Josh Powell's House Was Part of His Ruse: Detectives

He just staged it to seem like he was living there
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 15, 2012 9:26 AM CST
Josh Powell's House Was Part of His Ruse: Detectives
A Pierce County Sheriff's deputy and Graham Firefighters work around the smoldering remains of a house near Fredrickson, Wash., Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012.   (AP Photo/The News Tribune, Peter Haley)

More twisted revelations in the case of Josh Powell and his murdered boys: Detectives addressing residents in the neighborhood where Powell blew up his house explained that the home was actually part of Powell's ruse. After losing custody of Charlie, 7, and Braden, 5, Powell was told he would need to move out of his father's home (which contained child porn). And so he rented the house on a cul-de-sac and moved in—or did he?

Neighbors assumed the house was abandoned, and say they never saw Powell or the boys there, reports the News Tribune. The detectives say that's because they now believe that Powell staged the house as a fake home where supervised visits could occur. "He set it up like a rental place, with pictures of the family," explained one. "I think it was staged so when CPS (Child Protective Services) came, it would look like a loving family." They think that he hatched his plan after he was denied custody on Feb. 1. In other developments, police have recovered papers Powell dumped the day before he blew up the house. (More Josh Powell stories.)

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