169: A MONSTER Husband: WORSE Than Chris Watts?

Susan and Josh Powell's marriage, which began with a whirlwind romance after meeting at a Latter-day Saints (LDS) church event, was overshadowed by troubling family dynamics and toxic influences.

Susan and Josh Powell had a whirlwind romance after meeting at an LDS church event, but their marriage was plagued by disturbing family dynamics and toxic influences.

Susan grew up in a relatively normal household, while Josh's upbringing was marked by a tumultuous divorce between his parents, combined with allegations of violence, pornography, polygamy, and troubling views about women. As an adolescent, Josh Powell exhibited deeply troubling behaviors. He once threatened his mother with a butcher knife, attempted suicide, killed his pet gerbils, and adopted disparaging views about women similar to those of his father.

Josh's father, Steve, developed a creepy obsession with Susan, stealing her underwear and secretly recording her, which made Susan extremely uncomfortable and strained her relationship with Josh.

After Josh and Susan were married, they moved in with Josh's father, Steve, in South Hill, Washington. During this time, Steve developed an eerie and obsessive infatuation with Susan. His inappropriate behavior escalated as he stole Susan's underwear, used her personal hygiene items for sexual gratification, and secretly recorded her, often zooming in on her during family recordings. Steve even installed hidden cameras to capture illicit footage of Susan and kept detailed journals and video journals of his fantasies about her. Detectives later described Steve Powell as narcissistic, self-absorbed, and delusional about Susan's feelings for him. Videos unveil Steve's lecherous behaviors, such as sniffing Susan's underwear and documenting his romantic obsession.

Despite Susan's confessions to Josh about his father's unsettling behavior, Josh appeared indifferent and failed to intervene or address his father's harassment towards Susan.

Despite the concerning family background, Susan and Josh initially enjoyed a happy marriage, having two young sons, Charlie and Brayden, and settling in Utah.

Susan Powell was the primary provider for the family, working full time, while Josh struggled to find and keep steady employment. He asserted control over the family finances to an excessive degree, instituting strict budgeting practices that required Susan to maintain detailed records of her spending. Josh's financial behaviors included forcing Susan to adhere to stringent budgets, scrutinizing each purchase, and causing ...

The disappearance of Susan Powell under mysterious circumstances on December 6, 2009, has triggered an investigation that scrutinizes her husband Josh Powell's dubious actions and inconsistencies in his narrative of events.

On the night of December 6, 2009, Josh took the boys on a last-minute camping trip in the middle of the night during a snowstorm, leaving Susan at home.

Josh Powell claimed to have taken his sons on a last-minute camping trip during a blizzard, a decision that was seen as highly unusual because of the weather and the peculiar choice to leave his wife Susan at home. When questioned by the police, Josh provided vague and inconsistent details about the camping trip. He was unclear about his route, the exact location of the campsite, and the activities they undertook.

Police found concerning evidence in the home, including a wet spot on the carpet, Susan's missing cell phone, and a large quantity of camping and cleaning supplies in Josh's van.

After the police entered the Powell residence following Susan's disappearance, they discovered a wet spot on the carpet with two fans aimed at it, a metal crowbar, a circular saw, shovels, tarps, cans of gasoline, a box of plastic gloves, and other camping equipment and supplies in Josh's van, most of which appeared unused. Susan's cell phone was found in the van without its SIM card, and a bit of blood was found on a tile floor in the home, confirmed to be Susan's.

Despite these alarming findings and being the primary suspect, Josh remained uncooperative and evasive during police interviews, which further heightened suspicions of his involvement in Susan's disappearance.

Susan had documented her marital issues and concerns about Josh in a personal journal and video recordings, providing potential evidence against him.

Investigators found Susan's "last will and testament" in a safety deposit box where she indicated marital strife and distrust towards Josh, even mentioning that her death might not be accidental. She also had told a coworker that if something happened to her, Josh should be looked at.

Investigators discovered that Josh had made suspicious statements in the past about how to dispose of a body and had taken out significant life insurance policies on Susan.

Moreover, it was discovered t ...

The disappearance of Susan Powell led to a grim custody battle over her children, Charlie and Brayden, involving disturbing behaviors and allegations.

After Susan's disappearance, Josh's father, Steve, and brother, Michael, engaged in a smear campaign against Susan's family, making false allegations and publishing her private information online.

Josh Powell and his father Steve used the website susanpowell.org, which appeared to be a resource for search updates, to assert that Susan's family was smearing Josh in the media. They claimed, without evidence, that this was an attempt to cover up alleged abuse by Susan's family against her. Steve Powell claimed Susan had run away to Brazil with a man named Steve Koecker, despite Susan not knowing him. Steve further planned to reveal Susan's teenage journals online, insinuating they would substantiate his claims, although there was no evidence to support any of these narratives. During this period, Michael Powell created a slanderous website shaming the West Valley City Police Department and Susan's parents, accusing them of being a danger to his nephews.

The Powell family's attempts to paint Susan as unstable or a runaway were widely rejected, as there was no evidence to support their claims.

Despite the Powell family's claims on the website and in media appearances, these were widely rejected due to a total lack of evidence. After Steve Powell's arrest, some members of the Powell family claimed to the media that it was a setup by Susan's family.

The custody battle over Charlie and Brayden revealed deeply concerning behaviors from the children, including disturbing comments about religion, Mormons, and allegations of abuse.

During supervised visits, the social worker observed Charlie and Brayden expressing harsh comments about religion and Mormons, indicating a clear influence from their father, Josh. Charlie told the social worker that Mormons were trying to kidnap him and that his grandparents were abusing him and his father. Susan's father, Chuck, also reported disturbing behaviors from the boys, such as wanting to sleep naked and making unsettling sexual comments—a behavior they claimed their father allowed.

Charlie and Brayden's statements and actions, such as expressing a desire to kill other children, drew the attention of counselors and social workers, indicating the boys had been heavily influenced by Josh and his family.

The boys had made troubling statements and exhibited behaviors that drew the attention of co ...

The final chapter in the Powell family's story unfolded on February 5, 2012, when a court-ordered supervised visit ended in tragedy.

On February 5, 2012, during a court-ordered supervised visit, Josh locked the social worker out of the house and then blew up the home, killing himself and his two sons.

Josh Powell allowed his sons, Charlie and Brayden, into his new house but then locked the social worker out, mentioning he had a surprise for them. The social worker, smelling gasoline and concerned for safety, called emergency services and reported Josh Powell's refusal to let her in during the supervised visitation. She highlighted the high-profile nature of the case, given Josh was the husband of the missing Susan Powell. During the call, there was a perception of a life-threatening scenario as the social worker inquired about the response time for emergency assistance.

The house exploded, and the bodies of Charlie, Brayden, and Josh were found inside the home after the fire.

The medical examiner determined that Josh had used a hatchet to inflict "chop-like wounds" on the boys before the explosion, indicating a premeditated and horrific act.

A medical examiner later determined that before the fire, Josh had inflicted chop-like wounds on the boys' heads and necks with a hatchet. The causes of death for Josh, Charlie, and Brayden were eventually confirmed as carbon monoxide poisoning.

Josh had been planning the tragic event, having purchased large amounts of gasoline and making other arrangements in the days leading up to the visit.

Evidence later revealed that Josh had been planning the explosion. He sent an email ten minutes before, stating he could not live without his sons and could not go on. He had doused the house with ten gallons of gasoline, given away the boys' toys, and resolved his financial affairs.

The deaths of Charlie, Brayden, and Josh were a devastating conclusion to the case, leaving Susan's family and the community in shock and heartbreak.

The deaths of Charlie, Brayden, and Josh were a devastating culmination of events that shocked and grieved their family and the community.

Susan's parents sued the state for negligence in the ...