BOISE, Idaho (Scripps News Boise) — It may never happen again: three high-profile murder cases back-to-back-to-back in Ada County.
This Aug. 8, 2023 booking photo provided by the Idaho Dept. of Corrections shows Lori Vallow Daybell after she was sentenced to life in prison with no parole. (Idaho Dept. of Corrections)
With more than a thousand inmates in the Ada County Jail at any given time, in a facility intended for fewer than 900, Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford has plenty on his plate.
So, when three high-profile murder cases came to Ada County, there was a lot to take in.
“Lori Vallow was a little more challenging. It was our first taste of “OK.” There are a lot of eyes on this,” said Clifford. “And we do good business here. I know I’m a little bit biased, but we need to make sure nothing goes wrong here.”
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Vallow and her 5th husband, Chad Daybell, were tried separately for the deaths of Lori’s children, J.J. and Tylee, and Chad’s first wife, Tammy. The two trials were a year apart.
“We did a good job, now we have a blueprint; Chad Daybell comes no problem,” added Clifford.
But when the case against Bryan Kohberger, accused of killing four University of Idaho students, moved from Latah County to Ada County, Clifford said everyone in his department knew this one would be a little different.
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse, for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)
“When Kohberger showed up, we knew this was even bigger, so we have this blueprint, but it’s got to be beefed up on steroids,” explained Clifford.
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“Every high profile, even if it’s locally high profile, we have to keep them away from people because there’s going to be someone in that facility, an inmate that wants to do them harm and say, ‘look what I did.”
Clifford speaks highly of his entire staff before, during, and after the Kohberger trial. “You’re not allowed to talk to TMZ. You’re not allowed to take photos or do inappropriate things with these videos because they all understand this person, even though they’re in our jail for committing their heinous crime, they still have rights like every other inmate that’s in there, and I’m super proud of how they handled everything.”
And even though Kohberger’s defense team agreed to a plea deal, which prevented a lengthy trial, Sheriff Clifford said they were ready for the long haul. “We had a great plan. Some of that plan included maybe reaching out to other agencies to say, ‘Hey, can you help us with some bodies?’ We’re the largest agency in the state, but that doesn’t make us immune to needing help.”
This story was originally written by Don Nelson for Scripps News Boise, an E.W. Scripps Company.
