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Josh Powell's Mother Agrees Not To Bury Son Near The Children He Allegedly Murdered

Josh Powell's Mother Agrees Not To Bury Son Near The Children He Allegedly Murdered
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By 

Senior Crime Reporter, HuffPost

Josh Powell will not be buried in the same cemetery as the two children he allegedly killed, according to his mother, Terri Powell.

"We have tried so hard to be loving and considerate and respectful in making Josh's burial arrangements. We love our little Charlie and Braden and want their resting place to be a place of peace and comfort," Powell said.

"We have made the determination that Josh will not be buried at Woodbine Cemetery [in Puyallup, Wash.], but are in the process of making other arrangements," she continued.

Seattle attorney and legal analyst Anne Bremner told The Huffington Post that Powell's family decided not to bury Josh Powell in the same cemetery because of the public outrage that proposal had caused.

"The [Powell] family backed down after the public rose up against them and after Crime Stoppers and the public bought the burial plots," she explained.

SUSAN POWELL CASE PHOTOS: (Article Continues Below)

Josh And Susan Powell
Father Kills Sons And Self(01 of25)
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Pierce County sheriff's deputies and Graham firefighters work through the wreckage of a home in Graham, Wash. where the bodies of Josh Powell and his two sons were found on Feb. 5, 2012 in a double-homicide suicide. The boys had just been brought by a Child Protective Services worker to Powell's home for a supervised visit when police say the dad deliberately blew up the house. A judge had denied the previous week a request by Powell to regain custody of his sons, who had been living with the parents of his missing wife, Susan. (credit:AP)
(02 of25)
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Pierce County sheriff's officials said it appears Josh Powell used an accelerant to increase the power of a gas fire that he intentionally set to kill himself and his two sons inside his Graham, Wash., home on Feb. 5, 2012. The saga of the Powell family began in 2009 when Josh Powell reported that his wife, Susan, had gone missing. That night he claimed he took his sons on an overnight camping trip in freezing temperatures. (credit:AP)
Aerial View Of Josh Powell's Home(03 of25)
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The explosion at Josh Powell's home left smoldering remains in Graham, Wash. Police say Powell deliberately detonated the home moments after a Child Protective Services worker brought his sons Braden, 5, and Charles, 7, for a supervised visit. (credit:AP)
Braden And Charlie Powell(04 of25)
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This undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox shows their grandsons Braden, left, and Charlie Powell. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox) (credit:AP)
Chuck Cox, Braden Powell, Charlie Powell(05 of25)
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This undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox shows them with their grandsons, Charlie, left, and Braden, right. Charlie and Braden were killed along with their father, Josh Powell, on Sunday in what police said was an intentional fire set by Powell. The Coxes are the parents of Powell's wife, Susan, who has been missing since 2009. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox) (credit:AP)
Braden And Charlie Powell(06 of25)
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This undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox shows Braden, left, and Charlie Powell. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox) (credit:AP)
(07 of25)
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Police and other officials from Washington state and Utah view charred rubble, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, at of the home where Josh Powell and his two sons were killed in the fire Powell set Sunday. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) (credit:AP)
(08 of25)
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In this pool photo provided by the Pierce County Sheriff's Dept., a melted gas can is marked with an evidence flag, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, in the rubble of the home in Graham, Wash., where Josh Powell and his two sons were killed. (AP Photo/Pierce County Sheriff's Dept., Ed Troyer, Pool) (credit:AP)
(09 of25)
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(credit:AP)
Susan Cox Powell(10 of25)
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This image from Friends and Family of Susan Cox Powell Facebook page shows missing Utah mother Susan Cox Powell. Powell has been missing since December 6, 2009. Her husband Josh Powell was a person of interest in her disappearance before he killed himself and their two sons on Feb. 5, 2012. (credit:Suzy Steed / Facebook)
Chuck And Judy Cox(11 of25)
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Chuck and Judy Cox, the parents of missing Utah mother Susan Cox, talk to reporters at their home in Puyallup, Wash., Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. They had custody of their grandchildren, Charlie and Braden Powell, who were killed by their father Josh Powell during a supervised visit to his house on Sunday.Their daughter Susan Cox Powell went missing in December 2009 from the West Valley City, Utah home where she lived with her husband and sons. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) (credit:AP)
Candlelight Vigil(12 of25)
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Supporters held an impromptu candlelight vigil for Braden and Charlie Powell, who were killed by their father Josh when he deliberately torched his Graham, Wash. home on Feb. 5, 2012. The brothers had been living with their maternal grandparents in a simmering custody dispute stemming from their mother's disappearance in Utah in 2009. (credit:AP)
(13 of25)
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Flowers and two stuffed animals are left near crime-scene tape, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, near the home where Josh Powell and his two sons were killed Sunday, in Graham, Wash., in what police said appeared to be a deliberately set fire. Powell's wife Susan went mysteriously missing from their West Valley City, Utah, home in December 2009. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) (credit:AP)
(14 of25)
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Mourners posted signs and lit candles at Carson Elementary School in Puyallup, Wash. where Braden and Charles Powell attended school. The brothers were killed in an explosion caused by their father Josh Powell at his home on Feb. 5, 2012 -- days after a judge denied his request to regain custody of them. (credit:AP)
(15 of25)
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A Pierce County fire investigator works his way through charred rubble, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, at the home where Josh Powell and his two sons were killed Sunday, in Graham, Wash., in what police said appeared to be a deliberately set fire. Powell's wife Susan went mysteriously missing from their West Valley City, Utah, home in December 2009. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) (credit:AP)
Josh And Braden Powell(16 of25)
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In this Aug. 19, 2011 photo, Josh Powell plays with his son Braden in a park near his home, in Puyallup, Wash. Powell had long been a person of interest in his wife. (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Friday, August 19, 2011) (credit:AP)
(17 of25)
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This photo from Facebook shows Susan Cox Powell in December of 2008. (credit:Facebook)
(18 of25)
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A flier seeking information on the whereabouts of Susan Powell, who was reported missing Dec. 7, 2009, in Utah, is shown, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009, at a press conference in Puyallup, Wash. Powell's family said Thursday they are saddened but not surprised that her husband Josh Powell has been named a person of interest in the investigation. (credit:Ted S. Warren, AP )
Josh Powell(19 of25)
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Josh Powell, the husband of Susan Powell, stands with supporters after a candle light vigil for his wife at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Puyallup, Wash., Sunday Dec. 20, 2009. (credit:Stephen Brashear, AP)
(20 of25)
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Judy Cox, the mother of Susan Powell, who was reported missing Dec. 7, 2009, in Utah, becomes emotional during a press conference, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009, in Puyallup, Wash. Powell's family said Thursday they are saddened but not surprised that her husband Josh Powell has been named a person of interest in the investigation. (credit:Ted S. Warren, AP)
Charlie Powell(21 of25)
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This undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox shows Charlie Powell, who was killed along with his brother Braden by their father Josh Powell in a double-murder suicide. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox) (credit:AP)
Braden Powell With HIs Grandmother Judy Cox(22 of25)
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In this undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox, Judy Cox, right, sits at a table with her grandson Braden. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox) (credit:AP)
Braden Powell(23 of25)
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This undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox shows Braden Powell. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox) (credit:AP)
Chuck Cox With Grandsons Charlie And Braden Powell(24 of25)
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In this undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox, Chuck Cox sits with his grandsons, Charlie, left, and Braden, right, at the Coxes home in Pullayup, Wash. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox) (credit:AP)
Chuck Cox With Braden And Charlie Powell(25 of25)
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In this undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox, Chuck Cox plays with his grandsons, Charlie, right, and Braden, left. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox) (credit:AP)

Bremner represents Charles and Judy Cox, the grandparents of Josh Powell's children and the parents of Powell's missing wife, Susan Powell. Josh Powell is the primary suspect in his wife's 2009 disappearance, and her whereabouts remain a mystery.

Authorities say Josh Powell ushered his two boys, Charlie, 7, and Braden, 5, into his home and away from a social worker who delivered them for a supervised visit on Feb. 5. He then locked them in the house and allegedly attacked them with a hatchet. After the alleged attack, a fire engulfed the home. Powell and his children were killed in the gas-fueled explosion.

The controversy over Josh Powell's burial began earlier this week when his family reportedly attempted to purchase a plot next to those of the children. That plan, however, was derailed when two police officers and Crime Stoppers Tacoma-Pierce County purchased the two burial plots beside the boys.

With the plots next to the two boys unavailable, Powell's relatives selected a plot about 25 feet from the boys. News of the proposed purchase caused a public uproar and Bremner asked a judge for a temporary restraining order to block Josh Powell from being buried at the same cemetery.

Charles Cox told CNN he was "relieved" by the news that Josh Powell's remains will not be interred near the children's.

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