Trigger warning: Slightly gruesome depictions, discussions of death and violence

From calling out zombies amongst humans to predicting the end of the world to telling people that only 144,000 people would remain when the apocalypse emerges, Chad Daybell’s beliefs significantly impacted the community around him. Daybell was able to convince members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a Mormon church, to join a cult-like group to prepare for what he believed was the end of humankind.

Daybell’s manipulation was so strong to those who had faith in him, making them believe that their loved ones were now zombies meaning that a demon was being hosted in their bodies. He told his followers that their job was to “eliminate the darkness” by getting rid of the demon now in possession of their body, leaving the only option to kill the person and rid them of evil spirits.

In 2018, Daybell appeared in the life of Lori Vallow, a fellow member of the Latter-Day Saints, changing her family’s dynamics because now that there was someone who she felt truly understood her and her beliefs, which had been perceived as “outlandish” by others in their circle. He made her believe that if someone is not on the same “spiritual level” as them that they have no ability to understand what the future holds. Daybell also used Vallow’s manic idea that she was a reincarnation of God to weaken her mentally and control her for his own interests. Lori Vallow and Melanie Gibbs were both members of the LDS church, and the two shared similar opinions which lead them to develop their own podcast to talk about them.

This obsession tore her away further from her late, Charles husband who she was also convinced was a “zombie.” Alex Cox, Lori’s brother, was also a part of this cult. In 2019, Daybell convinced both Cox and Vallow to devise a plan to murder Charles. They planned the whole thing as an “accident” where Charles supposedly attacked Cox, leaving no choice for him to defend himself. Although their stories seemed genuine claiming Cox was only acting in self-defense, investigators on the case studied the body showed no signs of attempted CPR, which Alex claimed to have given Charles while on the phone with the 911 operator. There was another inconsistency; the autopsy showed the second gunshot had to have been while Charles was laying down after he had been hit the first time, which also left investigators suspicious of what actually had happened between the family. Since Cox claimed self-defense, he was let go without criminal charges.

Vallow realized that Daybell was so supportive of her, so she ended up falling for him and marrying him shortly after Charles passed, which allowed him to have a better opportunity to access her vulnerable mental state. Vallow already suffering from depression, so she began to shut out her entire family leaving a gap that someone like Daybell could fill. Vallow was convinced that she was ministered to by the angel of Moroni to “help further the father’s work.” Daybell used her delusions to carry out his dirty work by feeding into and supporting all of her spiritual awakenings and “missions that God sent her.” By this time, Daybell had Vallow convinced that she was the savior of the people and the messenger for God himself, allowing for him to exploit her by convincing her that “God wants this to happen” and that if she didn’t proceed she would be punished. Daybell used the “zombies” to help create “life and death” circumstances in her mind.

This is not the only incident in which Daybell convinced Vallow and Cox that their family consisted of zombies. Up until near his death, Cox believed everything that Daybell and Vallow had claimed about a future apocalypse and their destinies to get rid of any further darkness until he realized he was just the scapegoat for both of them. After Cox’s death, Chad convinced Lori that her children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, and 7-year-old Joshua Jaxon, “JJ”, were no longer themselves, and had been possessed. This coercion led to the death of both the children at Daybell’s hands.

Following the death of both kids, medical examiners determined the cause of death for JJ as strangulation and labeled Tylee’s death as a “homicide by unspecified means.” Police proceeded to open an investigation on the family of both kids and have now charged Daybell and Vallow for both homicides.

On friday, May 12, 2023, Chad Daybell was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder, and Vallow has been found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to kill a romantic rival.

The Vallow family case is not the only instance where spiritual manipulation coerced someone into committing crimes. In Florida, 17-year-old Corey Johnson was sleeping over at his friend Kyle Simon’s house in 2018 when Johnson killed 13-year-old Jovanni Sierra and proceeded to stab Elaine Simon 12 times and Dane Bancroft 32 times both of who were making an attempt to help Sierra. One week prior to this horrifying incident, FBI visited the Simons’ residence due to Johnson making violent threats online. When asked his reasoning, Johnson stated to cops that he stabbed them because of his religious beliefs. The incident report stated that Johnson felt that “Dane mocked his Muslim faith and the fact that [he] prayed and kissed the ground.” Officers on the case were given information from a prior FBI investigation, where they were urged to use caution if contact was made and concerns about the teen’s “violent tendencies.” Police also suspected a link between the violent and gruesome videos Johnson was watching to ISIS but are still unsure. Johnson was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

In both of these cases, religious manipulation led weakened people down the road to the worst. While it seems to happen rarely, it actually happens frequently and can happen to anyone.