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In December, 2009, Susan Cox Powell was reported missing from her home in West Valley City, Utah. As law enforcement tried to piece together what had happened to Susan, her husband, Josh Powell, became the only person of interest in the case.
For Jennifer Graves, Josh’s sister, the nightmare started long before Susan’s disappearance. From her experiences growing up in the Powell family to the terrifying moment when she first started to believe her brother was a killer, she relied on her faith to stay strong. She devoted herself to the safety of Susan’s boys, Charlie and Braden, whom she hoped to be able to raise as her own. When the boys were murdered by their father in February, 2012, Jennifer was more than devastated, but she had to believe there was a reason for it all—including the deaths of her beloved nephews.
In A Light In Dark Places, Jennifer shares her struggles and her triumphs. In coming to terms with such tragedy she finally was able to embrace the truth that we all have the power to choose our own path—and there is always hope, no matter how dark things may seem.
I think pretty much everyone knows the heartbreaking story of Susan Powell. I don't watch my local news very often so I didn't hear about her disappearance right away. I had friends that started posting her picture on Facebook and when I saw her face in my feed over and over and realized that she didn't live too far away, I started to pay attention. A beautiful mother with adorable young children goes missing--what happened? Well, unfortunately, that is a question that may never be answered.
Of course, the police first look to the husband in a case like this. I always want the husband to be innocent because I can't imagine what it takes to kill the mother of your children. And I always wonder why they don't seem to think divorce is an option. Anyway, in this case, Josh Powell's story was that he took his kids on a camping trip at midnight on a Sunday in December. He didn't take the next day off work beforehand, either. When he gets home, he doesn't seem to be too concerned that his wife is missing. That just doesn't sound good. I'm still hoping that he's just in shock or something. As time goes on, though, he doesn't appear to want to search for her and moves his family. What?!? If your spouse is missing and you want them to return home, you stay in the one place they'll be able to find you right away. I realize that our justice system is "innocent until proven guilty" but a lot of prejudging does occur based on the accused's actions (although, since he was never charged for anything, he was actually only a person of interest). So, yes, I had my own opinion of this case.
Another thing I always wonder is how does the family really feel? Do they believe their relative is innocent or do they have doubts? I enjoyed reading what went on behind-the-scenes with Jennifer. She had a sick feeling early on and I can't imagine how that would feel to realize that your sibling could actually commit murder. As she goes into more of their family situation, I was impressed at how she was able to remove herself from them and improve her life. It sounds like she married a fantastic man that helps her through the rough times.
The ending to Josh's story isn't a secret. I remember watching TV and seeing the headline flash across the bottom that Josh had blown up a house with his sons and himself inside. I hadn't been following the story closely so I didn't realize what exactly led up to that and it sounds like he felt cornered where the truth would come out and didn't want to face up to it. I felt devastated for Jennifer as she thought she would be able to raise her adorable nephews and give them a safe home only to have Josh perform one last, selfish act.
Jennifer shares the comfort she has received in her faith, knowing that the boys are now with Susan and they are all safe. Her story is inspiring and demonstrates that peace can be found in tragedy. I was also impressed with Susan's parents and how they've handled all that's happened and I hope they are also able to find peace.
My Rating=5 Stars
Excerpt:
This one is from when I
went to my dad’s house to confront both him and Josh and try to get them to
confess to Susan’s murder. I went in wired with police backup- at my request.
They invited us into dinner when we unexpectedly showed up at their door in WA.
We finished dinner, and Alina
started to clear the dishes. Josh stood up. The time had come. I looked at Kirk
and nodded. He understood and gave me a brief nod in return. I lifted Braden
off my lap and stood up, moving to Josh’s side. I took his arm.
“I wanted to talk to you for a
minute. Let’s go in the other room.” Josh didn’t act terribly surprised by the
question, but my palms were slick with sweat. I wiped them on my jeans as we
walked to the front of the house and went into my dad’s music room. Kirk stayed
in the family room with the boys and tried to keep everyone else’s attention
focused on him.
The music room was filled with an
electric piano, a guitar, a number of microphones, and some recording
equipment. It was cluttered with books and papers covering the desk and the
bookshelves. The door was glass and framed by windows on either side. I closed
the door behind us and glanced around the room, then forced myself to go
forward. Josh leaned against one wall, where he could look out the window and
down the hall toward the family room. I sat in the chair at the desk and
cleared my throat.
“I’ve just been worried. I’ve been
hearing rumors. You know, rumors about you that say you’re going to be arrested
soon.”
There was the slightest bit of a
flicker, and then Josh turned off the emotion again and was cold and calm.
“Where did you hear those rumors?”
“Oh, from reporters and stuff.”
Josh’s eyes were blue, but right
then they appeared black. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but it looked like
they were nothing but pupils, no color at all.
I continued trying soft ways of
getting him to talk. Prodding here and there and watching his eyes all the
time.
“Please, I’m your sister. Confide
in me. I want to believe you. If you would only give me something to go on.”
There was no reaction. That first
startle was his only hint of emotion.
“Don’t make me listen to rumors,
tell me your side of the story.”
Nothing.
“If you don’t give me anything else
to go on, you give me no choice. I’m starting to doubt your story. I don’t
believe you anymore.”
“Well, I’m sorry you feel that
way.”
Michael came down the hall, opened
the door and stepped inside. “Are you ready to go pick up the party stuff for
tomorrow?” he asked. Had my dad sent him to intervene? I didn’t care. I had to
keep trying.
“There has to be something more you
can tell me. You know something.” His dark pupils made him look like a stranger.
I rubbed my arms against a sudden chill. “Come on, Josh. I can see it in your
eyes.”
He pushed away from the wall. “We
need to go get the cake,” he said, nodding to Michael. It was a convenient
excuse, and they left the room without looking back at me. I followed behind
them more slowly.
I’d come all this way, endured all
the stress and worry and expense for one purpose—to get a confession out of
Josh. I couldn’t give up now. Josh was standing in the family room near the
bathroom door, waiting for Michael to get his coat. I grabbed Josh’s arm and
half-yanked, half-pushed him into the dark bathroom. Everyone else was still
talking, and the boys were playing loudly. It was too much to hope that no one
noticed what was going on.
“Josh, let’s just cut the crap.
Tell me what really happened. Did you actually go camping? What did you do that
night?”
Josh tried to squirm away, but I
held on tighter to his arm and blocked the door. “My lawyer told me not to talk
about it,” he said.
“That’s crap! I’m your sister.
Don’t pull that lawyer thing with me. Just tell me what happened. Tell me where
her body is. We want to have a funeral and have some closure here. Just tell me
where you put her.” I half expected him to hit me, but instead there was still
no emotion. He didn’t respond in anger. He didn’t respond at all. He shrugged
his arm out of my grasp and pushed past me.
I stayed in the bathroom for a
minute and tried to calm my breathing. My heart was racing, and adrenaline was
pumping through my limbs, but it started to fade all too soon, leaving only
disappointment and shaky weakness in its wake. I heard Josh, John, and Michael
leave the house, heard the front door close. I knew that I wasn’t going to get
any information out of him, but I also knew he was guilty. If someone had
accused me of hurting my husband or my children, I would have punched them at
the very least and kicked them out of my house or something. His lack of
emotion was as telling as a confession to me.
Praise for A Light in Dark Places
I just finished reading “A Light in Dark Places” By Jennifer Graves and Emily Gray Clawson. I was impressed with how well written the book was. The descriptions are such that I felt I was part of the story. I was grateful that the message was one of hope and peace in tragedy. The book does tell the tale of Susan Powell, her boys and their demise but doesn’t dwell on it. It was nice to see inside the life experiences of someone so close to them and to see things from Jennifer’s perspective rather than what you see on the media. I highly recommend this book. It doesn’t disappoint! – T. Hyde
I love true accounts of people overcoming challenges and helping others with the lessons learned from them. This story of Jennifer’s experiences throughout her abusive childhood, and later the disappearance of Susan and the murder of her two sweet nephews is just that. She shares how she felt God’s hand in her life, guiding her to make better choices than the rest of her family did. Though the book had so many sad details, it ended with hope, courage and love. ~D. Raymond
I had followed the story of Susan Powell very closely so I wasn’t sure if the book was going to tell me something I didn’t already know…but it sure did. Jennifer was very brave in writing this book and all she had done in support for Susan. I highly recommend the book it sheds a light on the whole situation that helps make things more clear. ~ Carolyn
This was a very informative read. I lived in Utah at the time of Susan’s disappearance and followed the news every day. This book answered many questions that the news did not. Although it was very sad and I already knew the outcome it was a good read. I admire Jennifer for her part in the whole story and I am glad she had the fortitude to write this book to honor her sister in law. ~Katie O.
To finally read about details that were never shared brought closure for me about this insidious crime. While the book was an easy read, the message shared about breaking the cycle of abusive relationships is invaluable. It truly does take someone removing themselves from their abusive family’s presence to stop the cycle. Praises to the author for sharing her perspectives. ~Arlene
Jennifer is the sister of Josh Powell who killed his 2 sons, Charlie and Braden, as well as himself in February of 2012, and is also believed to have killed his wife, Susan Cox Powell, in December of 2009.
She is the recipient of the 2013 ChainBreaker of the year Award, given for breaking the chain of abuse and violence in her family.
She enjoys homeschooling their children and mentoring in classes for the commonwealth school they attend. She also loves reading, playing card and board games, and learning new things. Most of all she loves to spend time with her husband and children. They currently reside in West Jordan, UT.
♦ ♦ ♦
Emily Clawson is an author, a mother and a mentor. She traditionally writes inspirational fiction. This book has been a life changing experience for her and she is grateful to have been a part of telling this story. She resides in Taylorsville with her husband and four children where they run their leadership mentoring programs for youth.
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1 comments:
I bet this was really interesting and very sad!
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