Powell family statements addressing the murder/suicide*merged*

[SilkySifaka]

I think the media needs to just stay clear of the Powell family. They're grieving like the rest of the country, world for that matter. They see JP as something different, they're too close to the situation.

I honestly feel sorry for them, in that in a month or year, they're going to look back on this and see everything differently. They may even regret many things they've said, and are going to say.

Right now, this family is at the lowest point in their life. I know Susan has been missing for quite some time, but now this family tragedy had multiplied, 10 fold!

No one left living, other than perhaps the one behind bars, in this family is guilty of anything, other than loving someone who, for all intents and purposes had a black heart. They're color blind right now. They can't and possibly don't want to see that now. But when the truth comes out, ................well, just say, I would NOT want to be them. No way.

At the end of the day, I think this case will haunt 1000's, if not 100's of 1000s of people. I'm not going to say it couldn't get worse, because just as I say that, there would be something even more horrific than we've seen the past few days and time since Susan has been missing.

I do want to see what they have to say, but maybe I shouldn't. I don't want to say something I'll regret writing. I wish them no ill will. But I do wish they could see this a year down the road as it will undoubtedly progress, so that they can see what they're saying isn't doing Josh any good, nor their father. As a matter of fact, they're being seen as a family that wants to blame everyone else in the world for the horrific decision of their own brother, to murder his own children, and most likely had murdered the mother of his children as well.

Just some thoughts,
fran

Such a good post fran. I agree they won't see it the same way down the road but right now is not when they suddenly see their brother as a monster and likely father as one too.

 

[jjenny]

I don't think "cyberbullying" had anything to do with any of it.

""The person who loses the custody fight is so upset that they feel, you know, ‘If I can’t have the children, you’re not going to get them either,’ and kills the children ... This comes closest to that category even though you don’t have an actual spouse, you’ve got the parents of the spouse," said Phillip Resnick, professor of psychiatry and director of the division of forensic psychiatry for Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine."

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...ell-driven-by-revenge-in-killing-sons-himself

 

[krimekat]

So, just the two comments from Alina?

They should just lay low & grieve . . .

 

[SuziQ]

BBM

Sorry believe , but I strongly disagree.I see the Powell clan as aiders, abetters, and cheerleaders to the ongoing depravity we've seen in this case. Sorry, but I don't have an ounce of sympathy for any of them except Jennifer.

MOO.

Evidently LE agrees with you. LE does not trust anyone in that circle of people. Yesterday they said they would investigate who among family and friends knew what and when they knew it. And if there was lack of cooperation, search warrants will be issued.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53...onday.html.csp

(snip)
Meanwhile, Washington state investigators were trying to fill in holes in the case with an arson investigation at the home and autopsies on Josh Powell and his sons.
Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said Monday that detectives were trying to determine which of Josh’s family members or friends might have received prior indication of the murders.
"We may be looking at [search] warrants to look at all people who may have information," Pastor said.
He said those with information would not necessarily be under investigation for a crime, adding that officers would only use search warrants "if we don’t get cooperation."
"We want to know what they knew of and when they knew it," Pastor said.

 

[SmoothOperator]

Where is the Matriarch of this family? The absence of a strong Matriarch is so obvious and Imo coincides perfectly with how it seems most of this family perceive the family unit and the disrespect overall for females in general, especially strong females...

 

[gitana1]

Ben Winslow

Just tried to talk to #JoshPowell's sister. "YOU caused this!" she said before slamming the gate. @fox13now #findsusan

BenWinslow Ben Winslow

Obviously, there is grief on all sides here. @fox13now #findsusan


http://twitter.com/#!/BenWinslow

Yeah, No. HE caused this. That statement rankles.

No one "online" knew Josh Powell before he murdered his wife. What's her excuse for that?

Exactly.

:fence:

I'm a fence sitter on this topic. On one hand, I think the power of family runs deep and it's nearly impossible to see the forest for the trees. On the other hand, Jennifer was able to view the forest so I wonder why she was able to tear herself away and the others couldn't?

I guess the main issue I have is that they know Susan is missing. It is suspicious. And they know there was *advertiser censored*. There is proof. And now Josh killed himself and the boys and that can be excused due to bullying and the media?

I just don't know which way to go here, but I do have some sympathy for the blindness they seem to be experiencing. I just don't understand it.

I am very loyal to my family. We are very, very tight. But I am not seeing this family in that way. I don't see them as a tight, loyal, loving family in disbelief that the brother/son they adore, could have done anything like this.

This is a family decimated by generational parental alienation. Steve's dad kidnapped him and his siblings and alienated them from their mother. Steve did the same thing to his kids' mother. Then came the coward. He didn't worry about kidnapping, he just killed the mother (Susan). But he continued his attempts at alienation, which he had been doing before he murdered Susan, AFTER she was dead, by not allowing them to mention her or see her family.

This is a family that hate the "enemy" and that enemy is always the wife.

Alina and Michael are/were estranged from their mother. They think the way the rest of the screwed up family thinks. They are never to blame, everyone else is wrong, they are special and the rules thus do not apply to them. The only one who saw the light was Jennifer Graves. Hence, she has human emotions.

These kind of people sicken me. I do not feel sorry for them at this point. I think they are shells of humans and destructive forces. I feel sorry for the children they were but not now, due to what they chose to become.

Compare these people to Mark Hacking's family. They didn't want their brother to go to prison. But they were not twisted, like him and although they love him unconditionally and support him, they knew he did wrong and were not in denial when the facts became clear. As a result, I feel much empathy, and respect for them.

 

[Gypsy Road]

I realize Alina is grieving, but I think she honestly believes it was everyone's fault, but Josh's. You have to remember how this woman was brought up. Her thinking is twisted, and while I have sympathy that she grew up in a horrible environment - I can't grasp the fact that she seems to be giving Josh yet another "pass" for killing those precious boys.

 

[MarthaM]

People do have freedom of expression in this country. If a man's wife goes missing while he is on the camping trip with two little kids people are going to express their feelings. I don't see why they shouldn't.

I believe strongly in the freedom of expression, too, and am firmly behind everyone stating their feelings and opinions. The way some opinions are expressed and the way some stories are covered make me uneasy, but that doesn't mean I think people shouldn't speak up.

As I said, though, I do think that statements by others can push someone over the edge or contribute to their decision to act, whether in a criminal way or any other. So can many other things: the weather can set someone off, or something they saw on TV, or something else happening in their life. As I said in my previous post, I don't think that one can blame what is said online or in person for their actions. But I do believe that words have an impact. They may be one part of a bigger picture that leads someone to do something, or (in some cases) to do nothing.

It happens all the time; things are said about a person and they react.

Actions and behaviors are always a choice. Using the reasoning in the above post...child abuse victims and those verbally abused would have mitigating circumstances to the crime of killing their children. NO, they don't get that. It is a choice.

No, I didn't say that there are any 'mitigating circumstances'. I'm merely saying that a lot of things go into a person's mindset before they make the choice to act. Clearly, some of the Powell family feel that what has been said in the media and/or online were contributing factors to JP's mindset, and I'm willing to agree that they're probably right about that. This doesn't minimize anything he did at all. I'm just acknowledging a truth--that many things and many people influence every choice we make in life.

 

[Cubby]

Yeah, No. HE caused this. That statement rankles.



Exactly.




I am very loyal to my family. We are very, very tight. But I am not seeing this family in that way. I don't see them as a tight, loyal, loving family in disbelief that the brother/son they adore, could have done anything like this.

This is a family decimated by generational parental alienation. Steve's dad kidnapped him and his siblings and alienated them from their mother. Steve did the same thing to his kids' mother. The coward didn't worry about kidnapping, he just killed the mother. But he continued his attempts at alienation, which he had been doing before he murdered Susan, AFTER she was dead, by not allowing them to mention her or see her family.

This is a family that hate the "enemy" and that enemy is always the wife.

Alina and Michael are/were estranged from their mother. They think the way the rest of the screwed up family thinks. They are never to blame, everyone else is wrong, they are special and the rules thus do not apply to them. The only one who saw the light was Jennifer Graves. Hence, she has human emotions.

These kind of people sicken me. I do not feel sorry for them at this point. I think they are shells of humans and destructive forces. I feel sorry for the children they were but not now, due to what they chose to become.

Compare these people to Mark Hacking's family. They didn't want their brother to go to prison. But they were not twisted, like him and although they love him unconditionally and support him, they knew he did wrong and were not in denial when the facts became clear. As a result, I feel much empathy, and respect for them.

Very well said.

 

[sorrell skye]

To me it just shows the dysfunctional family dynamics that the patriarch of the Powell family created, His sick and twisted nature poisoned the well. And the family members have to try and blame others for the evil that he wrought, imo.

I agree. Thank Goodness Jennifer escaped.

In every domestic violence case there is a common theme: blaming others for one's own despicable violence.

Josh Powell is a hideous murderer of the worst kind. He is NOT a victim.

 

[cocomod]

Where is the Matriarch of this family? The absence of a strong Matriarch is so obvious and Imo coincides perfectly with how it seems most of this family perceive the family unit and the disrespect overall for females in general, especially strong females...

Steven Powell divorced his wife when their kids were very small. He used his money to hire an attorney which made her out to be crazy and made her broke before the fight was over. He ended up with the kids and look how he raised them. She seems to me to be very quiet, reserved, and possibly broken. I think SP really hurt her.

The mother has lived in Utah by Jennifer; but is currently back in WA living at SP's house! When SP went to jail, she moved in (possibly to take care of Josh's siblings).

I lost some respect for this woman when she wrote a letter in Josh's defense for the court. She claims he is a wonderful father to his children and this declaration was used to try to get his kids back. I know that motherly love is hard to break, but she had been estranged from Josh for some time. She also hated SP and knew exactly what SP was capable of. I can't imagine what she must be feeling right now.

 

[tiredblondy]

I realize Alina is grieving, but I think she honestly believes it was everyone's fault, but Josh's. You have to remember how this woman was brought up. Her thinking is twisted, and while I have sympathy that she grew up in a horrible environment - I can't grasp the fact that she seems to be giving Josh yet another "pass" for killing those precious boys.

It's easy to give him a pass if it's always someone else's fault. It's a lot easier to accept what he did to those children if it was someone else's fault.The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. It's all they know.

 

[gitana1]

Steven Powell divorced his wife when their kids were very small. He used his money to hire an attorney which made her out to be crazy and made her broke before the fight was over. He ended up with the kids and look how he raised them. She seems to me to be very quiet, reserved, and possibly broken. I think SP really hurt her.

The mother has lived in Utah by Jennifer; but is currently back in WA living at SP's house! When SP went to jail, she moved in (possibly to take care of Josh's siblings).

I lost some respect for this woman when she wrote a letter in Josh's defense for the court. She claims he is a wonderful father to his children and this declaration was used to try to get his kids back. I know that motherly love is hard to break, but she had been estranged from Josh for some time. She also hated SP and knew exactly what SP was capable of. I can't imagine what she must be feeling right now.

I think she did it as a desperate attempt to mitigate the parental alienation steve powell inflicted on their kids, against her.

 

[tiredblondy]

After knowing that the sister called 911 I think she suspected something and did try to help although it was too late.

 

[yllek]

But the chief also noted that there were two or three other persons of interest, or people who detectives want to talk to, including other family members and friends. That does not necessarily mean they are suspects in the Utah woman's disappearance, he said.

Nielsen also noted that contrary to what some of Powell's family members might be stating, it was not the media or pressure from the public or police that caused the deaths of the children.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/...s-depict-Josh-Powells-chilling-acts.html?pg=4
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As I stated in another thread, I do wish the Powells would not publicly blame others or try to justify that Joshua Powell definitely murdered his sons and very very likely murdered their mother. But, it's their right to make public statements like that, though I don't understand why they don't just talk amongst themselves.

What I wish is that all Powell family members would look at their devastating loss, for which I am sorry, realistically and contact investigators; set up appointments to answer any and all questions and cooperate fully. As mentioned in the article above, LE would like to talk to them. Susan is dead. The boys are dead. Josh is dead. Only Steve Powell is still standing. I hope this family can do right by Charlie and Braden (if not Susan) and see that the secrets and rationalization of selfish and hateful behavior in the family has led to destruction in the family itself. Do the right thing. Tell the truth about anything they know and answer all LE questions honestly. That is my wish - that the truth is revelad and that peace can be gained for those Powell members who bear no directly responsibility for the loss of three innocent lives. JMO..

 

[Bullwinkle]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQhz_aVTnow"]Cox Attorney Steve Downing talks about Josh Powell[/ame]

 

[TxLady2]

I realize Alina is grieving, but I think she honestly believes it was everyone's fault, but Josh's. You have to remember how this woman was brought up. Her thinking is twisted, and while I have sympathy that she grew up in a horrible environment - I can't grasp the fact that she seems to be giving Josh yet another "pass" for killing those precious boys.

Maybe so, but he was her brother. It's not easy to turn against a family member, it takes courage and strength. Her feelings may change over time, but I'm sure it's still a shock right now. They all need time to sort these feelings out and it's too soon for them to understand it. WE don't even understand it and we're not family.

 

[Donjeta]

A chilling voicemail has surfaced revealing the final words of disturbed dad Josh Powell just 20 minutes before he butchered his two sons with a hatchet and then incinerated them and himself in a gas explosion in Washington on Sunday.

"I am not able to live without my sons, and I'm not able to go on anymore," Powell says in the message to his family, which was obtained by ABC News on Tuesday.

"I'm sorry to everyone I've hurt. Goodbye."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ide-explosion-article-1.1018458#ixzz1lnNFgeK6



I just can't fathom what kind of a world a family lives in and how their belief system has been shaped in their upbringing if one of them is able to call and apologize, say he's sorry that he's hurt some people, 20 minutes before butchering his children with a hatchet in a burning house.

I mean, if you're sorry, why not just not murder your kids and not set someone else's house on fire?

What on earth does "sorry" mean in the Powell world?

 

[Trident]

:fence:

I'm a fence sitter on this topic. On one hand, I think the power of family runs deep and it's nearly impossible to see the forest for the trees. On the other hand, Jennifer was able to view the forest so I wonder why she was able to tear herself away and the others couldn't?

I guess the main issue I have is that they know Susan is missing. It is suspicious. And they know there was *advertiser censored*. There is proof. And now Josh killed himself and the boys and that can be excused due to bullying and the media?

I just don't know which way to go here, but I do have some sympathy for the blindness they seem to be experiencing. I just don't understand it.

BBM Understatement of the year.

 

[Gin]

:fence:

I'm a fence sitter on this topic. On one hand, I think the power of family runs deep and it's nearly impossible to see the forest for the trees. On the other hand, Jennifer was able to view the forest so I wonder why she was able to tear herself away and the others couldn't?

I guess the main issue I have is that they know Susan is missing. It is suspicious. And they know there was *advertiser censored*. There is proof. And now Josh killed himself and the boys and that can be excused due to bullying and the media?

I just don't know which way to go here, but I do have some sympathy for the blindness they seem to be experiencing. I just don't understand it.

Sums up kinda what I think. I'll probably be reasonably tolerant of what's said for a couple of weeks due to shock. They may need a bit of time to process what happened to those children. Those sweet boys were tortured and murdered by their father. There is no justification in the universe for that kind of mind blowing cruelty. Come March, if they are still hand wringing and squirming to find "justification", I'll form my opinion.