Mike Baker

Susan Powell looms over Wash. voyeurism conviction

Judge Ronald E. Culpepper reads the verdict in the trial of Steve Powell, Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in Tacoma, Wash. A jury convicted Powell on all 14 charges in a voyeurism case that stemmed from an investigation into the 2009 disappearance of his daughter-in-law Susan Powell, a Utah mother of two who has never been found. (AP Photo/The Salt Lake Tribune, Steve Grffin) DESERET NEWS OUT; LOCAL TV OUT; MAGS OUT(Credit: AP)

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Inside the jury room, the case had nothing to do with Susan Powell. Outside, it was all about her.

Family members of the missing Utah mother cheered a verdict Wednesday convicting her father-in-law of 14 voyeurism charges. Susan Powell’s parents have long believed that Steve Powell knows something about her 2009 disappearance.

Her father, Chuck Cox, hoped a looming prison term would push Steve Powell to speak up.

“It kicks another crutch away from him,” Cox said. “The main question is: Where is Susan? Now, perhaps he’ll answer it.”

The trial itself largely ignored Susan Powell, even though the images used as the basis of charges were found in Steve Powell’s home during the missing-persons investigation.

Authorities said they found images indicating Steve Powell had an obsession with his daughter-in-law, though they focused the voyeurism case on photos of two young girls who lived next door to him.

Prosecutors said the files show the young girls in a bathroom as they bathed and used the toilet. The girls, identified in court only by their initials, were about 8 and 10 when the images were captured. They testified they had no idea they were being photographed.

Dodd Tremaine, a Tacoma truck driver who served as the presiding juror, said after the verdict that the images in the case were disturbing. He also said jurors were aware of the Susan Powell investigation, but he said it played no role in their decision.

“We eliminated that right from the beginning,” Tremaine said. “We never even discussed it.”

Authorities long focused on Susan Powell’s husband, Josh, during the investigation into her disappearance, but he killed himself and the couple’s two young children earlier this year. Investigators have said Steve Powell has been uncooperative during the probe, though they do not consider him a suspect in that case.

Steve Powell’s daughter, Alina Powell, attended the trial in support of her father and took diligent notes throughout. On Wednesday, she remained in the courtroom long after the verdict was read, at times crying.

“My family was automatically convicted two and a half years ago,” Alina Powell said, referring to when Susan Powell disappeared.

Alina Powell said she has mourned the loss of family members — both to death and separation — in what has been an “unimaginably complicated and difficult situation that even I have a hard time understanding.”

During closing arguments Tuesday, Pierce County prosecutor Grant Blinn methodically showed photos of the young girls to the jury while saying Steve Powell captured the images from his bedroom window. He accused Steve Powell of “lurking in the shadows” to leer at the children.

Defense attorneys had argued there were too many uncertainties in the evidence to convict. Lawyer Travis Currie repeatedly emphasized the standard of “reasonable doubt” during closing arguments, raising the prospect that others could have captured the images.

Tremaine, the jury foreman, said the argument affected jurors, who grappled with the issue during deliberations.

They asked a question early in the process Tuesday about whether a disc that contained the images was found in boxes holding only items belonging to Steve Powell. They then asked to view the disc to get clarity on two of the counts.

On Wednesday, jurors asked a question about exhibits used by the prosecution, indicating they felt that images in one of the exhibits didn’t meet the reasonable doubt requirement.

Prosecutors said they don’t plan to seek information on the Susan Powell case as part of a trade to reduce Steve Powell’s sentence. He faces a standard sentence of around four years, but the state has alleged aggravating factors that could result in a longer term.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 15.

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Associated Press writer Mike Baker can be reached on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/HiPpEV

Jury has questions in Steve Powell voyeurism trial

Steve Powell, left, talks with his attorney, Mark Quigley, as they wait for the start of closing arguments in Powell's voyeurism trial, Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in Tacoma, Wash. Powell is the father-in-law of missing Utah mother Susan Powell, who disappeared nearly three years ago in Utah. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)(Credit: AP)

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Shortly after beginning deliberations, jurors in the voyeurism case against the father-in-law of a missing Utah mother asked the judge whether all the items found in boxes in Steve Powell’s bedroom were his.

The question followed closing arguments in which a prosecutor said Powell lurked in the shadows of his bedroom to capture nude images of young girls who lived next door.

Prosecutors say the images and others used as a basis for the charges were found on a disc in Powell’s bedroom.

A defense attorney countered that there was reasonable doubt as to whether Powell took the images.

Jurors indicated they may have been considering reasonable doubt when they sent their question to the judge Tuesday afternoon.

Defense attorneys had noted that authorities did not say whether Powell’s fingerprints were on the disc and said they never explored whether the bedroom door was locked. The judge told jurors that he could not answer the question and told them to keep deliberating.

The jury later asked to review the disc.

Pierce County prosecutor Grant Blinn said earlier Tuesday that Powell was guilty of 14 counts of voyeurism. Blinn methodically showed photos of the young girls to the jury while saying Powell captured the images from his bedroom window.

“He was sitting there, lurking in the shadows, leering at the girls,” Blinn said.

The files show the young girls in a bathroom as they bathed and used the toilet, authorities said. The girls, identified in court only by their initials, were about 8 and 10 years old when the images were captured. They testified they had no idea someone had been taking photos of them in the bathroom.

Defense attorney Travis Currie argued there were too many uncertainties in the evidence to convict. He questioned whether Powell was the one who actually captured the images, noting others lived in the home. He also wondered whether the images were used for sexual gratification.

“There are people who are nosy, who like to spy on their neighbors,” Currie said.

When talking about the burden of “reasonable doubt,” Currie reached as high as he could into the air, towering over the jury to emphasize how high of a bar that standard is.

Most jurors showed little emotion during the closing arguments, though a few looked away while the prosecutor showed the images of the young girls.

Like much of the trial, the closing arguments made no mention of Susan Powell, who disappeared in 2009, even though Steve Powell was arrested in the voyeurism case last year after authorities investigating her disappearance searched his home. Authorities have said Steve Powell’s image collection included many photos of Susan Powell.

Her husband, Josh, killed himself and the couple’s two young children in a house fire earlier this year.

Steve Powell faces a standard sentence of around four years if convicted, but the state has alleged aggravating factors that could result in a longer term.

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Steve Powell seeks to suppress voyeurism evidence

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The father-in-law of Susan Powell is seeking to suppress evidence used to charge him with voyeurism and possession of child pornography.

Steve Powell will appear in court Monday for a hearing on his motion. His attorney has argued that a search warrant used to collect files from his home last summer was illegal and that all evidence must be suppressed.

Authorities say they found thousands of images of females being videotaped without their knowledge, including Susan Powell. Some of the girls were as young as 8.

Steve Powell has pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled to begin in two weeks.

Utah investigators say they are still interested in speaking with Steve Powell about the disappearance of his daughter-in-law. They say he has been uncooperative in that investigation.

Co-worker: Steve Powell spoke of Utah camping trip

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A co-worker of Susan Powell’s father-in-law says Steve Powell traveled to Utah for a camping trip around the time Susan Powell disappeared.

Attorney Anne Bremner says she has spoken to the co-worker and reviewed the statement the colleague sent to authorities. In her account, the co-worker says Steve Powell talked about leaving around Thanksgiving 2009 for a camping trip in Utah with his son, Josh Powell.

The co-worker thought it was odd. Steve Powell spoke with her a week or two later and said it was cold but fun.

Susan Powell was last seen Dec. 6 of that year. Josh Powell had said that he took a late-night camping trip in Utah with his two boys on the night Susan Powell disappeared.

An attorney for Steve Powell did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Blood found at Utah home from man’s missing wife

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Court documents show that blood found at Josh Powell’s Utah home belonged to his wife, who has been missing since 2009.

The documents were unsealed in connection with a Washington state case against Josh Powell’s father, Steven Powell. Steven Powell was arrested last year and charged voyeurism and possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Josh Powell’s wife, Susan, vanished from their Utah home in December 2009. He was the only suspect in her presumed murder, but maintained his innocence. He killed himself and his sons in a fiery house blast earlier this year.

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said Friday that had the Susan Powell case happened in his jurisdiction, he would’ve charged Josh Powell with her murder.

Lawyer: Afghan suspect had depression after Iraq

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The U.S. soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians suffered a traumatic incident during his second tour in Iraq that triggered “tremendous depression,” his lawyer said Wednesday.

Lawyer John Henry Browne said he could not discuss the details of the matter because it remains classified. But he expects the issue to become a focal point in the case against Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales.

“It caused him tremendous depression and anxiety,” Browne said.

The lawyer previously said Bales experienced other major dangers in his deployments, including a serious foot injury and head trauma. In addition, a fellow soldier’s leg had been blown off days before the Afghanistan massacre, he said.

Bales was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and other crimes. He is being held at a U.S. military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

A defense team is now in Afghanistan to collect evidence and interview other U.S. soldiers who knew Bales.

“Everyone they’ve spoken to in the military has nothing but amazingly positive things to say about him,” said Browne, who is not part of the team in Afghanistan.

Due to security concerns, Browne doesn’t think the team will visit the villages where the killings occurred. The investigators are likely to stay in Afghanistan a few more weeks.

Browne questioned the U.S. government’s case against Bales, noting there is no preserved crime scene to assess.

“It’s going to be a difficult case for the prosecution to prove,” Browne said. “There’s no ‘CSI’ information. There’s no DNA that I know of. There’s no ballistics that I know of.”

Bales has indicated that he had no recollection of prescription drugs he may have been taking before the shooting — something the attorney took as an indicator of larger memory problems.

The lawyer also said his client has a sketchy memory of the night of the shootings. In a separate interview with The Washington Post, Browne said Wednesday that Bales remembered the smell of gunfire and of human bodies but not much more.

Browne added his client reported suffering from nightmares, flashbacks of war scenes and persistent headaches after his multiple combat tours. Bales told his legal team that he has long woken up with night sweats and often replays memories of a grisly scene in Iraq that he and his infantry company witnessed several years ago, Browne said.

The lawyer stressed that Bales did not confess and seemed surprised when his weapon was taken away, the newspaper reported.

U.S. military officials said Bales was drinking on a southern Afghanistan base on March 11 before creeping away to two villages at night, shooting his victims and setting many of them on fire. Nine were children.

Bales has had incidents involving alcohol and violence in the past.

In 2002, He was arrested for a drunken assault of a security guard at a Tacoma casino. That charge was dismissed after Bales completed 20 hours of anger management training.

In 2008, a couple accused an intoxicated Bales of grabbing a woman’s hand and thrusting it toward his crotch before kicking and punching the woman’s boyfriend, according to a police report. Prosecutors declined to pursue that case.

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Associated Press writer Mike Baker can be reached at http://twitter.com/MikeBakerAP

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