Protection after death

Over reading break while I was in Tacoma, Washington, I was listening to the Seattle Komo 4 news in the car when I heard an interesting, but terribly sad, story. The "prequel" to this story had been in the news for quite awhile. It began with a missing woman - Susan Cox Powell, in 2009. To this day, I don't think they ever found out what actually happened to her, but her husband, Josh Powell, had been questioned about the matter. Recently, Josh, who had two young sons with his currently missing wife, attacked both sons with a hatchet and then set his residence on fire, killing both his sons and himself in the process.

The news of this was broadcast for days; the funeral for the boys took place on February 11, 2012. They were buried in a cemetery in Puyallup, Washington and the newest story regarding this tragic tale, caught my attention. At first, I thought I had heard wrong, but when the story repeated, I learned that I had not. Apparently, a detective, Ed Troyer (some of you may have heard of him during the shooting of police officers at a Lakewood coffee shop a few years ago), and a Sheriff, Paul Pastor, along with some money from Crimestoppers in Tacoma, purchased the burial plots next to the boys in the graveyard so that their father could not be buried next to them. The relatives of Josh Powell want his body to be buried in the same cemetery as his sons, and had selected a grave plot 25 feet away from them. The family of Susan Cox is apparently trying to seek a temporary restraining order to prevent Josh from being buried anywhere near the two boys.

Personally, I think this was a noble gesture on the part of the police and Crimestoppers, to protect these boys from their father, even in death. If I see individuals buried together (in a more modern context), I automatically think of family; people who loved and cared for one another. Not a broken family with a father who murdered his sons, and then killed himself. A father who may or may not have been involved with the disappearance of his wife.

Was this the right thing to do? Are there any moral issues with this? Did the police even have the right to purchase these plots when the family of Josh wanted him to be buried there?
What are your thoughts on this matter?

It is a tragic story, to say the least. I simply cannot comprehend what goes through some people's minds. I only wish for justice and peace for these boys who obviously lost their lives much too young.