Steven Powell Loses Bid to Toss Child Porn Evidence
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Josh Powell. (KOMO/ABC News)(WASHINGTON) — A bid by Steven Powell to have evidence of child pornography and voyeurism dropped was denied Tuesday by a Washington court.
The father of Josh Powell and father-in-law of missing Utah mom Susan Cox Powell appeared in court, sitting just feet away from Susan Powell’s parents, seeking to have the evidence against him ruled inadmissible. He argued that the 2011 search of his home, in which investigators seized dozens of video tapes and CDs containing thousands of images of naked young girls and women, was an illegal search.
Judge Ronald Culpepper, however, disagreed. He ruled that police rightfully obtained a warrant to enter the home Steven and Josh shared in order to take into police custody seven of Susan Cox’s journals, which Steven had shown on national television and said were key to the investigation.
Police took the journals along with Steven Powell’s numerous digital storage devices, where they found the child porn images. Many of the images were taken of Powell’s neighbors, two young girls whom he filmed while they bathed and used the bathroom, according to court documents. There were also images of naked women with Susan’s face transposed onto them.
Following the search and Steven’s arrest, Josh Powell lost custody of his two sons, who had been living with the Powell men since Susan Cox’s disappearance. In February, Josh Powell killed himself and the boys in a fiery explosion just days after he was ordered to undergo a psychosexual evaluation in order to regain custody.
Steven Powell has pleaded not guilty to the voyeurism and child porn charges.
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