Josh Powell Dead!

[bbennett]

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=19132089&title=josh-powell-dies-in-home-explosion-family-says&s_cid=featured-1

SALT LAKE CITY -- Sunday afternoon, an explosion occurred at the home of Josh Powell.
According to brother-in-law Kirk Graves, Powell was killed.
King 5 TV in Seattle reports that Powell had visitation with his two sons -- who live with their grandparents Chuck and Judy Cox -- at the time of the explosion. According to the report, the caseworker, who was outside at the time, smelled gas just before the explosion. Firefighters recovered two bodies that appear to be children.
More details will be released as made available.

In more breaking news: It appears that I may have actually managed to post this before Accadacca!

[bbennett]

Sounds intentional:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53450136-78/powell-josh-sons-explosion.html.csp


The Salt Lake Tribune
First published 1 hour ago
Updated 12 minutes ago
Authorities believe an explosion and fire at the home of Josh Powell has killed him and his two children.
Police are awaiting verification from the Medical Examiner’s Office, but they believe the three dead are the husband of missing Utah woman Susan Powell and their two children, said Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
The explosion occurred moments after a Child Protective Services worker brought the two boys to the home for a supervised visit, said Graham Fire and Rescue Chief Gary Franz.
Powell let the boys in the house, then blocked the social worker from entering. The social worker called her supervisors to report that she could smell gas, and the home exploded.
"Everything we know right now, this has become a crime scene," Franz said.
Last week, a judge ordered that Powell’s sons, Charlie, 7 and Braden, 5, remain in the custody of their grandparents, Chuck and Judy Cox.
The boys were removed from Josh Powell’s custody on Sept. 22, the same day Josh Powell’s father, Steve Powell, with whom the three were living, was arrested and charged for possessing child pornography.
Josh Powell has denied any role in his wife’s disappearance and recently asked the judge to move his sons to a neutral caretaker, claiming his missing wife’s parents — who have publicly implicated Josh Powell in their daughter’s disappearance — are turning their two sons against him.
Susan Powell was reported missing Dec. 7, 2009. Her husband told police he last saw his wife around midnight, when he put their sons in the family’s minivan and took them on a late-night camping trip in Utah’s west desert.
West Valley City Police Chief Buzz Nielson told Fox13 News he was sending a team of police officers up to Washington Sunday and he would go up on Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report

[blueeyes]

That makes me sick. That asshole.

[accadacca]

Wow! Unbelievable.

[accadacca]

19132089

Police calling Powell house explosion 'crime scene'
by Mike Baker and Gene Johnson, Associated Press
GRAHAM, Wash. (AP) - The long, bizarre case of a Utah woman missing for two years took a horrific turn Sunday when a powerful house explosion killed the woman's husband and his two young sons, moments after the boys arrived for a visit that was supposed to be supervised by a social worker.
Authorities say it appears the husband, Josh Powell, blew the house up on purpose.

The Child Protective Services worker brought the two boys to Powell's home, and Powell let his sons inside - but then blocked the social worker from entering, Graham Fire and Rescue Chief Gary Franz told The Associated Press.

The social worker called her supervisors to report that she could smell gas, and moments later the home exploded. What's left of the house was still smoking Sunday afternoon, and fire crews were mopping up the scene.

Sgt. Ed Troyer, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman, said emails Powell sent authorities seemed to confirm the Powell planned the deadly blast. Troyer didn't elaborate on the contents of the emails.

Jeffrey Bassett, who represented Powell in the custody case, said he received a three-word email from his client just minutes before Powell and the two boys died. It said, "I'm sorry, goodbye." The email arrived at 12:05 p.m. Sunday, about 10 minutes before the explosion, but he didn't see it until two hours later, when others told him Josh and the boys had been killed. He said he knew Josh was upset after being ordered to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation recently, but he didn't see this coming.

Powell was under investigation in the disappearance of his 28-year-old wife Susan from their West Valley City, Utah, home in December 2009. He claimed he had taken the boys on a midnight excursion in freezing temperatures when she vanished.

The children, 5 and 7, had been living with Susan Powell's parents since Josh Powell's father Steven was arrested on child porn and voyeurism charges last fall. On Wednesday, a judge had denied an attempt by Josh Powell to regain custody, saying she wouldn't consider returning the two boys to their father until he underwent a psycho-sexual evaluation.

"It's the most horrifying thing you can imagine happening," said lawyer Steve Downing, who represented Susan Powell's parents, Chuck and Judy Cox, in the custody fight. "The Coxes are absolutely devastated. They were always very fearful of him doing something like this, and he did it."

Bassett said he represented Powell free of charge because "every parent deserves the right to an attorney." Powell called or emailed him at least once a day, and often more than that, and in their conversations "he never once admitted doing anything regarding Susan. In fact, he denied it."

Sgt. Mike Powell of the West Valley City Police Department in Utah, which is handling the investigation into Susan Powell's disappearance, said it was too soon to say how Josh Powell's death may impact their probe.

"Quite frankly, this has obviously quickly unfolded up in Washington and we're obviously just working through the details ourselves here," Powell said Sunday.

"We are in contact with authorities," Powell added. "It's obviously an ongoing situation in Washington at this point."

Kirk Graves, 39, of West Jordan, Utah, Josh Powell's brother-in-law, said he and his wife, Jennifer, were stunned by the news. (Jennifer Powell Graves is Josh Powell's sister.)

"It's a shock. A total complete shock," he said. "We never contemplated the idea he would do something like this. You just don't expect it from a father."

Kirk Graves said he and his wife think Josh Powell deliberately set off the explosion to kill him and his sons.

"His world was falling apart around him and he was going to lose his boys and get arrested for Susan's disappearance," he said. "He's a narcissist and he has no love for anyone but himself.

---

Source: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=19132089&title=police-calling-powell-house-explosion-crime-scene&s_cid=featured-1

[Don]

Wow. 'Asshole' is such an amazing understatement.

[archbishop]

Just when you think the story couldn't sink any lower.
Hope they rest in peace. (except no peace for him.....)

[DiscGo]

What a tragic story. Someone made the comment that those boys never stood a chance of being normal because of who their Dad was and that statement really upset me. By no means did Josh Powell do anyone a favor by taking his boys with him. Anyway this really does make me very sad.

[Iceaxe]

I'm not putting this all on Josh Powell, there is plenty of blame to go around. The Cops and the in-laws got EXACTLY what they wanted. They wanted to apply so much pressure to Josh that he would crack, and that plan worked to perfection. The problem is, when he cracked it wasn't in the direction they thought it would go.

I'm not giving Josh a pass on what he did, its a sad deal. I feel for the kids, but if you put an indivdual in a place where they feel no chance of escape don't act surprised when they take desperate actions.

:cool2:

[jman]

I dunno Shane. I think of it more of a power play by Josh and Josh knew exactly what happened from Day1. Josh was a smart man. And this all fits in nicely with my original theory, where some fight erupted between Susan and Josh that night, and Susan ended up getting hurt badly, such as hitting her head on a tableend or some kind of crazy accident. Anyways...Josh and the two kids went "camping" to bury Susan out in the Desert and that's why they left immediately late at night. And remember he forgot what day it was, and I think that has to do with Josh being so occupied with his wife's accident, death, and burial - that the days just blurred together. Similar to when you lose a loved one - the days just mush together as your mind deals with the events. Anyways, the guilt was proving to be too much and the pressure was applied (I think just right by the Police Department) and things gave way.

He said this which was interesting too: "I would never even hurt her," a tearful, red-eyed Josh Powell told CBS' Early Show in August. "People who know me know that I could never hurt Susan." This to me sounds like someone who is convincing themselves that they didn't do anything bad (because it was an accident, in my theory). But obviously does not want to admit to the accident, and coverup his insecurity by saying "she was fliriting with other men, and probably left with one of them". In a sense, he's deflecting and projecting his bitterness towards Susan and her so-called lovers.

And another statement: "For over four months already, my interactions with my sons and many other aspects of my character have been investigated and documented by" social services, he wrote in an affidavit to the court. "I have proven myself as a fit and loving father who provides a stable home even in the face of great adversity. ... It is time for my sons to come home."

Of course, any father/mother loves their kids and wants to see/be with them in adversity...however...this sounds like a power play by Josh. He knows what the kids saw that night, and is afraid one day that they would disclose what happened. And I believe that he was planning something this drastic for a long time, but it was all about getting his kids in his custody.


And of course the kicker:
"They were beginning to verbalize more," said attorney Steve Downing, whose clients had custody of the children. "The oldest boy talked about that they went camping and that Mommy was in the trunk. Mom and Dad got out of the car and Mom disappeared.

[accadacca]

And of course the kicker:
"They were beginning to verbalize more," said attorney Steve Downing, whose clients had custody of the children. "The oldest boy talked about that they went camping and that Mommy was in the trunk. Mom and Dad got out of the car and Mom disappeared.
:eek2:

[Iceaxe]

I didn't say Josh was innocent.... I just said you keep appling pressure and something is going to happen.... and it did... everyone has a breaking point.


And of course the kicker:
"They were beginning to verbalize more," said attorney Steve Downing, whose clients had custody of the children. "The oldest boy talked about that they went camping and that Mommy was in the trunk. Mom and Dad got out of the car and Mom disappeared.

And I'm always leery of of what little kids say.... if grandpa asks every day "was mommy in the truck" pretty soon the answer becomes "yes" because little kids want to please. Ask Mr. Card, he will tell you kids are not creditable witnesses.

Anyhoo.... Josh was presumed guilty from the start, and I see that as a miscarriage of justice. It's better to let 100 guilty men walk free over convicting one innocent man.

YMMV :cool2:

[jman]

I didn't say Josh was innocent.... I just said you keep appling pressure and something is going to happen.... and it did... everyone has a breaking point.



And I'm always leery of of what little kids say.... if grandpa asks every day "was mommy in the truck" pretty soon the answer becomes "yes" because little kids want to please. Ask Mr. Card, he will tell you kids are not creditable witnesses.

Anyhoo.... Josh was presumed guilty from the start, and I see that as a miscarriage of justice. It's better to let 100 guilty men walk free over convicting one innocent man.

YMMV :cool2:

Thanks for bringing up that point, I was going to clarify on that but I forgot. But yes, I take that statement with a grain of salt.

[Iceaxe]

Just imagine if Josh really was innocent?

He lost his wife, which would be bad enough all by its self.... but than he lost his house, his job, his kids, his father, his support system. I'm sure he was facing financial ruin, everyone in society shunned him. The media and police had already convicted him, the court system was punishing him....

Just imagine yourself in that situation and the tremendous amount of pressure you would be under.

[Sandstone Addiction]

Just imagine if Josh really was innocent?

He lost his wife, which would be bad enough all by its self.... but than he lost his house, his job, his kids, his father, his support system. I'm sure he was facing financial ruin, everyone in society shunned him. The media and police had already convicted him, the court system was punishing him....

Just imagine yourself in that situation and the tremendous amount of pressure you would be under.

I totally agree that you are innocent until proven guilty, but if he knew that he didn't do it...why did he not cooperate with investigators?

[DOSS]

I totally agree that you are innocent until proven guilty

And at what point was he treated by society as innocent? And why should he cooperate with the "man"? Are you saying that unless someone cooperates with the "man" that they are guilty? what happened to innocent until proven guilty... <Cyclical argument smiley>

FYI dude was a douche canoe for doing this to his kids.. he should have just offed himself and been done with it...
:crazy: Also anyone who thinks that it is ok for Josh Powell to have killed himself or that it was a good thing Dr Nebz will be requesting that you be banned because that is just evil of you :)

[accadacca]

Also anyone who thinks that it is ok for Josh Powell to have killed himself or that it was a good thing Dr Nebz will be requesting that you be banned because that is just evil of you :)
:haha:

[Iceaxe]

I totally agree that you are innocent until proven guilty, but if he knew that he didn't do it...why did he not cooperate with investigators?

He was cooperating... he told them "Talk to my lawyer"... which is EXACTLY what anyone in this situation should do. Only a complete dumbass would do anything else in such a situation.

Understand... I'm not defending what josh did or didn't do.... just pointing out the media spin on the cops wanting to question him without a lawyer.

[rockgremlin]

Also anyone who thinks that it is ok for Josh Powell to have killed himself or that it was a good thing Dr Nebz will be requesting that you be banned because that is just evil of you :)

There are experiences that many go through in this life that would render suicide a more agreeable and preferable option to whatever life has to offer...

BAN ME! :haha:

Murder is another story - what he did to his kids (and possibly wife) was abhorent and despicable.

[accadacca]

19135705

[jman]

Quoted from USA News (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/02/lawyers-powell-boys-had-begun-recently-talking-about-mother/1?csp=34news):


"As recently as Christmas the boys were talking about, 'mommy's in the mine, if we go to the mine we'll find mommy,'" said Anne Bremner, an attorney for the family of Susan Cox-Powell, told CNN.

"Another Powell family lawyer told the Los Angeles Times that for a school assignment Charlie drew a picture of his mother in the trunk of the family's car.

"Charlie drew a picture at school. You were supposed to draw a picture of something you had done during the summer. And he drew a picture of the family's vehicle, with Dad driving the car, he and Braden in the back seat, and Mom was in the trunk," an attorney Steve Downing said."

[accadacca]

GRAHAM, Wash - A medical examiner has said that while the Powell children died officially of carbon monoxide poisoning, both children apparently received a "chop injury to the neck."

While the medical examiner would not elaborate, Josh Powell reportedly tried to kill his sons with a hatchet before setting the house on fire, yet another gruesome detail in the already unbelievable story of the Powell family.

[bbennett]

Wow, this is just tough to watch. I can't imagine what the Susan's parents must be going through. What a horrible person!

[DirkHammergate]

I don't get how someone can be so evil and double up on the original evil. This is the worst story in years, worse than Hacking.

From personal experience, isn't getting divorced even a nasty court dredged divorce exponentially better than this sorry outcome?

[DirkHammergate]

I don't get worked up too much but this makes me lose some faith. This story sucks.

[blueeyes]

Wow. 'Asshole' is such an amazing understatement.

True... there is no word, no emotion to describe this. I thought the fire was violent... what he did to those boys before the explosion...he has succeeded in terrorzing the Cox family. Josh Powell was a deranged twisted individual. I am sorry the media did not push that man to do anything! People have been through far worse and had more compassion.

[accadacca]

I don't get worked up too much but this makes me lose some faith. This story sucks.
Yeah, I couldn't watch the news after I read what happened before the fire. Horrible...