Julie Powers was born on January 13, 1961, in Iowa, and grew up in a prosperous and seemingly perfect family. She was highly athletic, participating in track and basketball, and later attended college with the initial goal of becoming a physical education teacher. Changing her career path, she joined the Defense Language Institute to learn Russian and was assigned to the 18th Military Intelligence Battalion in Munich, Germany, in 1987. There, she met Parker Schenecker, an intelligence officer, and the two married in New Orleans in 1992.The couple had two children: a daughter, Calyx, born in 1994, and a son, Beau, born in 1997. Parker's military career required the family to move frequently to locations including Arizona, Hawaii, Maryland, Germany, and finally Tampa, Florida, in 2008. These continuous relocations, combined with periods of isolation when Parker deployed, took a severe toll on Julie's mental health. She experienced significant mood swings and depression, leading to a psychiatric hospitalization in 2001, where she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and unspecified personality problems.By the time the family settled in Tampa, Julie had developed an intense obsession with "New Age" spirituality, believing she was a divine being and increasingly neglecting her household and family responsibilities. Her relationship with her children became deeply strained and hostile. On one occasion, she slapped her daughter Calyx twelve times in the face over a minor dispute, leading Calyx to report the incident to social services, though no criminal charges were ultimately filed. Julie also struggled with substance abuse, causing a car crash in November 2010 while under the influence of alcohol and medication. She briefly attended a rehabilitation center, but her condition did not improve upon returning home.In January 2011, Parker was deployed to Afghanistan. During his absence, Julie began sending bizarre, illogical emails to her family, frequently complaining that her children were disrespectful. The situation escalated tragically on January 28, 2011. While driving Beau to sports practice, an argument broke out between them. Julie pulled the car over, drew a recently purchased gun, and fatally shot her son twice. She then returned home and shot Calyx, who was doing her homework at her desk, before moving her daughter's body to a bed and physically manipulating her face to form a smile.Julie’s mother, highly alarmed by her daughter's disturbing emails, contacted the police, who quickly discovered the crime scene. Julie immediately confessed to the officers, stating she killed her children because they "talked back" and lacked respect. Investigators found substantial evidence of premeditation, including a journal outlining her plan to "teach her children a lesson," a deceptive note left on the front door claiming the family was away in New York, and the prior purchase of the firearm under the false guise of needing it for protection against burglaries.In May 2014, Julie was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Parker subsequently divorced her. In a 2015 interview from prison, she expressed no remorse for the murders, claiming she had actually "saved" her children and referencing her belief that Calyx also suffered from bipolar disorder. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-pieces--6886558/support.
