COLD PODCAST

COLD: Inside The Mind Of Steven Powell

Nov 21, 2018, 2:46 PM | Updated: Nov 28, 2018, 3:59 pm

On the outside, Steven Powell looked like any other proud dad. With a camcorder constantly in hand, he recorded his kids’ important moments. He filmed graduations and weddings, family trips and even everyday activities.

However, it’s what he also filmed that sent him to prison and revealed to detectives investigating Susan’s disappearance that he was deeply obsessed with his daughter-in-law.

“He was a voyeur,” Detective Gary Sanders with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office in Washington said to us as we sorted through evidence collected in a search of Steven’s home. “He just loved watching people. Women and stuff. Particularly Susan. He had that infatuation with her and he videotaped her when she was not knowing.”

Investigators knew something was off from the very beginning of their interaction with Steven Powell. Sanders told us the first time he interviewed Steven he was struck by where the conversation went.

“He starts talking about Susan and his electricity between them,” he said. “He just went off and not the normal ‘Oh yeah, my daughter-in-law went missing and I’m helping and I want to know where she is,’ and stuff like that. He went into his relationship with her. It went a totally different route.”

It would be years before police knew how deep his obsession really went.

After Susan disappeared, her husband, Josh, along with Steven, tried to sell the story that Susan was unstable, suicidal and likely ran off with another man. They both went on national TV, describing Susan as “flirtatious” and “sexual.”

Their proof, they said, was in Susan’s childhood journals, which Josh had taken with him when he moved into Steven’s house in Washington.

“That opened the door for us,” Sanders said, speaking of Josh and Steven’s plan to release Susan’s journal entries to the public. “Here they thought they were doing a great thing and publicly blasting Susan, but that gave us the piece that we needed. That gave us the search warrant that got us into the house.”

Police were able to collect those journals when they served that search warrant on Steven’s house looking for evidence in her disappearance.

They collected a lot more, too.

“There were 20-25 detectives there,” Sanders said, “and we all went, ‘Wow.'”

Locked inside filing cabinets in Steven’s bedroom, investigators found his stash of Susan’s things: her underwear, nail clippings, hygiene products and more. They found doctored photos of Susan and boxes and boxes of videotapes, labeled with things like “SP – Washing Face & Brushing Teeth” and “Susan on Stool – Pantyhose.”

For years, Steven took videos of Susan when she knew he was filming, and he took more when she didn’t. At family events, he repeatedly focused his lens on Susan’s body. He stalked her, hiding in parking lots and taking video of her through the windows of his van. He also took video of himself, watching his videos of Susan.

“He did a lot of looping where he’d play it over and over again, just for his own pleasure,” Sanders said.

It’s clear what may have started as a secret attraction turned into infatuation and eventually obsession. Through it all, Steven Powell tried to convince himself that she loved him back.

During our three-year investigation into the Susan Powell case files, we found one tape that could prove Steven’s allegations — that he and Susan were in love — were a lie.

A video tape that kept rolling after he thought he’d stopped it, Steven sat in his car with Susan and confessed his love for her. Her reaction says it all.

Subscribe to COLD to hear Susan’s response to her father-in-law and more.

KSL 5 TV Live

Top Stories

COLD Podcast

...
Dave Cawley, KSL TV

COLD podcast: Jacket could place missing woman Sheree Warren with suspect the night she disappeared

Ogden police found a gray suede jacket that potentially belonged to a woman who’d been missing for a year-and-a-half named Sheree Warren.
22 days ago
COLD Season 3 podcast....
Dave Cawley

COLD podcast: Witness undermines alibi in Sheree Warren cold case

In the days after Sheree Warren disappeared on Oct. 2, 1985, her boyfriend Cary Hartmann spoke to police and a private investigator about his actions and whereabouts on the night of the disappearance.
28 days ago
The Uinta 1 building at the Utah State Prison in Draper has traditionally housed maximum-security i...
Dave Cawley, KSL Podcasts

Last chance for a life out of max: How some Utah death penalty inmates made it to medium security

Utah's death penalty law remains on the books after lawmakers turned back an effort to abolish capital punishment this month. But those same lawmakers might be surprised to learn the Utah Department of Corrections has already dismantled its death row. Now, thanks to the KSL Investigators and the COLD podcast team, we know why.
1 year ago
FILE: A photo of Susan Powell surrounded by her sons....
Eliza Pace, KSL TV

Ten years since tragic deaths of Charlie and Braden Powell

Saturday marked the ten year anniversary of the tragic deaths of Charlie and Braden Powell, the sons of Susan and Josh Powell of West Valley, Utah. 
1 year ago
FILE: A photo of Susan Powell surrounded by her sons....
Eliza Pace, KSL TV

12th anniversary of Susan Powell disappearance

Monday, Dec. 6, 2021 marks twelve years since the disappearance of Susan Cox Powell. 
1 year ago
...
Dave Cawley, KSL Podcasts

Douglas Lovell Seeks To Reverse Second Death Sentence In Joyce Yost Murder

Cold-hearted con-man or reformed killer? KSL's Cold Podcast concludes with a look at Douglas Lovell's latest effort to reverse his death sentence and convince the courts he is a changed man.
2 years ago

Sponsored Articles

Stack of old laptops with dark background...
PC Laptops

Old Laptop Upgrades You Need to Try Before Throwing it Away

Get the most out of your investment. Try these old laptop upgrades before throwing it out to keep it running fast and efficient.
Happy diverse college or university students are having fun on their graduation day...
BYU MBA at the Marriott School of Business

How to Choose What MBA Program is Right for You: Take this Quiz Before You Apply!

Wondering what MBA program is right for you? Take this quiz before you apply to see if it will help you meet your goals.
Close up of an offset printing machine during production...
Les Olson IT

Top 7 Reasons to Add a Production Printer to Your Business

Learn about the different digital production printers and how they can help your company save time and money.
vintage photo of lighting showroom featuring chandeliers, lamps, wall lights and mirrors...
Lighting Design

History of Lighting Design | Over 25 Years of Providing Utah With the Latest Trends and Styles

Read about the history of Lighting Design, a family-owned and operated business that paved the way for the lighting industry in Utah.
Fiber Optical cables connected to an optic ports and Network cables connected to ethernet ports...
Brian Huston, CE and Anthony Perkins, BICSI

Why Every Business Needs a Structured Cabling System

A structured cabling system benefits businesses by giving you faster processing speeds and making your network more efficient and reliable.
notebook with password notes highlighted...
PC Laptops

How to Create Strong Passwords You Can Actually Remember

Learn how you can create strong passwords that are actually easy to remember! In a short time you can create new ones in seconds.
COLD: Inside The Mind Of Steven Powell