MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A year after Josh Powell killed himself and his two sons in an explosive house fire in Washington state, his brother has committed suicide.
Kiirsi Hellewell, a friend of Powell's estranged sister, says Powell's brother jumped to his death from a Minneapolis parking garage Monday. The Hennepin County medical examiner's office confirmed Wednesday the victim was 30-year-old Michael C. Powell.
Josh Powell was the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Susan Powell, who vanished in Utah in 2009. In 2012, he attacked his two young sons with a hatchet and set the house ablaze.
Michael Powell had been involved in a court fight with Susan Powell's parents over the proceeds of a life insurance policy Josh Powell took out on himself and his sons before their deaths.