Should Josh Powell be buried near the sons he killed?

Josh Powell's mother had chosen a burial plot for him just up the hill from the gravesite of his sons, whom he murdered, above. Powell's family has changed its mind after a huge public outcry. (Ted S. Warren/Associated Press)

A Washington man who killed his two sons will not be buried in the same cemetery as them following a huge public firestorm, his brother-in-law said Thursday.

Josh Powell's family had hoped he would be buried close to his sons, Charlie, 7, and Braden, 5 at the Woodbine Cemetery in Puyallup, about 60 kilometres south of Seattle.

The parents of Powell's missing wife, Susan, had threatened legal action and to move the boys' casket if Josh Powell were interred nearby, according to lawyer Steve Downing.

And the local chapter of Crime Stoppers went so far as to buy the plots on either side of the boys to ensure Powell didn't end up next to them.

Kirk Graves said that his mother-in-law had decided to give up a plot tentatively reserved for Powell at Woodbine that overlooked the boys' final resting place.

"We felt very strongly that it wasn't appropriate to put him anywhere near the boys, and we did our best over the last 48 hours to convince her to do something different," he said. "It wasn't that hard to convince her - she just got started off on the wrong path."

Powell's mother, wracked by grief, realized early this week that no one else was planning for what to do with Josh Powell's remains, Graves said. She visited a funeral home and a few cemeteries, he said, she "cluelessly" picked a gravesite just up the hill from where the boys are buried.

Powell killed his sons and himself in a gas-fueled blaze on Feb. 5 at a home he was renting in Graham, near Puyallup. He attacked the two with a hatchet when a social worker brought the boys to his home for what was a supervised visit, and then ignited the house.

The boys were buried in a single casket on Saturday after a funeral attended by more than 1,000 mourners.

Should Josh Powell have been allowed to be buried close to his sons? Why or why not? Do you agree with his family's decision to give up his plot? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.


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