Images of 'incestuous' sex found on computer in crazed father Josh Powell's house two years before he killed his sons in murder-suicide explosion
Lawyer for Powell's in-laws claims tragedy could have been averted if he had known of images before custody hearing last week
Social worker frantically tried to get into house as she heard boys crying
Investigation continues into warning signs about Powell's behaviour before he 'hacked up' and killed his two sons, aged 5 and 7
Emergency dispatcher criticised for taking 8 minutes to alert police
Powell's mother reveals he tried to kill himself as a teenager and threatened her with a butcher knife
2009 disappearance of Powell's wife changed from a missing person case to a homicide investigation
Images depicting 'incestuous' sex were discovered on a computer in Josh Powell's home two years before he this week killed himself and his two young sons in a house fire.
Police in Washington state last night revealed that Utah authorities found the material so unsettling that they prompted a psychologist to recommend Powell undergo an intensive psychosexual evaluation.
A lawyer for Powell's in-laws, who had custody of Charlie, seven, and Braden, five, said Sunday's tragedy might have been averted had he seen the computer-generated images before a custody hearing last week.
Powell locked a social worker out of his house in Puyallup, Washington, during a supervised visit with his sons. He attacked both boys with a hatchet and then killed them and himself in a gas explosion.
Detective Ed Troyer said the images collected by investigators from Powell's home computer in Utah two years ago were realistic computer-generated depictions of 'incestuous' parent-child relations.
He said: 'It's family-oriented in nature. It is incestuous.'
Detective Troyer said the images could not be legally defined as pornography because they do not involve real people.
Attorney Steve Downing, who should have been one of a few people allowed to see the 'incestuous' images, last night said he would have asked a custody court to change the terms of Powell's supervised visitation with the boys had he known of the material's existence.
Mr Downing said he might have asked for the visits to be in a public place.
Instead, he only saw the images for the first time yesterday, four days after the boys were killed.
Mr Downing said: 'That would have absolutely given me the opportunity to submit a declaration about our deep concern. I was approved... to view those pictures and I was never notified.
'I could have gone into all the reasons why the visitation could have or should have been restricted.'
Detective Troyer said the judge in last week's custody hearing was informed of the images at the proceeding.
The latest developments come after social worker Elizabeth Griffin Hall revealed Powell told his eldest son he had a 'surprise' for him moments before attacking the children.
Ms Hall told ABC News that Powell slammed the door on her after he had the children inside. She said she frantically banged on the door to try to get in.
She then heard Powell tell seven-year-old Charlie: 'I've got a big surprise for you.'
She also heard Braden, five, crying before Powell set the house on fire killing them all.
On Sunday, the social worker had picked the boys up from their maternal grandparents’ home and driven them to their father’s house outside Puyallup, about 35 miles from Seattle.
Powell lost custody of the boys last year, after his father Steve Powell, with whom they then lived, was arrested in a child pornography and voyeurism investigation.
Powell had also been named as a person of interest in the 2009 disappearance of his wife in Utah.
Since Sunday’s explosion, the case into Susan Powell's disappearance has changed from a missing person case to a homicide investigation.
Powell maintained he had taken his boys - then two and four - on a midnight camping trip in freezing temperatures when she disappeared from their home.
It has also been revealed that when Powell was a teenager, he threatened his mother with a butcher knife and tried to kill himself.
In court papers from 1992, Terrica Powell wrote: 'I felt extreme fear when Josh made a veiled threat at me with a butcher knife in his hand.
'His demeanour was menacing for a moment as he said, "Don't push it, mom,"… I was terrified and left the room to go downstairs.'Investigators are pouring over his prior court filings and personal history, as well as the recorded emergency tapes, for clues of whether or not the murder-suicide could have been prevented.
The recordings showed that the man who took the 911 call engaged in nearly seven minutes of questioning that ended with him saying he didn't know how long it would be before deputies could arrive, which was too late as Powell had already torched the home, killing himself and the two boys.
The call logs show that nearly eight minutes elapsed between when a social worker called 911 to report that Josh Powell's children were in danger and when sheriff's deputies were dispatched.
The priority of the dispatch on Sunday was ‘routine’ instead of ‘emergency,’ which cost several minutes of response time, and when the deputies arrived 14 minutes later, there was nothing they could do.
[...]
‘We have to respond to emergency life-threatening situations first,’ he said.
Detective Troyer said: ‘I see two problems - the delay in the dispatch, and they dispatch it as a routine call.
‘Had our guy been going priority, and had they dispatched it in the first three minutes, we probably could have shaved ten minutes off our response - but there's no way we get there in time.’
The logs show that the social worker called 911 from her cellphone at 12.08pm, but it took her until two minutes into the call to find the address of the house.
Home News U.S. Sport TV&Showbiz Femail Health Science Money RightMinds Coffee Break Travel Columnists News Home Arts Headlines Pictures Most read News Board My Profile Logout Login Find a Job M&S Wine Our Papers Feedback My Stories Saturday, Feb 11 2012 12AM 0°C 3AM -1°C 5-Day Forecast Images of 'incestuous' sex found on computer in crazed father Josh Powell's house two years before he killed his sons in murder-suicide explosion
Lawyer for Powell's in-laws claims tragedy could have been averted if he had known of images before custody hearing last week
Social worker frantically tried to get into house as she heard boys crying
Investigation continues into warning signs about Powell's behaviour before he 'hacked up' and killed his two sons, aged 5 and 7
Emergency dispatcher criticised for taking 8 minutes to alert police
Powell's mother reveals he tried to kill himself as a teenager and threatened her with a butcher knife
2009 disappearance of Powell's wife changed from a missing person case to a homicide investigation
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:18 PM on 10th February 2012
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Images depicting 'incestuous' sex were discovered on a computer in Josh Powell's home two years before he this week killed himself and his two young sons in a house fire.
Police in Washington state last night revealed that Utah authorities found the material so unsettling that they prompted a psychologist to recommend Powell undergo an intensive psychosexual evaluation.
A lawyer for Powell's in-laws, who had custody of Charlie, seven, and Braden, five, said Sunday's tragedy might have been averted had he seen the computer-generated images before a custody hearing last week.
Powell locked a social worker out of his house in Puyallup, Washington, during a supervised visit with his sons. He attacked both boys with a hatchet and then killed them and himself in a gas explosion.
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Tragedy: Images depicting 'incestuous' sex were discovered on a computer in Josh Powell's home two years before he this week killed himself and his two young sons in a house fire
Powell ushered his boys in the house and blocked the social worker from entering. She then called her supervisor saying she smelled gas, and moments later the house went up in a fiery blaze
Detective Ed Troyer said the images collected by investigators from Powell's home computer in Utah two years ago were realistic computer-generated depictions of 'incestuous' parent-child relations.
He said: 'It's family-oriented in nature. It is incestuous.'
Detective Troyer said the images could not be legally defined as pornography because they do not involve real people.
More...Josh Powell's father 'knows how Susan vanished' say police after father blew himself up with children
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Attorney Steve Downing, who should have been one of a few people allowed to see the 'incestuous' images, last night said he would have asked a custody court to change the terms of Powell's supervised visitation with the boys had he known of the material's existence.
Mr Downing said he might have asked for the visits to be in a public place.
Instead, he only saw the images for the first time yesterday, four days after the boys were killed.
Horrific: The social worker called 911 twice in the minutes before the explosion, but emergency workers were hesitant to respond to the call because it was not immediately life-threatening
Frantic: Social worker Elizabeth Griffin Hall pounded on the door and called emergency services after Powell took his sons inside and locked her out. Minutes later the house exploded
Mr Downing said: 'That would have absolutely given me the opportunity to submit a declaration about our deep concern. I was approved... to view those pictures and I was never notified.
'I could have gone into all the reasons why the visitation could have or should have been restricted.'
Detective Troyer said the judge in last week's custody hearing was informed of the images at the proceeding.
The latest developments come after social worker Elizabeth Griffin Hall revealed Powell told his eldest son he had a 'surprise' for him moments before attacking the children.
Ms Hall told ABC News that Powell slammed the door on her after he had the children inside. She said she frantically banged on the door to try to get in.
Under investigation: Powell had been named as a person of interest in the 2009 disappearance of his wife. Since Sunday's explosion, the case into Susan Powell's disappearance has changed from a missing person case to a homicide inquiry
Family: Susan is seen with Josh and older son Charlie shortly after Braden was born
She then heard Powell tell seven-year-old Charlie: 'I've got a big surprise for you.'
She also heard Braden, five, crying before Powell set the house on fire killing them all.
On Sunday, the social worker had picked the boys up from their maternal grandparents’ home and driven them to their father’s house outside Puyallup, about 35 miles from Seattle.
Powell lost custody of the boys last year, after his father Steve Powell, with whom they then lived, was arrested in a child pornography and voyeurism investigation.
Powell had also been named as a person of interest in the 2009 disappearance of his wife in Utah.
Since Sunday’s explosion, the case into Susan Powell's disappearance has changed from a missing person case to a homicide investigation.
Powell maintained he had taken his boys - then two and four - on a midnight camping trip in freezing temperatures when she disappeared from their home.
SOCIAL WORKER'S FIRST 911 CALL
Elizabeth Griffin-Hall: I’m on a supervised visitation for a court-ordered visit and something, really weird has happened. The kids went in the house and the biological parent, Josh Powell, will not let me in the door. What should I do?
Dispatcher: What’s the address?
Griffin-Hall: 8119 and I think it’s 89th, I don’t know what the address is, let me get in the car nothing like this has happened like this before. I’m really shocked, and I could hear one of the kids crying, and he still won’t let me in... You can’t find me by GPS?
Dispatcher: No.
Griffin-Hall: OK, it is... I still can’t find it. He’s on a very short leash with DHSH, he looked right at me and closed the door. It’s 8119 189th Street Court East Puyallup. I’d like to pull out of the driveway because I smell gasoline, and he won’t let me in.
Dispatcher: He won’t let you out of the driveway?
Griffin-Hall: He won’t let me in the house.
Dispatcher: Whose house is it?
Griffin-Hall: Josh Powell.
Dispatcher: You don’t live there?
Griffin-Hall: No, I’m contracted by the state to provide supervised visitation... He’s the husband of Susan Powell, this is a high-profile case. I was one step in back of them.
Dispatcher: So they went in the house and locked you out?
Griffin-Hall: Yes, he shut the door in my face.
Dispatcher: What is your name?
Griffin-Hall: My name is Elizabeth Griffin-Hall.
Dispatcher: What agency are you with?
Griffin-Hall: Foster Care Resource Network, and the kids have been in there by now approximately ten minutes, and he knows it’s a supervised visit.
Dispatcher: And the dad’s last name?
Griffin-Hall: Powell.
Dispatcher: And his first name?
Griffin-Hall: His first name is Josh.
Dispatcher: Is he alone, or was anyone with him?
Griffin-Hall: I don’t know, I couldn’t get in the house.
Dispatcher: Are you in a vehicle now?
Griffin-Hall: I’m in a 2010 Prius... He won’t let me in. I rang the doorbell and everything. I begged him to let me in.
Dispatcher: Elizabeth, please listen to my questions. What colour is the Toyota Prius?
Griffin-Hall: Gray, dark gray.
Dispatcher: OK, we’ll have someone look for you there.
Griffin-Hall: Do you know how long it will be?
Dispatcher: They have to respond to emergencies, life-threatening situations first.
Griffin-Hall: This could be life-threatening. He was in court on Wednesday and he didn’t get his kids back and this is really... I’m afraid for their lives.
Dispatcher: Has he threatened the lives of the children previously?
Griffin-Hall: I have no idea.
Dispatcher: OK we’ll have the first available deputy contact you.
Griffin-Hall: Thank you.
THE SECOND 911 CALL
Dispatcher: Hello. Were you calling about the fire on 189th street?
Griffin-Hall: Yes, he exploded the house. He exploded the house.
Dispatcher: Ma’am, do you know the exact address?
Griffin-Hall: It’s 8119 189th Court East in Puyallup.
Dispatcher: What are you calling about?
Griffin-Hall: It exploded, the house.
Dispatcher: Do you know where you are?
Griffin-Hall: 8119 189th Street Court East in Puyallup.
Dispatcher: Do you know if there’s anyone in the house?
Griffin-Hall: Yes, there was a man and two children. I just dropped off the children and he wouldn’t let me in the door.
Dispatcher: Stay on the line with me. I’m going to get the fire department. Hang on. Don’t hang up. Stay on the phone here with me ma’am. Fire this is Rose. I’m transferring the lady who has the exact address.
Griffin-Hall: I can hear the fire trucks, but they’re not here yet. It’s 8119.
Dispatcher: We have an engine there.
Griffin-Hall: People are saying there is not somebody here, but there’s a couple of boys, 5 and 7, he has supervised visitation and he blew up the house and the kids.
Dispatcher: The kids and the father were in the house?
Griffin-Hall: Yes, he slammed the door in my face so I kept knocking. I thought it was a mistake, I kept knocking and then I called 911.
Dispatcher: You saw him go back in the house?
Griffin-Hall: He didn’t ever leave the house, he just opened the door, the kids were one step ahead of me, they are 5 and 7, they were one step ahead of me and he slammed the door in my face.
Dispatcher: Do you think he might have done this intentionally?
Griffin-Hall: Yes.
Dispatcher: County, go ahead with what you need.
Dispatcher: What is your name, ma’am?
Griffin-Hall: I’m Elizabeth Griffin-Hall, I’m the supervisor visitation (incoherent noises and crying).
Dispatcher: What is your last name?
Griffin-Hall calmly spells it.
Dispatcher: Where are you at right now?
Griffin-Hall: I’m at 8112 on the same court.
Dispatcher: So you are at 8112 189th Street Court East.
Griffin-Hall: Yes.
Dispatcher: Are you in the car?
Griffin-Hall: I was in it I’m standing outside it right now.
Dispatcher: Is that your home address?
Griffin-Hall: No, I’m the supervised visitation coordinator.
Dispatcher: What is the person’s name?
Griffin-Hall: His name is Josh Powell. Just a minute the sheriff is here.
Dispatcher: Go ahead and talk to the officer, ma’am.
It has also been revealed that when Powell was a teenager, he threatened his mother with a butcher knife and tried to kill himself.
In court papers from 1992, Terrica Powell wrote: 'I felt extreme fear when Josh made a veiled threat at me with a butcher knife in his hand.
'His demeanour was menacing for a moment as he said, "Don't push it, mom,"… I was terrified and left the room to go downstairs.'
Investigators are pouring over his prior court filings and personal history, as well as the recorded emergency tapes, for clues of whether or not the murder-suicide could have been prevented.
The recordings showed that the man who took the 911 call engaged in nearly seven minutes of questioning that ended with him saying he didn't know how long it would be before deputies could arrive, which was too late as Powell had already torched the home, killing himself and the two boys.
The call logs show that nearly eight minutes elapsed between when a social worker called 911 to report that Josh Powell's children were in danger and when sheriff's deputies were dispatched.
Josh Powell ushered his boys in the house and blocked the social worker from entering. She then called her supervisor saying she smelled gas, and moments later the house went up in a fiery blaze
Unexpected: The children were at the home for a court-ordered supervised visit with their father, and there had been a number of visits before that had happened without incident
The priority of the dispatch on Sunday was ‘routine’ instead of ‘emergency,’ which cost several minutes of response time, and when the deputies arrived 14 minutes later, there was nothing they could do.
In the call, the social worker detailed how Powell had locked her out of his house during what was supposed to be a supervised visit with his sons, that she could smell gas, and that she feared for their lives.
‘We have to respond to emergency life-threatening situations first,’ he said.
Detective Troyer said: ‘I see two problems - the delay in the dispatch, and they dispatch it as a routine call.
‘Had our guy been going priority, and had they dispatched it in the first three minutes, we probably could have shaved ten minutes off our response - but there's no way we get there in time.’
The logs show that the social worker called 911 from her cellphone at 12.08pm, but it took her until two minutes into the call to find the address of the house.
Killed: Charlie (left) and Braden (right, shown in a toy car) Powell were hacked nearly to death by their father with a hatchet, but the investigators say that they didn't die until the fire took over the house
A presence: Braden (left) and Charlie (right) stand in front of a memorial picture of their mother Susan, who disappeared in December 2009, while staying at their grandparents house
Susan Powell went missing in 2009, and recently her son was saying that she was in the trunk of the car on the night before she disappeared
Three minutes after that, the man who took her call transferred the information to a dispatcher, who alerted two deputies about two-and-a-half minutes later, at 12.16pm.
But at precisely that time, calls began pouring in to report explosions at the house about 35 miles south of Seattle - apparently from the fire blowing out windows.
The first deputy arrived at 12.30pm to find the home engulfed in flames.
Detective Troyer said the sheriff's office was disappointed that the initial call-taker left the impression that help wasn't immediately on the way: 'Are we unhappy with the etiquette and the manner? Yes.'
He said he hoped the call centre will ensure the same mistakes never happen again.
Powell's sister, Alina Powell, called 911 about five minutes later to say she received emails from her brother explaining what to do with his property and saying he couldn't live without his sons.
She told a dispatcher she feared her brother was going to do something because of pressure he faced after his wife's disappearance.
‘I'm terrified to drive over there,’ she said, sobbing. ‘I'm not afraid of him. He's never hurt me. I'm afraid of seeing something I don't want to see
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