Cold Case Part 2

[Michael]

Studentparticipants at the Cold Case Analysis Center see the human side of cold case investigations by working with local nonprofit agencies on fundraisers designed to provide the capital needed to support investigations and provide training.

It was a relief when the police reported that they were not in the house and their van was not in the garage. However the day wore on slowly with no word and with all of us wondering if they were abducted, or if they went on an outing and were killed or trapped in a car accident.

He says he thought yesterday was Sunday. Hence he did not call work. And when he realized his error, he was out of cell phone range. That does not make sense to me, since when I spoke to him Sunday at midday he said Susan and the boys had gone to a stake conference that morning. He also mentioned that she was tired and took a nap that evening. Maybe she was already gone, and he told the boys she was just napping.

Dave Cawley: Not with police, anyway. While in prison, Steve exchanged letters with with his niece, Nicki Cardenas. At the end of July, 2012, Nicki sent him a copy of a CNN article about James Holmes, the Aurora, Colorado movie theater mass shooter. I mentioned in episode 15 that West Valley police detective Darrell Dain had adopted the phony persona of Shamus from the Department of Defense during a meeting with Steve around that same time. It turns out, Shamus planted a seed.

Pam Roach (from February 1, 2013 Washington Legislature recording): We do have a judge that did have material from West Valley police and chose to ignore it. We have a judge who did order a psychosexual evaluation, chose to make decisions without the results of that order.

Judy Cox (from from February 1, 2013 Washington Legislature recording): DSHS and others like West Valley police, Pierce County police, umm, did not take it seriously. And so, because of that, we felt this was a big problem and why it was, in our opinion, treated lightly, that the boys would be ok.

Craig Hall (from March 5, 2014 Utah Legislature recording): The bill has been changed dramatically in order to thread the needle between protecting parental rights and also protecting the rights of children in these very unusual and unique situations, and infrequent situations.

Dave Cawley: West Valley City police were fast approaching the end of the road. In early 2013, leads in the search for Susan were dwindling. Yet, public focus on the case remained high.

Nkoyo Iyamba (from May 20, 2014 KSL TV archive): The family of the two little girls that Steven Powell was convicted of photographing now own that house. They were awarded that property in a court-ordered settlement.

Ken Fall (as Steve Powell from December 8, 2009, journal entry): Where is Susan? If she were alive someone would have heard from her. This morning it will begin sinking in to her co-workers that she is not coming back.

If the worst happened, that is he killed her, did he bury her body? Will it ever be found? Frequently the police break down perpetrators during interrogation, and they end up leading them to where the body is buried. Although her parents mean nothing to me, I feel deeply for them, whatever the outcome. I cannot imagine there will be a good outcome.

Wayne Pyle (from May 20, 2013 KSL TV archive): After three-plus long years of the investigation into the disappearance of Susan Powell, we are announcing the end of the active phase of the search for Susan.

Dave Cawley: The public learned of Michael dumping his Ford Taurus, but the fine detail of his apparent later paranoia over it not have been destroyed. People seized on the reports of Josh having had an affair, not realizing those tips had been largely discredited. The redacted case file held many rabbit holes.

I need to be of the same attitude, for the sake of the boys as well as Josh who, after all, is my son. The way his mother and her family treated him while growing up is no excuse for anything he may have done in this matter but I am not the court or a jury. I am his father.

Carole Mikita (from March 23, 2014 KSL TV archive): Powell will be on probation for 30 months, required to wear a GPS locator and attend a sex offender treatment program. The corrections facility says he plans to live in Tacoma.

Dave Cawley: Jump back to February 2010. Jennifer had just confronted Josh while wearing a wire. Steve was formulating his theory about Susan running off to Brazil. And Terri sat down to speak with Ellis Maxwell.

Morgan Christen (from December 4, 2017 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals oral argument recording): Had they reviewed it, is there something they would have found there that you think would have changed this outcome?

Ted Buck (from December 4, 2017 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals oral argument recording): I, yes your honor, I believe that they would have. They would have found that he had threatened to kill his mother with a knife when he was younger. That he had killed animals before. All classic signs people who can snap, people who can do very violent things.

Morgan Christen (from December 4, 2017 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals oral argument recording): There had to be a finding and there was, the box was checked, that the children were at risk of danger and that was the justification for requiring supervised visitation with the natural father, right?

Ted Buck (from December 4, 2017 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals oral argument recording): A jury needs to be able to determine whether, in the face of all of those risks, the state was deliberately indifferent in not moving visitation back to a secure facility, in not assuring that you had a supervisor there who could intervene. These are jury issues.

Dave Cawley: As I record this, that trial is still to come. Anne Bremner said she still hopes a jury will find in their favor, forcing a change in priorities and placing the safety of children above the parental rights of suspected murderers.

Dave Cawley: Of course, one could also argue Washington might not have needed to protect Charlie and Braden from Josh if police in Utah had arrested him in the first place. In the years since the murder-suicide, many people have accused the West Valley City police department of botching the case. So I asked Ellis Maxwell point-blank, if he agreed.

Dave Cawley: Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill came into office in 2011, midway through the Powell investigation. He learned that while members of his staff had worked with police on search warrants and subpoenas, detectives and prosecutors had not met to review the evidence in a holistic way.

Blake Nakamura: The unique challenge in those kinds of cases is it creates an opportunity for all these alternative explanations that are contrary to what the allegation of a homicide would be: they went off, they met somebody else, they had debt and so they were trying to leave the debt. Remember, there only has to be one person saying I have some reasonable doubt.

Sim Gill: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. If anything, what I want to communicate from what we learned and what we observed and what we interacted with, that commitment to finding the truth never, they never wavered from that.

Michigan State University is proud to offer a unique learning opportunity by partnering with the Michigan State Police First District Cold Case Unit. Throughout the semester, you will work with detectives on cases to organize and digitize cases, help determine any new possible leads, reexamine evidence and identify new sources of information.

As part of CJ894 internship, you will spend nine hours per week with MSP detectives at the Michigan State Police Annex in Diamondale, Michigan. With your assistance, the cold case unit can better determine what information needs to be located and new investigative leads to pursue so these cases can get the attention they deserve. You will also get to hear from various expert guest speakers and travel to key locations relevant to the cases you work on.

As a victim-centered and offender-focused unit, the goal is to ensure the centrality of victims in the design and implementation of our cold case investigative processes and procedures. You will be part of a team that's dedicated to a compassionate approach toward the survivors and victims of the cases you cover.

Observe, study and work in select criminal justice agencies and participate in domestic and foreign criminal justice systems. Students can use this course to work in a variety of internship settings. One option is to work with the Michigan State Police First District Cold Case Unit for 3 credit hours per semester.

Through your work with the Michigan State Police First District Cold Case Unit, you'll work with law enforcement professionals on cases to gain the skills you need to be successful in your future career. This internship opportunity is designed to give you training in case analysis, investigation, cultural and societal crime factors and more.

The cold case unit internship is meant for undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Criminal Justice who want to develop their knowledge of cold case work in a real-world setting. This is particularly valuable for students who plan to do this type of work upon graduation and are interested in helping victims and their families find justice.

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