Steve Powell, father-in-law of missing mother Susan Powell, convicted of voyeurism charges
(CBS/AP) TACOMA, Wash. - A jury has convicted Steve Powell of voyeurism charges that stemmed from an investigation into his missing daughter-in-law Susan Powell.
Jurors returned their verdict Wednesday, finding him guilty on all 14 counts.
Authorities brought the voyeurism charges last year after searching Steve Powell's home during their investigation into the disappearance of Susan Powell of Utah. Prosecutors claim images used as a basis for the charges were found on a disc in his bedroom.
Prosecutors have said Susan Powell was the subject of many of Steve Powell's photos but those images were not part of the case. Instead, prosecutors focused on images of two young girls who lived next door to Steve Powell.
Authorities say the images show the young girls in a bathroom as they bathed and used the toilet. The girls, identified in court only by their initials, were about 8 and 10 when the images were captured. They testified they had no idea someone had taken photos of them in the bathroom.
Susan Powell's family believes Steve Powell has information on her disappearance and authorities say he has been uncooperative in the investigation. Susan Powell's husband, Josh, killed himself and the couple's two young children earlier this year.
Defense attorney Travis Currie argued there were too many uncertainties in the evidence to convict.
He questioned whether Steve Powell was the one who actually captured the images, noting others lived in the home. He also wondered whether the images were used for sexual gratification.
"There are people who are nosy, who like to spy on their neighbors," Currie said.
When talking about the burden of "reasonable doubt," Currie reached as high as he could into the air, towering over the jury to emphasize how high of a bar that standard is.