Murder suspect kills sons in front of social worker

The husband of a woman who has been missing for two years was killed with their two sons in an explosion at his home in Washington state.

Authorities said it appeared that Josh Powell blew up the house on purpose after Braden, five, and Charles, seven, arrived with a social worker for a supervised visit. A spokesman for Pierce County sheriff said an accelerant was used to make the house burn faster.

The social worker brought the boys to the property yesterday, and Mr Powell let his sons in but then blocked her from entering. She called her supervisors to report that she could smell gas and moments later the home exploded.

Jeffrey Bassett, who represented Mr Powell, said he received an email from his client about 10 minutes before the blast. It said, "I'm sorry, goodbye." He did not see the email until later.

Mr Powell was under investigation after his wife Susan, 28, disappeared from their home in West Valley City, Utah, in December 2009. He said he had taken the boys on a midnight excursion when she vanished.

The children had been living with Mrs Powell's parents since Mr Powell's father Steven, 61, was arrested on child porn and voyeurism charges last autumn. Last week a judge rejected his attempt to regain custody, and ordered him to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation.