Steven Powell
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Steven Powell was a convicted sex offender who first came to the public eye after becoming entangled in the disappearance of his daughter-in-law, Susan Powell, which his son Josh Powell was under investigation for being involved in. Later investigations implied that Steven had a hand in it too.
Biography edit
Steven was reportedly physically and sexually abusive to Josh as a child. According to divorce filings by his ex-wife Terrica in 1992, Steven shared pornography with Joshua and his two male siblings, and refused to teach or enforce limits on certain behaviors.
For a brief period following their wedding, Joshua and Susan lived at Steven Powell's home in South Hill, Washington. Initially unbeknownst to Susan, her father-in-law Steven had developed an obsessive infatuation with her, which was only inflamed by their close proximity. Steven followed Susan around the house with a camcorder, used a small mirror to spy on her while she used the bathroom, stole her underwear from her laundry, read her adult journals, and even posted love songs online under a pseudonym. In 2003, Steven confessed his amorous feelings to a stunned Susan, who rejected him; the encounter was inadvertently captured by Steven's camcorder microphone. The Powells moved out-of-state soon after, partly so Susan could distance herself from Steven.
On September 22, 2011, Steven was arrested on charges of voyeurism and child pornography after police found evidence that he had secretly videotaped numerous women and young girls, including Susan. John Long, assistant Attorney General for Washington State, said that Joshua was a "subject" in the child pornography investigation. A friend of Steven claimed that he was preoccupied with pornography and "was hung up on [Susan] sexually". Chuck Cox filed for custody of Susan's children the day after Steven was arrested. A Washington court eventually granted Cox temporary custody of the boys, ruling that Joshua would have to move out of Steven's home if he wanted to regain custody. Joshua rented a house in South Hill, Washington, but authorities later alleged that he had never actually moved into that house, merely making it appear as if he had satisfied the court's instructions while continuing to reside at Steven's home.
Steven Powell was released from prison on July 11, 2017, after serving a total of seven years following his voyeurism and child pornography convictions. Steven died of natural causes on Monday, July 23, 2018 in Tacoma, Washington.