in the door with JJ asleep on his shoulder and then took him to bed. Gibb was in JJ's bedroom that night, so JJ was sleeping in the room with his mother. She said that was the last time she saw JJ.

She said her boyfriend woke up that night in a panic after having a nightmare. Gibb said she and her boyfriend unsuccessfully tried calling the phones of both Lori Daybell and Chad Daybell and knocked on Lori Daybell's bedroom door, which she said was locked.

After that night, Gibb said she was led to believe that JJ was with his grandparents.

In November 2019, she testified she received a call from Chad Daybell who sounded "nervous." She said he told her not to answer the phone from Rexburg police, who would ask her about JJ. When Lori Daybell then called soon after, Gibb said she sounded "very positive and upbeat as if everyone was OK."

She asked Gibb to go to a children's movie and take a photo to show that the children were with her, and said she was protecting JJ from Woodcock and from law enforcement who Gibb said were considered "dark."

At first, Gibb said she told police that she had been with JJ. Later, she admitted that he had never been with her.

'I have done nothing wrong'

Shortly after Thanksgiving, Gibb said she asked Cox if he wanted to know where JJ was, and his response was, "No."

A few weeks later on Dec. 8, 2019, Gibb called Chad Daybell's phone and spoke with both him and Lori Daybell. Lori Daybell said she "had to move (JJ) somewhere else" because of Woodcock's actions. In the phone call, which was played in court on Thursday, Lori Daybell said JJ was "safe and happy" and "perfectly fine," and that she wasn't telling anyone where he was.

"I don't want anybody to know so that nobody has to be worried about it; I mean, nobody has to be questioned about it so he can be safe," Lori Daybell said in the call.

When Gibb asked why they had lied to police that JJ was with her, Lori Daybell said it was to keep JJ's location from officers who would then inform Woodcock.

"The police are working with her in some dark capacity. There's no reason for them to be after me in the first place," Lori Daybell replied.

Chad Daybell and Lori Daybell quoted scripture stories during the phone conversation, citing prophets who had been told to hide during dangerous circumstances.

"I promise you that I have done nothing wrong in this case, but sometimes you have to hide in a cavity of a rock for your own life safety, and that's what the Lord requires of you sometimes. And that's how it is, and I'm sorry that's how it is because there's a lot of darkness on the earth," Lori Daybell said.

Gibb told her friend that if she actually loved her, she would not have told police that she had JJ.

"That just makes me look weird, and it's not safe for me," Gibb said in the call.

Lori Daybell responded that she was doing what she felt instructed by the Lord to do, and she told Gibb she believed she had been deceived, citing the deaths of both of their spouses.

"It gives me a gut feeling, like in my gut it feels weird — it doesn't feel right. I don't have peace about it," Gibb said.

In response, Lori Daybell told her she was influenced by something dark. Chad Daybell also responded that Tammy Daybell was just sick, that her heart was failing and she wouldn't go to a doctor.

"She just passed away, and that's how it happened. … My kids were at the house within 20 minutes of her passing. … All these conspiracy theories just make me sick to my stomach, just absolutely sick," Chad Daybell said in the phone call.

'If Chad is Satan, he sure is a good one.'

After listening to the phone call in court, Gibb said she never believed 100% what Chad Daybell was saying. She said when she had asked Lori Daybell earlier if she believed everything, her response was, "If Chad is Satan, he sure is a good one." Gibb said when she asked Cox, he said he believed everything.

During cross examination, defense attorney John Prior reminded Gibb that she previously said she didn't remember all of the details in the case clearly and was unsure about when certain things happened. Gibb is expected to return to the witness stand Friday morning.

Chad Daybell is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of JJ, Tylee and Tammy Daybell. He is also charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder of each of the victims, grand theft and two counts of insurance fraud.

Lori Daybell was found guilty of her role in the three deaths in a trial last year and was given five sentences of life in prison without parole. If he is found guilty, Chad Daybell could potentially face the death penalty.

Wednesday testimony:

Lori Daybell emptied daughter's bank account right after girl was last seen alive, officer says

A detective testified Wednesday in the Chad Daybell murder trial that Daybell's wife emptied her daughter's bank account shortly after the girl was last seen alive and months before her body was discovered.

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