Very bizarre domestic case gets worse.

[Maus]

I'm not trying to stir the pot, I'm just honestly curious (and of course horrified.) But... If you are LDS could you please answer this for me? In the LDS faith married couples are sealed for eternity, right? So are any members of Susan's family now worried that she will have to spend eternity with the awful husband/dad? That would seem to be a further blow.

 

No, I doubt they are worried about that. Covenants must be kept in order to receive that blessing. The b*st*rd broke A LOT of covenants.

I'm not certain he was LDS. She was. Her parents apparently are. (The boys' funeral is going to be at the local LDS chapel.) One of his emails went to his pastor, who is the pastor of the Faith Bible Church.

 

One of the early articles in Utah when she first disappeared talked about her friends from "her" LDS ward rather than "their" LDS ward. I wondered about it at the time.

 

If she was a member and he was not, they weren't sealed in the temple. (Or even if he was a member, but not "active"/practicing, they wouldn't get married in the temple.)

 

But, like others have said, if he was a member and if they were sealed, he broke his covenants MANY times over, so she definitely doesn't have to be with him ever.

[TravelingChris]

It is such a horrible story. I knew from the beginning that he killed her- this whole garbage story about camping in the middle of the night in the winter with little kids while your wife goes missing. It really reminded me of the Stacey Peterson story where the husband supposedly drove two hours to go fishing in the San Francisco Bay on Christmas Eve and only fished for one hour without catching anything while his wife was in her eighth month of pregnancy and he wasn't an avid fisherman. He is on death row in CA.

[MrsBasil]

Oh..Lord have mercy.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/josh-powell-tragedy-cps-worker-pleaded-cops-house/story?id=15535154#.TzKZ4MiumIw

 

The social worker did call 911 and asked them to come out. The dispatcher said that 911 only came out in life threatening emergencies.

 

Josh's sister called earlier in the day to say she was getting weird messages from him and was afraid to drive over for herself.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Oh..Lord have mercy.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/josh-powell-tragedy-cps-worker-pleaded-cops-house/story?id=15535154#.TzKZ4MiumIw

 

The social worker did call 911 and asked them to come out. The dispatcher said that 911 only came out in life threatening emergencies.

 

Josh's sister called earlier in the day to say she was getting weird messages from him and was afraid to drive over for herself.

 

This is local to me. The news last night said that despite the dispatcher saying that, a deputy was sent out immediately and arrived even before the fire fighters did.

[fhjmom]

I'm not certain he was LDS. She was. Her parents apparently are. (The boys' funeral is going to be at the local LDS chapel.) One of his emails went to his pastor, who is the pastor of the Faith Bible Church.

 

One of the early articles in Utah when she first disappeared talked about her friends from "her" LDS ward rather than "their" LDS ward. I wondered about it at the time.

 

If she was a member and he was not, they weren't sealed in the temple. (Or even if he was a member, but not "active"/practicing, they wouldn't get married in the temple.)

 

But, like others have said, if he was a member and if they were sealed, he broke his covenants MANY times over, so she definitely doesn't have to be with him ever.

 

An article I read that had quotes from the grandfather talking about the last morning they were together said he saw the boys before leaving for meetings at his church. It indicated that the boys and the grandmother were staying home because Josh had forbidden the grandparents, who were LDS, from taking them to their church or "being influenced" by LDS beliefs.

 

I would take that to mean Josh was not LDS.

[Trish]

Josh Powell Had Inc*stuous Pictures On His Computer

 

I guess these are the reason he was recently ordered to undergo a "psychosexual evaluation."

 

Too bad the supervised visits weren't ended at that point.

[DianeW88]

An article I read that had quotes from the grandfather talking about the last morning they were together said he saw the boys before leaving for meetings at his church. It indicated that the boys and the grandmother were staying home because Josh had forbidden the grandparents, who were LDS, from taking them to their church or "being influenced" by LDS beliefs.

 

I would take that to mean Josh was not LDS.

 

 

You are correct. Josh Powell was not LDS. He belonged to a non-denominational Christian church. His wife and his wife's parents are LDS. He did not attend church with them while he lived here in Utah.

[Moxie]

Josh Powell Had Inc*stuous Pictures On His Computer

 

I guess these are the reason he was recently ordered to undergo a "psychosexual evaluation."

 

Too bad the supervised visits weren't ended at that point.

 

I wonder if it would have mattered. He knew his house of cards was falling down. I think he was going to end up killing those poor boys no matter where they were.

[gardenmom5]

I'm not certain he was LDS. .

The sister who did not go with the dad in the divorce is active LDS. (and has said for at least 18mos that she thinks Josh killed susan). My understanding was his family WAS LDS - his father got custody of most of the kids in the divorce. His very sick, twisted, and perverted father who is now in jail awaiting trial in a voyerism and kiddie p*orn possession case. I think josh was active when they married (don't know how active). He definitely stopped going before susan dissappeared. Josh reportedly spent hours on the phone with his father several days a week. including the evening before susan disappeared. LEO's think steve knows more than he's telling.

 

Oh..Lord have mercy.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/josh-powell-tragedy-cps-worker-pleaded-cops-house/story?id=15535154#.TzKZ4MiumIw

 

The social worker did call 911 and asked them to come out. The dispatcher said that 911 only came out in life threatening emergencies.

 

Josh's sister called earlier in the day to say she was getting weird messages from him and was afraid to drive over for herself.

I read the transcripts - the first dispatcher did come across as flakey. ultimately, I don't think it would have made a difference. Even if the police managed to get there before the explosion - josh had whacked the boys with a hatchet. the social worker heard one of the boys crying.

 

I wonder if it would have mattered. He knew his house of cards was falling down. I think he was going to end up killing those poor boys no matter where they were.

I think even if they had denied him any visitation, he would have found a way to kill those boys.

 

The drawing the older one made with 'mom in the trunk' was the first summer after their mom's disapearance - when the cox's weren't allowed anywhere near them. Josh did not allow anyone to mention susan to the boys. they were not allowed to talk about their mother or anything surrounding her. Until steve's arrest, the boys were only with the powell's who said "susan ran off" (and still say that). the drawing was at a daycare setting when the children were supposed to make a drawing of something they had done that summer - josh then pulled them from the daycare.

eta: and the pix the leo's found on HIS computer may have been photoshopped - but if they were real, they'd be kiddie p*rn and he'd also be in jail for possession - just like his daddy. (really need to change the legal definition - photoshopped kiddie p*rn images are still kiddie p*rn.) and kiss his chances of ever getting custody of his boys good-bye.

Edited February 10, 2012 by gardenmom5

[In the Rain]

Oh, wow. The new articles are heart breaking. He gave the social worker a sheepish look, shrugged his shoulders, and went after his kids with a hatchet?!?! (There is no smilie appropriate for that sentence.) It is beyond conceivable to me.

[Harriet Vane]

The sister who did not go with the dad in the divorce is active LDS. (and has said for at least 18mos that she thinks Josh killed susan). My understanding was his family WAS LDS - his father got custody of most of the kids in the divorce. His very sick, twisted, and perverted father who is now in jail awaiting trial in a voyerism and kiddie p*orn possession case. I think josh was active when they married (don't know how active). He definitely stopped going before susan dissappeared. Josh reportedly spent hours on the phone with his father several days a week. including the evening before susan disappeared. LEO's think steve knows more than he's telling.

 

 

I read the transcripts - the first dispatcher did come across as flakey. ultimately, I don't think it would have made a difference. Even if the police managed to get there before the explosion - josh had whacked the boys with a hatchet. the social worker heard one of the boys crying.

 

 

I think even if they had denied him any visitation, he would have found a way to kill those boys.

 

The drawing the older one made with 'mom in the trunk' was the first summer after their mom's disapearance - when the cox's weren't allowed anywhere near them. Josh did not allow anyone to mention susan to the boys. they were not allowed to talk about their mother or anything surrounding her. Until steve's arrest, the boys were only with the powell's who said "susan ran off" (and still say that). the drawing was at a daycare setting when the children were supposed to make a drawing of something they had done that summer - josh then pulled them from the daycare.

eta: and the pix the leo's found on HIS computer may have been photoshopped - but if they were real, they'd be kiddie p*rn and he'd also be in jail for possession - just like his daddy. (really need to change the legal definition - photoshopped kiddie p*rn images are still kiddie p*rn.) and kiss his chances of ever getting custody of his boys good-bye.

 

While it's true that a quicker police response would not have helped, and that Josh would have found a way to kill the boys, I still think the dispatcher should be fired and the juvenile system shaken up.

 

I lived in a high-crime urban neighborhood for fourteen years, and I have long experience with the foster care system. Trying to get an official response to a dangerous system can be quite frustrating. Flaky dispatchers should be fired, because their flakiness could get someone killed in a situation in which time IS of the essence.

 

I also know, all too well, that dangerous people are routinely granted access to their children all. the. time. It is considered standard for even the most heinous cases. It only causes hurt kids even more pain.