or


[05/24/12 - 10:26 AM]
"E! Investigates: A Family Tragedy: The Powells" Premieres May 29 at 8:00 PM on E!
The special "unravels the tale of a deeply disturbed man who was most likely responsible for the deaths of his entire family and who very possibly could - and should - have been stopped."

[via press release from E!]

LAURA LING & E! INVESTIGATES BRING VIEWERS INSIDE THE POWELL FAMILY TRAGEDY ON MAY 29

"E! INVESTIGATES: A FAMILY TRAGEDY: THE POWELLS" PREMIERES MAY 29 AT 8:00 PM ON E!

Laura Ling Conducts The First Ever On-Camera Interview With The Court Appointed Psychologist Who Analyzed Josh Powell

E! Investigates Also Features In-Depth Interviews With Susan Powell's Parents, Sister & Friends

"There were a lot of missing pieces about Josh Powell. It was my opinion that he shouldn't have reunification with his kids." - Dr. James Manley

(Los Angeles, CA, May 24, 2012) -- The entire nation watched in horror as images of a burning home filled news reports in February, 2012 - inside the inferno, Josh Powell had just murdered his two young sons and then killed himself in a massive explosion. Two years earlier, Susan Powell vanished under very suspicious circumstances, with physical and circumstantial evidence pointing towards her husband, Josh. Ever since his wife's disappearance, Josh Powell had been a person of interest in the case, but he was never arrested or charged with any crime. Now, Laura Ling and the E! Investigates team examines this headline-making story from the beginning, discovering several instances where opportunities that might have saved the lives of two innocent boys were ignored or overlooked. Conducting the first ever on-camera interview with Dr. James Manley, the forensic psychologist who evaluated Josh for the court, Ling unravels the tale of a deeply disturbed man who was most likely responsible for the deaths of his entire family and who very possibly could - and should - have been stopped. E! Investigates: A Family Tragedy: The Powells airs on May 29 at 8:00 PM only on E!

Select Quotes From The Episode Include:

In his first ever on- camera interview, Dr. James Manley tells Ling his thoughts about Josh Powell. "There were about 15 images [on Josh Powell's personal computer] that I found the most disturbing, and they felt very lifelike. [They were] computerized drawing of adults and children having sex in various ways. Whoever built the files had a clear interest in incest themes, which within a parenting evaluation did not bode well with me."

"We needed to know a lot more about Mr. Powell and that's why I referred him to a psychosexual evaluation."

Kiirisi Hellewell, one of Susan's friends, explains to Ling what life was like for Susan and her boys before she went missing. "It had gotten so bad [financially] that their boys didn't have enough food to eat. They were eating fruits and vegetables out of their garden and off their trees because Josh wouldn't let her buy food and the boys were starting to have health problems."

Darleen Allen, Susan's friend, adds: "Susan came to me and told me it became abusive physically. That he had shoved her and slapped her and tried to lock her out of the house."

Jovanna Owings, a friend of Susan's who was with Susan and Josh the evening she disappeared, talks to Laura about how Josh was uncharacteristically nice to Susan that night. "I've thought about that [night] a lot and I think at that point I was probably used. I may have been the only chance he [Josh] had of having one person stand up and say 'he was nice to her.'"

Chuck Cox, Susan's father, reveals one of the early conversations had with Josh after Susan went missing. "Josh called her [Jennifer, Josh's sister] and she said, 'Everybody is looking for you.' He said, 'well why would everybody be looking for us?' She asked, 'where are the kids?' He said, 'the kids are safe,' and I'm going 'what? What do you mean by the kids are safe?' She said, 'where is Susan? What have you done? What's going on?' He hung up the phone. I knew at that time that he was responsible for her disappearance and that he was lying about everything."

Robin Synder, a waitress and possible eyewitness, tells Ling her memories of seeing Josh Powell and his boys the morning their mother went missing. "I noticed that there was a man with two kids over in the corner. They were eating danishes and the man had his youngest kid on his right leg so I just walked over and got a high chair. His oldest boy looked up at me and asked 'do you know what happened to my mom?'"

Judy and Chuck Cox were fighting to keep Susan and Josh's children in their custody as they believed Josh was involved with Susan's disappearance. Judy tells Ling about her feelings the morning when she had to turn over the two boys to Josh for their tragic, final visit. "I had a feeling that I didn't want them to go. I just felt something was wrong. But I just let it go." "The judge should not have allowed visitations. I know Josh was very upset and I thought if he is feeling cornered, he'll do something."

Sadly, the Cox family attorney tells E! Investigates, "Everybody had all the red flags and the system failed them."

E! Investigates: A Family Tragedy: The Powells airs on May 29th at 8:00 PM only on E!

About E! Entertainment

E! is television's top global destination for all things pop culture. The network is currently available to 98 million cable and satellite subscribers in the U.S. and E! content is available on all platforms any time and anywhere from E! Online to social media to mobile to VOD to the latest emerging platforms. Popular programming includes E! core franchises, "E! News," "The Soup," "Chelsea Lately," "Fashion Police" and "True Hollywood Story," as well as the network's hit series "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," "Khloé & Lamar," "Kourtney and Kim Take New York," "Ice Loves Coco" and "After Lately." Additionally, E!'s "Live from the Red Carpet" signature events keep fans connected to their favorite stars on pop culture's biggest nights. E! is a network of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.





  [may 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[09/14/25 - 03:33 PM]
ESPN Original Series "Believers: Boston Red Sox" to Premiere September 26, Featuring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Donnie Wahlberg, Bill Burr, Uzo Aduba, Katie Nolan, Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, and More
The three-part series tells the story of how, for 86 years, the Red Sox broke the spirits of generations of their most devoted followers, falling short of a championship in heartbreaking and unforgettable fashion, time and time again.

[09/13/25 - 06:31 PM]
Video: "The Witcher" Season 4 - Official Teaser - Netflix
The series returns Thursday, October 30, only on Netflix.

[09/12/25 - 11:48 PM]
Development Update: Week of September 8-12
Updates include: second two of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" on indefinite hold; Ego Nwodim announces "SNL" exit; and Hulu sets cast of "Don't Get High" comedy pilot.

[09/12/25 - 08:01 PM]
Video: "Rockstar: DUKI from the End of the World" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Argentine trap star Duki gives an intimate look at his past and career, from early rap battles to his rise as a verified hitmaker in this documentary.

[09/12/25 - 02:43 PM]
"The Groomsmen: First Look" Launches Hallmark Channel's "Fall Into Love" Seasonal Stunt with Chart-Topping Ratings
The film was the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program on Saturday among Households, Women 18+, Persons 18+, and Total Viewers.

[09/12/25 - 02:07 PM]
FOX Sports Premieres "Big Noon Saturday" Creative Campaign Starring Emmy-Winning Actor, Writer & Director John Turturro
Capturing the intense energy of college football through the lens of passionate fandom, the promotional campaign "It All Goes Down at Noon" debuts today across FOX Sports' social platforms.

[09/12/25 - 01:33 PM]
ESPN Tips Off Its Exclusive Coverage of the Entire 2025 WNBA Playoffs Presented by Google
This year's postseason features the defending champion New York Liberty, top overall seed Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, Golden State Valkyries, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm.

[09/12/25 - 09:18 AM]
Tubi Presents New Docuseries "Always, Lady London" Premiering Exclusively on Tubi October 10
Directed and executive produced by Erika Bryant, the three-part documentary series was greenlit under Tubi's new content incubator, Stubios, a fan-fueled studio for aspiring content creators and their fans.

[09/12/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Is It Cake? Halloween" - A Spooktacular Sneak Peek - Netflix
"Is It Cake?" returns for a special Halloween season with Mikey Day and nine of the best hyper-realistic cake artists around!

[09/12/25 - 08:31 AM]
Netflix Renews "The Hunting Wives" for Season 2 Globally
Season 2 will release exclusively as a Netflix-branded series in nearly all countries where Netflix is available, with the original cast set to reprise their roles in Season 2.

[09/12/25 - 08:08 AM]
ESPN Re-Signs Michael Eaves to New Multi-Year Contract
Eaves will continue his hosting duties on "SportsCenter" along with contributing to ESPN's coverage of golf majors.

[09/12/25 - 07:35 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams "M3GAN 2.0" Beginning September 26
The unrated edition will also stream exclusively on Peacock that same day.

[09/12/25 - 06:04 AM]
ID Sets October Premieres for New Series "The Friday the 13th Murders" & New Season of "The Real Murders on Elm Street"
Both series will premiere back-to-back on Wednesday, October 1 beginning at 9:00/8:00c.

[09/12/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Swim to Me" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The gripping family drama tells the story of the intense relationship between Estela, a domestic worker, and the six-year-old girl she takes care of day and night.

[09/12/25 - 05:31 AM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Ever
ESPN networks aired eight of the top 10 most-watched WNBA games during the 2025 season, highlighted by its most-watched WNBA game ever - 2.7 million viewers for Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever on May 17 (ABC).