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Surrounded by saltwater shores and towering mountain peaks, Pierce County, Washington includes bustling cities with rich culture and active nightlife, and sleepy timber towns where main streets are lined with cottage industries and quaint cafes. Boasting a ?northwest pioneer spirit,? it?s also home to one of the most horrifying scenes ever broadcast: smoke and ash wafting over the shattered remains of a Graham, Washington home.
Joshua Powell?s home.
Minutes before, Josh Powell sent several emails to family members and his pastor, instructing them to shut off his utilities and directing them to his money. He said he couldn?t live without his boys. Another email, sent to his attorney, simply stated, ?I?m sorry. Goodbye.? A voice mail was left for family members saying he couldn?t go on anymore and he?s sorry to everyone he hurt.
Moments later, Josh Powell swiftly shuttled his little boys into the house and immediately locked the door behind them, while a caseworker - court ordered to supervise the boys? visitation with their dad - desperately pounded on the door and windows to gain access. She inhaled the volatile stench of gasoline and, panic-stricken, ran to her car, dialed her supervisor and called 911.
It was too late. She watched in terror as the home engulfed in flames before exploding ? one final vicious act, consciously orchestrated by Josh Powell, person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, Susan Cox Powell, in December 2009.
While this case certainly has more twists and turns than U.S. Route 6 between Spanish Fork and Green River, nobody saw this coming. And the evolving details of this double murder-suicide are gruesome and extremely difficult to digest.
Only seconds before Josh Powell set his rental home ablaze, he lifted a hatchet and deliberately slashed his two boys ? Charlie, 7; and Braden, 5 ? in the neck and head. The Pierce County Medical Examiner reported late Monday evening that it wasn?t the ?chop injuries,? that killed the boys, it was carbon monoxide poisoning.
I can?t imagine how petrified and perplexed those precious little boys must have been during their final moments - suffering, at the hands of their father who, less than a week ago told Pierce County Judge Katherine Nelson in a 6-page affidavit, ?I have consistently proven my fitness as a stable and loving parent. CPS and others have explicitly stated in writing that there are no safety concerns with regard to me or my home. CPS?confirmed and documented numerous praiseworthy qualities in my character and parenting, all of which establish that I can and will provide everything my sons need to be happy, healthy, and well cared for.?After the judge ruled against him last week, allowing his in-laws, Chuck and Judy Cox ? who?ve had custody of the boys since September 22, 2011 - to retain temporary custody, Josh was granted continuing supervised visitation, but he was ordered to undergo a psychosexual evaluation including a polygraph. ?
That?s when, investigators say, Josh began wittingly preparing for his final act of unspeakable vengeance - he purchased 10-gallons of gasoline, doused the house, donated his boys? toys and books to Goodwill, typed his farewell notes, and tied up loose ends?then he waited for the boys to arrive. We are deluged with heartbreaking news like this all the time, but it certainly doesn?t lessen the pain. Senseless acts of violence such as this make me feel like I?ve been punched in the stomach. I?m a highly sensitive person by nature and feel things deeply, and now that I?ve been bombarded with the horrific sight of that burning house ? an image that plays over and over again in my mind ? I can?t sleep, I?m tearful, and I?m overwhelmed with sadness for the family.?? I don?t know how any parent can look their kids in the eye and start them on fire. I don?t understand why this was allowed to happen. Why did Josh Powell have supervised visitation in his home? Why did the judge grant him visitation prior to him completing a psychological evaluation? Why was he allowed to leave the State of Utah with the boys in the first place when law enforcement named him a person of interest? Shouldn?t the boys have been removed at that point? I believe that what happened to Susan's children was completely preventable, and while Josh Powell is, without question, solely responsible for his evil acts, he?s not the only one culpable.
A crime writer friend of mine suggested implementing Susan?s Law or the Susan Cox Act, which would require that children be immediately removed from the home when a parent is considered a ?person of interest? in either a disappearance or murder of their spouse, until the case is resolved.
While that?s a brilliant starting point, we need to enact new laws and legislation to prevent another tragedy like this from ever happening again. Social workers are not equipped to handle themselves should something go awry during a supervised visit at a non-custodial parent?s home.
We need to reevaluate how supervised visitation is carried out and carefully draft laws with the safety of our children being of paramount concern. Ideally, it should be conducted in a safe, child-friendly atmosphere with a neutral third party within sight and sound range at all times. Additionally, fully supervised visits should be ordered when a parent is suspected in the death or disappearance of a spouse, when a spouse has been abused, when there is a threat of abduction or suicide, when there is concern of physical or emotional abuse to a child, or when the non-custodial parent is actively abusing drugs and alcohol.
I hope that this case will serve as a reminder for judges, social workers ? any member of the family court system ? to evaluate visitation issues more carefully.
From this point forward, any judge who grants a parent supervised visitation and allows it to be completed at their home should make it contingent upon the availability of an armed police officer, at the parent?s expense.
The funeral for Charlie and Braden Powell will take place on Saturday, February 11, in Puyallup, Washington.
My condolences and prayers are with the family.
Source: http://carrieella.blogspot.com/2012/02/one-final-vicious-act.html
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