Husband of Susan Powell kills self & 2 sons.

[Gypsy]

Fire kills husband of missing Utah woman, 2 boys

[Cheylana]

This story totally broke my heart. Can't imagine the agony Susan Powell's parents are going through.

[Bailey_]

So tragic. I know that he was never charged or convicted of a crime, but those kids should never have been in his care -- supervised visits or not.

[FigureSpins]

What a shame. There are no words - this was cruel and selfish.

[Skate Talker]

"I would never even hurt her," a tearful, red-eyed Josh Powell told CBS' Early Show in August. "People who know me know that I could never hurt Susan."

"I have proven myself as a fit and loving father who provides a stable home even in the face of great adversity. ...

I guess what he really proved is that both of those statements were patently untrue. Those poor little boys.

The social worker - my first reaction was- if only she had kept them by her side. My second reaction - if she had then she would probably be dead too. From the details given it seems pretty clear he was going to carry out this explosion no matter what. In fact I am somewhat surprised he didn't make sure she was included in the blast.

[Smiley0884]

Wow, this is really a terrible tragedy I had a gut feeling he was behind Susan's death, and shouldn't be trusted with those kids...It's too bad there wasn't enough evidence to convict him for Susan's disappearance. My heart goes out to Susan's family.

[skatesindreams]

Those poor children!
What a monster their father was.

My sympathy to the Cox family; and to all the people who tried to protect the boys.
They are suffering terrible guilt.

[genevieve]

The social worker - my first reaction was- if only she had kept them by her side.

This makes it sound like the social worker was not doing her job. According to the paper here (this took place outside of Seattle) - Josh Powell grabbed the kids from her as soon as they arrived, slammed the door in her face and locked it. She called 911 immediately.

Clearly this was premeditated. What a vile act that this worthless slime killed his children (in addition to probably killing his wife) instead of just committing suicide.

I can't imagine what Susan Powell's parents must be going through.

[AxelAnnie]

This is a nightmare of epic proportions.

I had to read the headline over and over before I could even grasp it. What a tragedy.

[DFJ]

There have been some articles reporting that one of the children was beginning to talk about his mom's disappearance - telling people about a camping trip where (paraphrasing) mommy was in the trunk and then she disappeared.

This guy knew his number was up and so the coward took those kids with him. I like to believe they are with their mom again and he's in his special hell.

[reckless]

When I read the story, I immediately thought of the Zachary Bagby case in Canada. If you've never seen the documentary, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, this case is similar.

I hope Josh Powell rots in hell.

[BigB08822]

When I read the story, I immediately thought of the Zachary Bagby case in Canada. If you've never seen the documentary, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, this case is similar.

I hope Josh Powell rots in hell.

That movie was so heart wrenching. It definitely comes to mind.

[Mozart]

That documentary was so sad that I cried all day after watching it!

[Rex]

That ASShole didn't have to take those baby boys with him. Those poor little boys.

[FigureSpins]

This makes it sound like the social worker was not doing her job. According to the paper here (this took place outside of Seattle) - Josh Powell grabbed the kids from her as soon as they arrived, slammed the door in her face and locked it. She called 911 immediately.

The articles are varied - one says the kids ran out of the car as soon as she pulled up at the curb. They were already inside when she reached the front door. Another article said he pulled the kids inside and blocked the social worker from entering before locking the door.

I guess he figured an adult would notice the gasoline smell right away (which she did) but the kids wouldn't notice or interfere. He was probably afraid she'd be able to stop him or get the kids back out if he didn't shut her outside. The kids were excited, so they did what kids do - hurry ahead.

The social worker was lucky she went back to the car to phone her supervisor or she could have been caught in the blast. I don't blame her for the situation, but apparently she (or he?) is traumatized.

[danceronice]

Well. That answers whether or not HE was involved in his wife's disappearance.

FigureSpins: I would think the social worker would be traumatized. I hope s/he is on paid leave and gets some therapy time. What a thing to witness, even setting aside the 'there but for the grace of God' aspect.

[FigureSpins]

Absolutely! If the social worker WASN'T traumatized, I'd be concerned about his/her health. I just meant that it was reported by the agency that s/he was traumautized.

[michiruwater]

When I read the story, I immediately thought of the Zachary Bagby case in Canada. If you've never seen the documentary, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, this case is similar.

I hope Josh Powell rots in hell.

It's come up on my Netflix recommendations list a bunch of times, so after reading this thread earlier I decided to watch it.

Absolutely heartwrenching, and at times hard to watch. I definitely recommend it.

Josh Powell deserves whatever he gets in the afterlife, if there is such a thing. I can't imagine how anyone would want to kill their own children. It just boggles the mind.

And I, too, hope that social worker is on paid leave and being offered the help she undoubtedly needs. I don't think this was her fault at all.

[4rkidz]

So tragic. I know that he was never charged or convicted of a crime, but those kids should never have been in his care -- supervised visits or not.

if any access - it should have been supervised at a facility that follows the SVN guidelines.. thus ensuring the children could visit their father in a safe setting, with safety protocols and trained staff..

[Michalle]

She is very fortunate to be alive, he was clearly determined to do this no matter what.