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)





[12/10/25 - 03:16 PM]
Peacock to Exclusively Stream National Coverage of Baltimore Ravens at Green Bay Packers on Saturday, Dec. 27, at 8 P.M. ET
Ravens-Packers marks the fourth Peacock exclusive NFL game.

[12/10/25 - 02:59 PM]
FOX NFL Scores Massive Week 14 Viewership
28 million viewers watched FOX Sports' Week 14 "America's Game of the Week," featuring the Green Bay Packers divisional win over the Chicago Bears.

[12/10/25 - 01:06 PM]
Paramount Sends Letter to Warner Bros. Discovery Shareholders
The letter "reiterates why Paramount's offer will deliver WBD shareholders with superior value and a faster, more certain path to completion than the Netflix transaction."

[12/10/25 - 12:08 PM]
NBCU's November to Remember Showcases the Power of Company's Programming
"All Her Fault" became the most-watched original series launch in Peacock history with 46 million hours.

[12/10/25 - 11:06 AM]
"LA Firestorm" Presents the Harrowing Heartbreaks and Heroics From Battles Against the Blazes that Burned Through Los Angeles Like a Blowtorch
The series premieres Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 8pm ET/5pm PT with all three parts airing back-to-back.

[12/10/25 - 11:01 AM]
Introducing - For the First Time in "The Masked Singer" History - America's Insider!
Singer, actress, dancer and social media personality Kylie Cantrall is unmasking pre-premiere and bringing fans along for the insane ride behind-the-scenes on the all-new season.

[12/10/25 - 10:03 AM]
All-New Season of "Moonshiners" Premieres Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
This season, history repeats itself as liquor prices skyrocket and trade wars cripple the legal market.

[12/10/25 - 10:01 AM]
"The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 4 - First Look & Date Announcement
Netflix's hit drama series returns for its fourth season on Thursday, February 5, 2026.

[12/10/25 - 10:01 AM]
Revisit the Beloved Classic Films from Academy Award-Winning Writer/Director/Producer James L. Brooks, Ahead of 20th Century Studios' Release of "Ella McCay," Coming to Theaters Friday
"Broadcast News," "Big," "Say Anything," "The War of the Roses," and "How Do You Know" are all available on Hulu.

[12/10/25 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Music Box: Happy and You Know It" Debuts December 25
The film explores the underestimated and wildly popular genre, delving behind the scenes to tell the origin stories of some of the top names in the field.

[12/10/25 - 10:00 AM]
Celebrate Christmas Morning with "Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade," Thursday, Dec. 25, on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu
This year's special features performances by Gwen Stefani, Lady A, Bebe Rexha, Nicole Scherzinger, and more.

[12/10/25 - 09:54 AM]
ABC Unwraps Holiday Presentations of Fan Favorite Shows
"Dancing with the Holidays" was the top-performing holiday-themed special across the broadcast networks among Adults 18-49 in two years.

[12/10/25 - 09:07 AM]
Candace Cameron Bure, Aaron Ashmore, and Robin Dunne Star in, "Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Watchmaker," Streaming Exclusively on Great American Pure Flix, January 1
In the latest installment, Ainsley McGregor thought craft markets and book clubs, not corpses, would define her new life back home in Sweet River.

[12/10/25 - 09:02 AM]
Video: "Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Boxing disruptor Jake Paul challenges heavyweight powerhouse Anthony Joshua live in a career-defining super fight from Most Valuable Promotions.

[12/10/25 - 09:01 AM]
A New Doc Series About Natalee Holloway Recounts the Teen's Infamous Disappearance
For the first time, Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway, tells the full, definitive story of the case that's haunted her for the past 20 years - from the day of Natalee's disappearance to the dramatic confession two decades later.