05-09-2012, 07:40 PM
KIRO is streaming trial.
TACOMA, Wash. —
Prosecutors opened their case in the voyeurism trial of Steven Powell on Wednesday, saying the father-in-law of missing Utah mother Susan Powell had hundreds of images of girls that he took through a window for his own sexual gratification.
Powell was "invading their most private moments," said Deputy Prosecutor Bryce Nelson in his opening statement.
Graphic, nude photos of two young girls were among the pictures found on a computer in Steven Powell's home, and were taken without their knowledge as they went to the bathroom and took baths, said KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Jeff Dubois.
"Someone had been watching her girls: The defendant, Steven Powell," Nelson said. "This case is about a secret," he said. The neighbor girls and her mother "didn't know Steve Powell had a secret. But we do."
Defense attorney Mark Quigley told jurors during his opening statement that Steven Powell doesn't have any burden of proof in the case, and that it's up to prosecutors to provide enough evidence to convict him.
"What you're to consider in this case is the evidence you hear in this court only, not what this case is all about," Quigley said, adding that the defense "will challenge every piece of evidence the state presents."
Before the testimony began, there was an hour and a half of pre-trial arguments morning -- a lengthy discussion about which photos could be shown to the jurors.
The prosecution wanted to submit several photos unrelated to the case that demonstrated Powell's alleged, extensive collection of voyeuristic photos he had taken.
The judge ruled many photos were not pertinent to the case, but said he will allow image of Steven Powell engaged in personal sexual behavior.
TACOMA, Wash. —
Prosecutors opened their case in the voyeurism trial of Steven Powell on Wednesday, saying the father-in-law of missing Utah mother Susan Powell had hundreds of images of girls that he took through a window for his own sexual gratification.
Powell was "invading their most private moments," said Deputy Prosecutor Bryce Nelson in his opening statement.
Graphic, nude photos of two young girls were among the pictures found on a computer in Steven Powell's home, and were taken without their knowledge as they went to the bathroom and took baths, said KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Jeff Dubois.
"Someone had been watching her girls: The defendant, Steven Powell," Nelson said. "This case is about a secret," he said. The neighbor girls and her mother "didn't know Steve Powell had a secret. But we do."
Defense attorney Mark Quigley told jurors during his opening statement that Steven Powell doesn't have any burden of proof in the case, and that it's up to prosecutors to provide enough evidence to convict him.
"What you're to consider in this case is the evidence you hear in this court only, not what this case is all about," Quigley said, adding that the defense "will challenge every piece of evidence the state presents."
Before the testimony began, there was an hour and a half of pre-trial arguments morning -- a lengthy discussion about which photos could be shown to the jurors.
The prosecution wanted to submit several photos unrelated to the case that demonstrated Powell's alleged, extensive collection of voyeuristic photos he had taken.
The judge ruled many photos were not pertinent to the case, but said he will allow image of Steven Powell engaged in personal sexual behavior.