COLD PODCAST

Remembering Susan Powell’s Sons Seven Years After Their Murder

Feb 7, 2019, 1:51 PM | Updated: 3:42 pm

PUYALLUP, Wash. – In a story filled with twists and turns, it was the turn no one saw coming. Josh Powell, who had recently lost custody of his two sons, Charlie (7) and Braden (5), set his home on fire killing himself and the boys.

It happened February 5, 2012 just minutes after the boys had arrived with a social worker for a supervised visit with their dad. As Charlie and Braden ran ahead of Elizabeth Hall, she says Josh opened the door for the kids and then slammed the door in her face, locking her out of the home.

Hall called 911 but before police could arrive the house burst into flames. Firefighters would later find the bodies just feet inside the front door.

To some, it felt like a tragedy, but not to Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor.

“This was the murder of two little children. Let’s not dress it up. Let’s call it what it is,” he said at the time. “This was something evil. This was something completely wrong.”

Susan Powell’s father, Chuck Cox, who had been given custody of the boys only days before, was in church services when he got the news. He drove to the home to see for himself if the reports were true.

“There was smoke coming out of it and then I knew what they would be looking at,” Cox said. “I knew what the first responders were looking at. I knew the situation. I had just been to an aircraft accident probably about 8 months earlier where it hit and house and it was not fun going to that site. And I really didn’t want to see the site where my grandchildren were either.”

In the seven years since, Cox has looked back on that day and wondered what he could have done differently that would have saved the boys from their father’s actions.

“There was nothing, really, I could think that I could have done differently,” he told Cold podcast host Dave Cawley, “Short of breaking the law and taking the boys and running somewhere.”

A judge had ordered Josh Powell be granted supervised visitation rights with his sons. Eventually, the Coxes filed suit against the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services for its handling of the boys’ case. That lawsuit, originally thrown out by a lower court, was reinstated by an appeals court in early 2019 and is moving forward.

Today, Charlie and Braden Powell would be 14 and 12 years old.

You can hear more about the legal proceedings that led up to the day the boys were killed in this week’s episode of Cold, available now wherever you get podcasts, at Thecoldpodcast.com or on the KSLTV app.

 

KSL 5 TV Live

COLD Podcast

law enforcement gathered around a possible mountain gravesite in brush on a mountain top...

Dan Rascon, Andrew Adams, and Mary Culbertson, KSL TV

No human remains found in possible burial site in 1985 cold case

Wednesday was a day of optimism and hope in a nearly 40-year-old murder mystery case of a woman from Roy, Utah.

3 months ago

law enforcement gathered around a possible mountain gravesite in brush on a mountain top...

Dave Cawley, KSL TV

Police to investigate possible mountain gravesite in 1985 cold case

Police confirmed to KSL5 they plan to excavate a possible gravesite in the mountains near Causey Reservoir on Wednesday in connection with a 1985 cold case.

3 months ago

News paper clippings of  Nancy Perry Baird's murder. (KSLTV)...

Dave Cawley and Keira Fairmont

Blamed on Bundy: COLD podcast challenges popular theory in Nancy Baird cold case

The unsolved 1975 disappearance of Nancy Baird from East Layton, Utah has long been attributed to serial killer Ted Bundy. KSL’S COLD podcast gained exclusive access to case files that point toward other more probable suspects.

7 months ago

FILE: Chuck and Judy Cox. (Pat Reavy/KSL)...

Josh Ellis and Dave Cawley

Appeals court reinstates $98M verdict awarded to Susan Cox Powell’s parents

The $98.5 million verdict a jury awarded to the parents of Susan Cox Powell in 2020 has been reinstated by a Washington appeals court.

8 months ago

...

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.

9 months 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.

9 months ago

Sponsored Articles

Stylish room interior with beautiful Christmas tree and decorative fireplace...

Lighting Design

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

Battery low message on mobile device screen. Internet and technology concept...

PC Laptops

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

Users display warnings about the use of artificial intelligence (AI), access to malicious software ...

Les Olson

How to Stay Safe from Cybersecurity Threats

Read our tips for reading for how to respond to rising cybersecurity threats in 2023 and beyond to keep yourself and your company safe.

Design mockup half in white and half in color of luxury house interior with open plan living room a...

Lighting Design

Lighting Design 101: Learn the Basics

These lighting design basics will help you when designing your home, so you can meet both practical and aesthetic needs.

an antler with large horns int he wilderness...

Three Bear Lodge

Yellowstone in the Fall: A Wildlife Spectacle Worth Witnessing

While most people travel to this park in the summer, late fall in Yellowstone provides a wealth of highlights to make a memorable experience.

a diverse group of students raising their hands in a classroom...

Little Orchard Preschool

6 Benefits of Preschool for Kids

Some of the benefits of preschool for kids include developing independence, curiosity, and learning more about the world.

Remembering Susan Powell’s Sons Seven Years After Their Murder