Police buy cemetery plots to block Josh Powell from being buried next to his boys

reply to post by popsmayhem


The only thing I see wrong here is that Crime Stoppers bought the plots instead of someone using personal funds. But other than that, I certainly wouldn't want to be buried next to my murderer, even if it was my own father. Besides misused funds, I see no problem here. Anybody could have bought the burial plot next to the boys. If there's anyone alive what actually wanted Josh Powell buried beside of them, they should have bought the plot before Crime Stoppers beat them to it.

EDIT: Now that I see Crime Stoppers used money that was donated specifically to buy these plots, I see no wrong doing here at all. The mother (if ever found) deserves to buried there, or a memorial put there or whatever. I agree 100% with what these people have done.

reply to post by toolstarr


If the cops felt that way about it, they should have at least used their own money.

reply to post by popsmayhem

THEY HAVE THE RESOURCES NOW to buy a bunch of grave sites?

Crime Stoppers is NOT a branch of the local police department. It is a non profit that relies on donations. They took donations specifically for this. The wife disappeared YEARS ago and you really think that a cop should have stayed at the house 24/7?

[snipped]

Originally posted by popsmayhem

Originally posted by schuyler
Actually, shame on the Powell family for even thinking of burying that monster in the same cemetary where the boys he murdered are buried. According to the Seattle Times it was Crime Stoppers that bought the plots. If you read the article and the comments you will see that Powell gets very little sympathy in the area. The shame is on the Powells, not the police.

I would of had the jobber
cremated. YES he is
a monster, a terrible person,
a true criminal.

What gives the police or crime stoppers
the right to decide?
NONE

WRONG! They have EVERY right to do it. They didn't decide anything. They simply availed themselves of the opportunity to buy a couple of plots, legally. You or I could have done the same thing. One of the problems is that this is a public cemetery, so there are no rules that prevent anyone from buying a plot. BTW there is a restraining order on the Powell family from buying any plots and the Cox family lawyer is on top of it.

Crime Stoppers beat the Powell's to it, and that's just too....damn....bad.

reply to post by popsmayhem


Seems like a decent gesture, but kind of a moot one. If the family so desires, they could just move the boys to some other cemetery and put them with their father.

It seems like their heart is in the right place, but just seems silly to me.

reply to post by getreadyalready


I bet they are too lazy to move the boys. That would show more give-a-carp than they've displayed at any point.

Originally posted by schuyler. BTW there is a restraining order on the Powell family from buying any plots.

That is wrong.

These people lost their GRANDCHILDREN!!
AND SON...

They have every right just as much
as the other family who lost
their daughter and grandchildren.

Yes i agree, IT IS A NICE GESTURE.
I even sort of think HE SHOULD NOT
BE BURIED next to them.
BUT for crime stoppers or the police
to step in now is just to damn late.
It really is none of their business.
SO since it is a public grave site
i guess WESTBORO baptist should
show up and protest the funeral too.

Originally posted by Domo1

Sending a check in on behalf of Pops Mayhem.

Should of sent cash
to the legal fund
to protect the kid's
from the guy in the first place
CPS was already involved.
The guy had problems and they knew
it. THEY Take kid's away now for the dumbest
reasons but this slips through the cracks?

Remember the lady in HAWAII that forgot
to pay for a sandwich at some super market
and they took the kid's away?? I'll grab a link.

It's a nice gesture, but an entirely empty one. The damage is done, the children are dead, their mother is (probably) dead - all thats going into the ground are empty shells, probably not much left after an intense blaze. What is left won't be left for much longer, when your corpse (or whats left of it) goes into the ground you're wormfood. Ashes to ashes.

Its a goddamn tragedy, is what it is. The children shouldn't have been allowed into their father's custody, but I have the advantage of hindsight.

It's a nice symbolic but utterly empty gesture... but better Crimestoppers spend their donated money on this nonsense than to hand payouts to rats and paid informants for giving information on their neighbours.

reply to post by popsmayhem
[m

This story is a little different. I agree that it is a real tragedy that the children were not taken away, but I doubt CPS could have done it and the police do not have that authority. Crime Stoppers is not publicly funded, they take private and corporate donations. In this case they took donations for something specific. I'm sure there was a reward offered for information about the mother. Blaming the police here makes no sense. Blame the system, blame CPS, blame the courts.

reply to post by popsmayhem


You obviously feel strongly about it, but your opinion is in the minority. You are claiming the Powells have rights they simply do not have. Here's some more information.

The Powell "family" that wanted to bury Josh in the same cemetery consists of a couple of his siblings. They also claim Josh was "bullied" on Facebook and online and they want the FBI to open an investigation on it. This, IMO, will never happen.

The Powell "family," such that it is, has no claim or jurisdiction over the two boys. They amount to an aunt and an uncle who did not have custody of the boys. They have no "rights" in this case AT ALL. They cannot disinter the boys and move them elsewhere. They have absolutely zero legal standing in this case.

In fact, there is some question that the Powell "family" has any rights to bury Josh. If he did not designate his sister or brother as the executor of his estate, they may have no legal right to bury him at all. The father, in jail for child porn, is not cooperating with anyone.

The Powell boys were in the legal custody of the Cox family, their grandparents (Susan Powell's parents), who have complete control over where the boys are buried.

reply to post by schuyler

They amount to an aunt and an uncle who did not have custody of the boys. They have no "rights" in this case AT ALL. They cannot disinter the boys and move them elsewhere. They have absolutely zero legal standing in this case.

Very good point. I suppose that actually does in a way legitimize the efforts a bit more. The father's side of the family will have no rights in this case.

There seems to be a family feud still going on.

In the end Josh Powell disabled his kids with a hatchet, poured gasoline on them and set them on fire because he had lost his custody battle with the Cox family - his missing wife's parents. It wasn't about hurting his kids, it was his last desperate act of revenge against the Cox's. JP was unable to accept losing or seeing beyond his own selfish world.

When the custody battle began Josh and his now jailed father began publishing his missing wife's personal journals as revenge on the Cox's for daring to battle him for custody. He thought he was smarter than everyone because he knew how to use the internet to pour salt in the wounds of his in laws. That triggered the police raid of his fathers house to recover the journals and subsequently LE found traces of other illegal activities that got his father arrested and ultimately his children temporarily taken away.

Josh's clearly indifferent family wants their sons burial plot close to his murdered boys, but the Cox family and community are appalled by this. The plots were purchased to spare the Cox's from having to see Josh's name every time the go to the cemetery.

Originally posted by Domo1
reply to post by schuyler

 

They amount to an aunt and an uncle who did not have custody of the boys. They have no "rights" in this case AT ALL. They cannot disinter the boys and move them elsewhere. They have absolutely zero legal standing in this case.

Very good point. I suppose that actually does in a way legitimize the efforts a bit more. The father's side of the family will have no rights in this case.

The cops should have *no rights* either.
Keep them out of the grave digging
an funeral business/morticians

I think the officers' decision to stop his burial beside his sons is going above and beyond the call of duty in a bad way. It is not their decision. It is the family's decision.

If we allow the officers to have their way now, the state of things will get worse. We don't like how the law decides how we should live, so allowing them to make decisions after death is simply taking us another step closer to the state being allowed to do things as they see fit.

What's next? Cemetaries strictly for the burial of criminals because LE doesn't believe they should be buried beside law abiding citizens?

This just in. Josh Powell will be buried somewhere out of state, not in the same cemetery as his boys. According to the article, an announcement will be made later this afternoon.

Here's a better article with more information. I find it odd here that people are stating unequivocally that "it is not the cop's decision!" and similar declarative statements. If you read this second article you will find that the Crime Stoppers raised $20,000 in less than 24 hours specifically for this project. If you will read the comments in this second article you will see that, once again, the public sentiment in the area is overwhelmingly in favor of what these cops have done.

Of course it is a moot point now, but the fact of the matter is that the cops DID make the decision. And they made this decision with overwhelming public support. So when someone from afar, someone who doesn't really know the full story and understand how the Powell family has acted dispicably in this story starting two years ago, shows up and declares they can't do this, it makes no difference because you don't have a say in the matter.

Originally posted by schuyler
This just in. Josh Powell will be buried somewhere out of state, not in the same cemetery as his boys. According to the article, an announcement will be made later this afternoon.

Here's a better article with more information. I find it odd here that people are stating unequivocally that "it is not the cop's decision!" and similar declarative statements. If you read this second article you will find that the Crime Stoppers raised $20,000 in less than 24 hours specifically for this project. If you will read the comments in this second article you will see that, once again, the public sentiment in the area is overwhelmingly in favor of what these cops have done.

Of course it is a moot point now, but the fact of the matter is that the cops DID make the decision. And they made this decision with overwhelming public support. So when someone from afar, someone who doesn't really know the full story and understand how the Powell family has acted dispicably in this story starting two years ago, shows up and declares they can't do this, it makes no difference because you don't have a say in the matter.

edit on 2/16/2012 by schuyler because: (no reason given)

First time you let crime stoppers/police
decide, fiddle, and diddle with peoples
dead bodies, where they are buried,
how they are buried, because this
guy is a poster child of evil, next
time it might be your mother, father,
grandmother, grandfather, son, daughter, grandchildren, ect.
At that point you will realize it is
none of their damn business, at that point
you will realize it should be up to you
and not them being bullies using loopholes.

reply to post by popsmayhem


One wonders why you are so vehement about this, but in any case, you lose. There are a couple of points here that people may be missing.

Josh Powell's mother visited this cemetery and reserved, but did not buy, a plot UP THE ROAD (and on the other side) from where the boys are buried.

The privately funded Crime Stoppers bought two plots on either side of the boys' grave. Legally.

Point: The two plots adjacent to the boys' grave are nowhere near the plot reserved by Josh's mother which is "up the road." We're talking about two different places here.

The Powell family quickly backtracked on this initial plan, started by the mother, when they realized what would happen to a Josh Powell grave that was publicly known. He will likely be buried out of state.

A comprehensive, but messy, site detailing the entire affair is here.