A secretive trail of sexual obsession with Susan Cox Powell is expected to be explored publicly today as Steven Powell, the missing woman's father-in-law, is tried on charges of voyeurism in a Washington court.
Powell, 67, was arrested in November 2011 after police searched the home he shared with his son, Josh, as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Susan Powell in 2009. Police seized dozens of computer disks and drives with images of naked women and young girls on them, as well as pictures Steven Powell took of his daughter-in-law.
Steven Powell is the father Josh Powell who was the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance. The investigation came to a violent halt when Josh Powell blew himself up along with his two little sons last February.
Susan Powell's body was never found and her parents Chuck and Judy Cox, have said they hope the trial of Steven Powell will help shed light on what happened to their daughter.
Steven Powell was brought up on charges of voyeurism and child pornography for photos he allegedly took from his bedroom window of two young girls who lived in the house behind his, whom he allegedly filmed bathing, undressing, and going to the bathroom.
Earlier this week, Judge Ronald Culpepper dismissed the child pornography charge against Powell after he determined that Powell's filming did not influence the behavior of the children in any way.
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Watch Video Today, a jury comprised of seven men and seven women will begin listening to testimony about the images and Powell's sexual obsessions, which the prosecution argues shows the sexual nature of the voyeuristic images.
Culpepper decided Tuesday to admit only one of Powell's journal entries that focused on his obsession with Susan Powell, excluding the others after he determined that they would prejudice the jury.
Culpepper determined that the journals "show a very strange fixation on Susan Powell, but I don't think it proves much about voyeurism involving two neighbor kids."
The journal entry that will be read contains Powell's admission that he enjoys "taking video shots of pretty girls in shorts and skirts of every age," but enjoys images of Susan the most.
"I sometimes use these images for self -stimulation. But the images that raises me to orgasmic heights are the shots of Susan," Steven Powell wrote.
This morning, Culpepper will rule on one final journal entry that could be admitted into the trial.
"I have been going nuts and nearly out of control sexually my entire life. The modicum of control I have is that nearly 90 percent of my lust is directed at Susan," Powell wrote in his journal on Sept. 27, 2010, nine months after Susan disappeared.
Culpepper will also rule on whether non-voyeuristic images found on Powell's discs, including sexual photos of himself, can be shown to the jury.
Journal entries that will be excluded contain Powell's declarations from 2003 and 2004 that he and Susan are a perfect match because he is a voyeur and she is an exhibitionist and that he had been stalking Susan and making secret videos of her.
Searches for Susan over the past two years have yielded no clues into her disappearance, which occurred in December 2009. Josh Powell, her husband, told police he took his children and went camping around midnight on the night of her disappearance.
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