Josh Powell had "incestuous" images on his home computer, authorities say

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Missing mom's husband kills self, sons: Why?

Josh Powell is surrounded by reporters as he leaves a Pierce County courtroom in Tacoma, Wash., Sept. 23, 2011.

(Credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

(CBS/AP) SEATTLE - Late Thursday, authorities told the Associated Press a computer in Josh Powell's home two years ago had computer-animated images that depicted "incestuous" sex.

Pierce County Sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said the images discovered by investigators were realistic, computer-generated depictions of incestuous parent-child relations. The images were disconcerting enough that they prompted a psychologist to recommend last week that Powell undergo an intensive psychosexual evaluation.

PICTURES: Missing Utah Mother Susan Powell
PICTURES: Missing Utah mom's kids, husband die in alleged murder-suicide

A lawyer for Powell's in-laws was not invited to see the materials before a custody hearing last week. Attorney Steve Downing said if he has seen them, he might have asked the court to change the terms of Powell's supervised visitation with the boys.

On Sunday, a social worker drove the boys from their maternal grandparents' home to their father's house.

In an interview to air Friday on ABC's "20/20," that worker, Elizabeth Griffin-Hall, said that Powell slammed the door on her after the children were inside the house on Sunday. Hall said she banged on the door and heard Powell tell his son Charlie, "I've got a big surprise for you."

She also heard Braden, Charlie's younger brother, crying. Authorities said Powell used a hatchet on his children then set a house fire that killed them all.

Powell's wife, Susan, vanished in Utah two years ago. Powell had been a person of interest in the case but maintained he had taken his sons on a camping trip the night she disappeared.

Complete Coverage of Susan Powell on Crimesider

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by mecanik-2009 February 10, 2012 11:19 PM EST

Poking the ashes and hurling insults to the dead does nothing but create hate in a persons heart. We need to heal ourselves and let it go. It's over, we screwed up. Law enforcement needs to learn from this and make changes in the way it handles domestics. Our government is dabbling into something it knows little about. The complicated inner workings of a family. Let's hope they do better the next time.

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by ahendryx819 February 14, 2012 12:18 PM EST: No, it's not that they don't know about it. Domestic violence has been a problem for longer than I've been alive. THe justice system just doesn't want to spend their time on it until someone gets killed. Even then, they don't bother to prosecute them for murder. They don't treat domestic violence murders like any other murders. That was the case when my cousin was murdered by her husband. The government failed miserably by not taking Susan't disappearance seriously enough and treating those 2 poor babies as potential witnesses. I wonder how they're sleeping at night...


by Johnston1212 February 10, 2012 6:59 PM EST: He was born this way. Don't be haters be lovers especially of little boys, dogs, sheep. Perversity kills.; Reply to this comment

by julianpenrod February 10, 2012 6:59 PM EST

To whatever extent the incestuous imagery may have involved parents with underage children, issues of child rape can be invoked, overriding matters if incest. But, in fact, only a few years ago, an adult brother and sister in Germany expressed a wish to get married. That also constitutes incest, but is consensual and adult. They were refused, though, and it's not unlikely that many in the U.S. would agree. Indicating that there are "victimless crimes" involving sex among consensual adults that many would still be willing to condemn. Which brings up the issue of homosexuality as a form of sexual perversion and the many who have been bullied into accepting or who have been so gullible they now overlook it. The "argument" there is that homosexuality is between consenting adults and "is just a matter of who you choose to love", but how well will that same idea fly when applied to incest?

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by stsebastian February 17, 2012 6:14 PM EST: Wow, talk about creating a "straw man" argument to segue into an argument against homosexuality. You're just really reaching there! The real is sex between adults, as you mentioned with the brother and sister and sex between an adult and a child. Two completely DIFFERENT topics. Sorry, but your argument is a fail!


by IEtOut February 10, 2012 6:21 PM EST: Let me know of ONE straight man who has never fantasized about having sex with twin women. This is just one more sad situation of prosecutors trying to make a name for themselves at anyone else's expense. You notice they refuse to give details so they can let your imagination allude to the most provocative image possible.; Reply to this comment

by PourpaixPourpaix February 10, 2012 3:13 PM EST

And so the plot sickens.

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by nadelio February 10, 2012 7:28 PM EST: and thickens.

by coriolana February 10, 2012 1:53 PM EST

The whole family needs to be locked up in a mental ward.

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by EmpireGeorge_------ February 10, 2012 3:00 PM EST: What do you mean, the whole family is dead....the mother was the only survivor.


by EmpireGeorge_------ February 10, 2012 3:02 PM EST: take that back, he killed the mom, before hand....so their all dead.

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by nadelio February 10, 2012 1:46 PM EST

The mother and kids were doomed.
Precious lives taken by criminal kooks. The tragedy caused only by an idiotic addiction. At least they have the old lecher locked up.

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by Ankhorite February 10, 2012 3:15 PM EST: You didn't read the article. He's not locked up, he's dead.


by PourpaixPourpaix February 10, 2012 3:15 PM EST: Somehow, I suspect the husband had plenty of chaffeaurs on his road to mayhem and madness

by larissa97 February 10, 2012 1:01 PM EST

Don't worry, Josh's family will still stick their collective heads in the sand, smear Susan and insist that it's all a set up and that he's been railroaded and totally innocent... because they're nuts.

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by daniele7ster February 10, 2012 4:06 PM EST: The entire clan needs to stop breeding immediately. They are vile people!


by idiotforreading February 10, 2012 12:51 PM EST: They knew about this for 2 years. This country is crazy, we argue of the finger at half time in the super bowl and clint eastwoods commercials and can't deal with reality. this is reality, protecting kids and saving lives. we have our priorities really screwed up. we are doomed.; Reply to this comment

by pammmmmm February 10, 2012 12:39 PM EST

Incestuous images on Josh's computer? And they still gave him visiting privileges with his children? Go figure...

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by larissa97 February 10, 2012 1:03 PM EST: Unless the police investigation kept this information from child protective services which is entirely possible.