Cause of Death - Charles and Braden Powell **Warning-Graphic Thread**

[MaryAnn]

No, I think the smell of gas was gasoline, not natural gas.

The Social Worker said she could smell the gas outside of the house. I'm sure the boys knew something was wrong as soon as they entered the house. They were old enough to realize that is not normal, they must have been terrified

 

[Dr.Fessel]

If the house had been soaked with gasoline, fumes would have been detected long before the social worker got to the front door and no doubt the kids wouldn't have continued to run inside at lightening speed (especially when they didn't want to go see their dad to begin with!). I know this sort of thing DOES happen and it CAN happen but I don't understand how it happened IN THIS CASE according to the details provided by the only eye witness. And from what I observed and from what's been reported (inferno, explosion, ect) it only makes sense the kids would have been burned BEYOND ALL recognition. Their bodies were in tact, soft tissue and all. The house had explosive liquid in the form of gasoline, it wasn't rigged with dynamite. Josh Powell murdered those children but state allowed him to.

The inside of the house could have been soaked in gas, they are not talking about the outside. Since the CPS lady said she smelled gas then it was probably while she was standing at the front door when Josh shut it on her.

There is no evidence they ran in the house at lightning speed. And kids are notorious for saying "no, I don't want to do that I am having fun" then when they have to do it they have fun. They very well could have looked forward to seeing there dad even though just a few minutes before they said they would not.

 

[PattyCake]

Hi all. Its been forever since I've been at WS. This horrific story dug me out of the abyss.

I have a thought on how Josh controlled those kids once in the house. I believe he may have used those plastic zip ties you can buy at any hardware store. I think he could have had them ready to go once he dragged the kids in the house, it would have taken all of 5 seconds to connect them together and contain them. He could have also nailed all the other doors shut from the inside, limiting the kids to 1 room. I guess there's nothing out of the realm of possibilities considering this has to be the most evil thing I've ever heard of.

Its very unfortunate to hear some of his family all but defend him and laying blame on society. If a monster is able to brutality kill his babies so violently, he was clearly able to kill his wife without question. Their anger is very misplaced. Blame is on the monster. Josh's level of rage by using a hatchet on those babies was for revenge and because he hated those boys for 'betraying' him. He may have got wind through lawyers that the boys were starting to talk or maybe the drawing by one of his sons' (of mommy in the trunk) was addressed at the last court date. There was also a letter by law enforcement addressed in family court last week. This was a very violent crime and he wanted his kids to "pay".

I am only glad my faith believes in a literal h*ll and Josh is currently experiencing a level of evil even he was incapable of dreaming up. Even that thought of Josh in h*ll is no comfort to something so completely senseless.

My heart is in a million pieces so I cannot even begin to imagine how the Cox family is feeling or how they'll be able to overcome this and carry on. I hope they're surrounded by endless love and comfort.

 

[trillian]

It's so horrible I cannot even grasp the reality of it.

I hope when they get gravestones that the Powell name isn't anywhere on it. And I hope that there is a space next to them for when Susan is found.

Josh can rot in a landfill.

 

[annalia]

If the house had been soaked with gasoline, fumes would have been detected long before the social worker got to the front door and no doubt the kids wouldn't have continued to run inside at lightening speed (especially when they didn't want to go see their dad to begin with!). I know this sort of thing DOES happen and it CAN happen but I don't understand how it happened IN THIS CASE according to the details provided by the only eye witness. And from what I observed and from what's been reported (inferno, explosion, ect) it only makes sense the kids would have been burned BEYOND ALL recognition. Their bodies were in tact, soft tissue and all. The house had explosive liquid in the form of gasoline, it wasn't rigged with dynamite. Josh Powell murdered those children but state allowed him to.

But detected long before by who? He would have most likely doused the house a few minutes before they arrived, with all the windows closed who would have detected it? It's doubtful he would have done it hours or days days before.

The boys were babies, they wouldn't have known that they smelled gas so they shouldn't go in the house. They may have smelled something bad but if he pulled them in and locked the door, what were they going to do?
Or they may have said as they were going in what's that smell but again what were they going to do after he gets them in and locks the door.

These were two small children, no match for JP. The caseworker did smell the gas, but what was she going to do at that point after he locked her out? What exactly could she have done differently after he locked her out?

 

[jjenny]

It was Super Bowl Sunday - I have to wonder if this was not another part of his "plan" - that people wouldn't be paying as much attention to emails and/or text messages as they were either preparing for the game (shopping, food preparing etc) or watching the pre-game, game etc and so were not as attentive as they might normally have been to messages coming in.

Again, the people who got his email called 911. I posted a link. I just don't think it makes much sense for him to send emails and voicemails before children showed up because his plans could have been ruined if the people who got his e-mails called 911 before the children were delivered to his house. But maybe that's what he did, I don't know. But since he made such detailed plans it makes no sense to me that he would.

 

[Paige SC]

The Social Worker said she could smell the gas outside of the house. I'm sure the boys knew something was wrong as soon as they entered the house. They were old enough to realize that is not normal, they must have been terrified

If the kids didn't run ahead of her and if she could smell gasoline on the outside of the house, then why allow them to go in the house at all? Dude.. I understand it all happened quickly BUT DOT DOT DOT, it's just so unbelievable. LITERALLY.

 

[Cherry Baby]

It was Super Bowl Sunday - I have to wonder if this was not another part of his "plan" - that people wouldn't be paying as much attention to emails and/or text messages as they were either preparing for the game (shopping, food preparing etc) or watching the pre-game, game etc and so were not as attentive as they might normally have been to messages coming in.

You are so right! This and the giving away of the toys. This wasn't about how much he loved his sons but hated that any further psych testing would totally erode any custody or visitation claim he'd have with the boys. For Josh and his father it's all control, control, control - and no love.

 

[21merc7]

I think they are still investigating the fire and explosion. I can guess that he lined the house with gasoline, and kept containers with rags to light it. Did he use gun powder or any other accelerant? We will not know until the investigation is complete.

As far as people getting voicemails and emails, that does not mean they were home to receive them immediately. It has been reported that some did call for help when they did receive them. When was that? I don't know if that has been released yet. Have you ever called 911 for any kind of domestic issue, much less one based on a crazy call or email? Or one for the town pariah? Just saying, it usually takes time to get someone on the scene, it's not as if police were just stationed outside his rented home, nor could they be.

Let's hope more details will be released, and as accurately as possible, as they are figured out. I doubt every second will be covered, as some of it will be left to speculation on even the investigators parts as all that were in the home are not here to fill in the gaps.

 

[my_tee_mouse]

Why isn't she sharing it with who, the media? It sounds like she did speak to officials.

We can only imagine how traumatized she must be, can't blame her for not speaking to the media.

JMHO

Case workers are not free to discuss cases with the media...privacy violations.

 

[jjenny]

I think they are still investigating the fire and explosion. I can guess that he lined the house with gasoline, and kept containers with rags to light it. Did he use gun powder or any other accelerant? We will not know until the investigation is complete.

As far as people getting voicemails and emails, that does not mean they were home to receive them immediately. It has been reported that some did call for help when they did receive them. When was that? I don't know if that has been released yet. Have you ever called 911 for any kind of domestic issue, much less one based on a crazy call or email? Or one for the town pariah? Just saying, it usually takes time to get someone on the scene, it's not as if police were just stationed outside his rented home, nor could they be.

Let's hope more details will be released, and as accurately as possible, as they are figured out. I doubt every second will be covered, as some of it will be left to speculation on even the investigators parts as all that were in the home are not here to fill in the gaps.

At least some were home and called emergency according to the article that I posted. Why is that so hard to believe when it happened? They did call emergency. But emergency showed up after the fire has already started. And JP would have known they could call 911-I think that's pretty easy to figure out.

 

[Paige SC]

But detected long before by who? He would have most likely doused the house a few minutes before they arrived, with all the windows closed who would have detected it? It's doubtful he would have done it hours or days days before.

The boys were babies, they wouldn't have known that they smelled gas so they shouldn't go in the house. They may have smelled something bad but if he pulled them in and locked the door, what were they going to do?
Or they may have said as they were going in what's that smell but again what were they going to do after he gets them in and locks the door.

These were two small children, no match for JP. The caseworker did smell the gas, but what was she going to do at that point after he locked her out? What exactly could she have done differently after he locked her out?

The case worker said she smelled the gasoline from outside the house. The kids didn't run ahead of her. They had to reach the front door at the same time.

 

[21merc7]

At least some were home and called emergency according to the article that I posted. Why is that so hard to believe when it happened? They did call emergency. But emergency showed up after the fire has already started. And JP would have known they could call 911-I think that's pretty easy to figure out.

I know, it was in the articles from yesterday.

 

[Concerned Papa]

I don't know where the story is coming from that says the kids ran ahead of the CPS lady.

The head detective in the case says they did not run ahead of her. They were all on the porch and Josh let the boys in and shut the door on her. There was no running ahead.

You can hear him say it here.

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=577&a=38755&p=&n=AudioClip

IDK Doc, but according to this, that's what the Fire Chief said:

A social worker brought the two boys to Josh Powell's home Sunday for what was to be a supervised visit. They rushed toward the home, leaving the social worker behind. By the time she got to the door, Powell had let his sons in but locked her out, Graham Fire and Rescue Chief Gary Franz told The Associated Press.

http://www.king5.com/news/Josh-Powells-home-explodes-two-bodies-found-inside-138747519.html

 

[jjenny]

I know, it was in the articles from yesterday.

So I am trying to figure out the timeline. When did he make phone calls and send all e-mails in relation to children arriving at his house? He had to realize that if sends e-mails to so many people at least some could call 911.
His plan would could have been ruined.

 

[jjenny]

IDK Doc, but according to this, that's what the Fire Chief said:

They appear be saying things that contradict each other so we clearly don't know what this whole scenario was (and neither apparently do they).

 

[annalia]

The case worker said she smelled the gasoline from outside the house. The kids didn't run ahead of her. They had to reach the front door at the same time.

Was it reported that she smelled it all the way from the car? The boys were ahead of her when they reached the door, they weren't arm in arm.
Once they reached the door, the boys were taken in and the door locked on her.

IIRC it was reported that's when she smelled the gas, as she went to the door. Too late as the boys were already taken inside.

JMHO

 

[Emma Peel]

He axes his babies?

The story gets even worse?

I was hoping we'd learn he'd done something to assure no suffering for the boys - something I couldn't mention on the thread "out loud". I thought perhaps bullets, and even one for himself...

But he axes his babies?

They're playing his voicemail over and over. His anxiety is palpable. Do we know who it was he called, that didn't get the call, such that it went to voicemail?

 

[annalia]

So I am trying to figure out the timeline. When did he make phone calls and send all e-mails in relation to children arriving at his house? He had to realize that if sends e-mails to so many people at least some could call 911.
His plan would could have been ruined.

It could have but obviously his plan wasn't ruined. Only he can answer why he took the chance, but what difference does it really make now?

 

[essies]

"He also sent e-mails to his pastor and others just minutes before the fire, giving instructions on how to handle his end-of-life business, according to Troyer. The sheriff's department has copies of some of the e-mails sent to the attorney, family and friends, saying "he couldn't live with what was going on," Troyer said."

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/07/justice/washington-powell-case/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Well, that's fine if he couldn't live with what was going on, my guess is out of guilt of having to lay his head on his pillow every night knowing what he did to his wife, knowing that he robbed his children of their mother. But his children could have lived with it, resilient as they often are, they could have went on with their lives living with their beloved grandparents, went on to blossom into adults and have a bright future. They should have been allowed to. WHY DID HE HAVE TO TAKE THEM WITH HIM? How completely selfish and evil even in death.

I am so incredibly angered by this. And then to learn he chopped at them with an axe? They suffered before they died. They were in pain and felt terror and agony. I was praying that they did not and now I know that the last images they witnessed before they departed this earth was their own father chopping at them with an axe? I really wished I would not have clicked on this story right now. I have one more hour of class today and I cannot get that horrific image out of my head. May justice be swift in the court of a higher power.
MOO

BBM
IMO He took the boys and killed them because of his hatred of the Cox's. He felt they were winning and would get the boys permanently. I think just as he wouldn't let Susan go-which would have meant losing the boys then, he wasn't about to lose custody and let the boys go with susan's parents now!! In his mind, I think, it was all about control and winning-even if it meant murder/suicide- he felt (in his evil, twisted logic) he won and the Cox's lost with his final act of revenge!:banghead: