Kenzie Houks family is speaking out against the decision. I think the ex boyfriend did it. A 7 year old will remember that. Elisco said that moniker fueled the media frenzy and the presumption of guilt that stayed with the case throughout.". The question is, did this 11 year old do it? So we hurry up and went out the backdoor and ran down the driveway. But then I got to the point where it didnt bother me at all. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The report also revealed that Houks ex-boyfriend had learned he was not the biological father of Houks youngest daughter just two weeks before the murder. Its my belief, especially after watching 20/20 that the police had tunnel vision. Eleven year-old shot and killed his father's pregnant fiancee, setting off a debate about trying him as an adult or a juvenile. On November 20, 2010, Renee King, 29, of Macomb County, Michigan, called 911 to say her stepdaughter, two-year-old Lily Furneaux, was unconscious. But authorities transferred him to a juvenile center in March 2009 after his attorneys argued that the adult jail with its three cell blocks couldn't accommodate an 11-year-old boy. Channel 11s Amy Marcinkiewicz reached out to Houks family. He has someone that says that he's at home and from the trooper that interviewed him, who said the truck didn't look like it had been driven and we took photos of the truck, Martin said. Houk was found lying in bed in a pool of blood with a shotgun blast to the back of her head, according to court papers. And the first person that comes to mind was Adam Harvey. After researching the case more, in particular the testimony of the 7 year old Jenessa. Judge Hodge put Brown on probation in the custody of an uncle who lived in Ohio, just across the border from Lawrence County. Wonder what the other children think of it all. Arrested when he was just 11 and charged with killing Kenzie Houk, the pregnant fiance of his father . Evidence Popularised By A New Documentary And TikTok Theory Suggests An O.J. You took an 11-year-olds childhood away from him. He was almost 21 when Pennsylvania's highest court said prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to support a conviction. After some research I do believe he killed her. Jordan Browns father speaks out after sons murder conviction overturned Jordan Browns father speaks out after sons murder conviction overturned. RELATED:If Casey Anthony Didn't Kill Her Daughter, Who Did? Authorities said they also tested Harveys hands for the presence of gunshot residue and found none. Seriously the alibi for the ex boyfriend that threatened to kill her was he had some snow on his truck still..give me a break. At 9 a.m., tree trimming workers arrived to work around the house. [I'm] happy that this part of it is over with Jordan, you know, being wrongfully accused. Teen gets new hearing in case of woman's killing. And I had no idea where we were going. Thanks! Kenzie Houk, seen here in this undated family photo, and Chris Brown were engaged when she was killed. According to a search warrant filed Friday, police found the gun outside the boys bedroom, along with a blue blanket with a hole the size of a quarter and burn marks. Yet we are supposed to believe that an 11 year old kid left no physical evidence while committing a murder and hiding evidence within a few minutes while his sister sits in the other room waiting for him. I just did & dont understand the grounds they dismissed her ex as innocent. He was granted transfer of his case into the juvenile court system. Until now. The Lawrence County District Attorney's Office initially filed the charges in adult court because that is required in Pennsylvania homicide cases, regardless of a defendant's age. The Jordan Brown case. In her first interview, the girl said she did not hear or see anything unusual, according to the lawsuit. But in the complaint filed in federal district court Wednesday, Brown and his attorneys say state police investigators manipulated interviews, evidence and procedures to push the narrative that Brown had killed his soon-to-be stepmom. Chris Brown said he drove every day, 230 miles round trip, to see his son in detention. Its difficult to charge an 11-year-old with homicide. Multiple members of Browns legal team have spoken out about the supreme courts decision. And then, Jordans defense attorneys pointed to the troopers who had said Jordans shotgun smelled as if it had just been fired when they arrived at the house that morning. As the conversation petered out, she hugged mea stronger one than usual. Kids can be evil. Kids that age dont just up a kill without there having shown resentment and previous hostility toward their victims. I have been on the fence after seeing the 20/20 (originally thought he was innocent). WAMPUM, Pa. -- Jordan Brown was 11 years old when he was arrested and initially charged as an adult for the murder of his pregnant, soon-to-be stepmother. If in fact the blanket was shot through then there would have been fibers in the victims hair or embedded in her skull. When his mug shot was taken, Jordan Brown said he had been crying the whole night. See additional information. All I remember was they came and got me at 3:00 in the morning, Jordan Brown said. [1][14] The two Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices who did not participate had previously ruled in Jordan's favor on his earlier appeal while they had served as judges in the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Officials say it has been determined that a physical altercation occurred between the victim and Dequan Blount, who . The justices attacked the evidence as insufficient and said that the juvenile trial evidence pointing to a shotgun in Brown's bedroom as the murder weapon supported an equally-reasonable conclusion that it was not the murder weapon. She was interviewed four times in 14 hours after her mothers death, according to the lawsuit. The state Attorney General prosecutor asserted that Houk was killed by a youth-model Harrington & Richardson 20-gauge shotgun, a Christmas gift to Jordan from his father. 2023byTango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved. You have to be sure enough to charge him, Bongivengo told 20/20., At a time when headlines called Jordan America's littlest monster, he was at an age where he still believed in Santa Claus. Even with the relationship they had, Adam was still in love with Kenzie. Her partner and Arthur's father, 29-year-old Thomas Hughes, was found guilty of. Jordan Brown was 11 years old when he was arrested in the 2009 New Beaver, Pennsylvania, killing of 26-year-old Kenzie Houk and her unborn child. ", https://wandervogeldiary.wordpress.com/tag/jordan-brown-innocent/. Another issue Jordans attorneys raised was that there was no blood or tissue found on the gun or Jordan Browns clothing that day. She was thrilled, thats what she wanted, Houks mother Debbie Houk told 20/20. The clothing was washed. The work on this case like so many unsolved cases was shoddy. It's kind of a bittersweet feeling, you know. But omg! He had 120 seconds to kill her and clean up. While awaiting trial, Jordan Brown was housed for three years at the Edmund L. Thomas Adolescent Center, a juvenile detention facility in Erie County, Pennsylvania. I didn't know where I was at, what was going on or anything, he said. Jordan Brown was just 11 years old when he was taken into custody in 2009 by Pennsylvania police for allegedly fatally shooting 26-year-old Kenzie Houk, who was expecting Jordan's younger. [2][3] He was subsequently arrested. Owing in part to the discovery of a shotgun in the family home, near Wampum, as well as a shell casing outside and evidence of gunshot residue on his clothes, police zeroed in on 11-year-old Jordan. They were saying there wasnt enough evidence. A former Lawrence County man is suing a handful of retired state police investigators and officials alleging malicious prosecution after he spent most of his childhood in prison for the shotgun killing of his fathers pregnant fiance before the state Supreme Court overturned his conviction. Meanwhile, officers also went to Mohawk Elementary School to speak to Jenessa and Jordan. His disposition order was dated May 18, 2012. - The mother of 16-year-old George Almaraz Jr., who was killed, allegedly after suffering abuse from his stepmother, spoke about her son's brutal death. She stood by her confession and . During his incarceration, Jordan taught himself to play guitar and said he became a pretty good basketball player. Not only did the individual defendants in this case fail all of us, the institution of policing failed us as well, Alec Wright, an attorney with the OBrien Law firm in Pittsburgh who represents Brown, wrote in an emailed statement. Retired Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bobby McGraw said he is still confident that Jordan Brown committed the murders. Wright alleges in the lawsuit that investigators failed to follow protocols for interviewing children when they talked to Houks two young daughters and when they interviewed Jordan. ". I came across a blog which claims that Kenzie's abusive ex had threatened to kill her or have her killed. Brown, who has lived with his uncle since being put on probation in 2016, was not in police custody and had met all of his treatment goals, Burdick told The Associated Press. I thought, you know, it was just some guy there doing work or something. Trooper McGraw believed Jordan threw the shell to the ground as he was walking to the bus the morning of the murders. Cinnamon Brown, who at age 14 carried out her father's command to kill her stepmother, was denied early release Tuesday by the state youth parole board despite her cooperation with authorities in . Adrian Jones's short, tortured life was spent isolated from outsiders, confined in filthy, mice-infested houses where he was "home-schooled" by the parents who ultimately killed him, according. She wanted financial support payments for Adalynn but he had refused, saying he first wanted proof that the child was his. In my 25 years, I believe it was the only one in that area that I can remember.. I still love her. That decision, he told 20/20, is something that's haunted me.. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. A man has been jailed for 21 years and his partner for a minimum of 29 years over the torture and killing of his six-year-old son, Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. They are also not smart enough to leave no traces. And I don't know if that happened in this case, Martin said. In a rare move, the highest court in Pennsylvania ruled that "there was insufficient evidence" to prosecute the case. But now Im kind of, like, I go back and forth sometimes, I think, he said. Despite this, prosecutors excluded the ex-boyfriend as a suspect during their initial investigation. Especially grief-sticken was the younger . It's ridiculous. Janessa Houk is seen here in this undated family photo. Like he couldnt have parked nearby overnight watching the house then pull up when he went to kill her WITHOUT dusting off his car prior? It also mentions that he had a significant motive. She feared him, Chris Brown said. The 25-year-old criminal was born in Pennsylvania, United States. Brown could be held in a juvenile rehabilitative treatment facility only until he turned 21 in August 2018. Then the issue became whether Brown's eventual adjudication hearing (juvenile court trial) should be opened to the public, and whether he should provisionally be released while a decision in that matter was pending. Ill be honest with you, I suffer from PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] over this, Chris Brown continued. Houk, 26 and about eight months pregnant with Jordan's little brother, was found dead in her bed by her 4-year-old daughter on Feb. 20, 2009. By then, Bongivengo had been replaced by a different prosecutor. Were ecstatic, we believe professionally and personally in Jordans innocence, Elisco told the station. It was a whole different world. Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, was murdered at her Los Angeles home on June 12, 1994, along with friend Ronald Goldman. By Joe Mandak - News.yahoo.com. Feb. Jordan Brown (Shooting of Kenzie Houk) | Did an 11-Year-Old Commit Murder? And I'll say it. Brown was tried as a juvenile after his lawyers fought a judges original decision to try him as an adult. Brown said his fiance Kenzie Houk, who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant at the time, had asked him to stay home with her that day, but he decided to go to work. I don't think the kid did it and I honestly do think the cops jumped on him and didn't do their homework. Houk had a restraining order against Harvey because Houk had claimed Harvey threatened to kill her and her family. I liked her a lot, Jordan Brown told 20/20. I was happy [about the baby] I always wanted a little brother. Police had tried to speak with Adalynn when they arrived at the house, but reported that she was in a state of shock, and could not provide coherent answers. Kenzie Houk was eight months pregnant when she was shot in the back of the head while she was sleeping in bed in their western Pennsylvania farmhouse. In July 2018, the court sided with Jordan Brown, writing that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had failed to prove Jordan Brown guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Now, he was losing his son. I would also like to hear more about the alternate suspect the lawyer speaks of. In statements to the police, Jordan Brown claimed to have seen a black pickup truck parked by his home, resembling the one owned by the ex-boyfriend, on the morning of the murder. At that point, we assumed that somehow she had hemorrhaged, Martin told 20/20. We didn't touch her, we didn't move her. Alan's stepmother, Rosalind L. Brown, and her brother, Montel Pettiford, were eventually convicted of his murder. Directed by Kyle Saylors, the true crime story is based on 20 years of research by Simpson's former business associate and friend, Norman Pardo. Attorney Katherine Burdick, another member of Browns defense team, discussed her reaction to the decision with local CBS station WKBN. [I] havent had a chance to grieve properly, Chris Brown said. Martin said the autopsy report determined that Houk had been killed with a shotgun and she had a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. The farmhouse in Wampum, Pa. where Kenzie Houk was killed. Jordan's mother, Mildred Krause, was just four months pregnant with him when she first entered a courtroom to battle his father, Christopher Brown. On May 1, 2011, hours after a meeting of the neo-Nazi group at Hall's house in Southern California, the boy took his father's revolver from the upstairs bedroom where his stepmother was sleeping. A 7 yaer old probably wont be able to put 2+2 together. They literally said because he cried in the interview he was still in love with her & because the car had snow on it? He was 75. Double jeopardy has attached under the Fifth Amendment, and Brown, now 21, cannot be retried. PROVO A Provo man who police say "groomed" a 13-year-old girl for sex has been charged with multiple counts of rape. They never said he wasnt guilty. Pay for the crime that you did, Deborah Houk said in a phone interview Wednesday. But that's why I told them.. Police say Brown walked into his father's bedroom, shot his future stepmom with a hunting rifle and then boarded a bus for elementary school. Chris Brown said he drove every day, 230 miles roundtrip, to see his son at the center. The teen was killed on Tuesday around 12:30 . Simpson Conspiracy Theory That O.J Simpson's Son Jason Be Guilty Of Murdering His Step-mother Nicole Brown And Ron Goldman. She remembered picking up her mothers phone and answering it. Charles . But Houks family remains convinced that Jordan is guilty, and that he should receive the maximum punishment and be tried as an adult. Part of me wants to get into a line of work to help kids or just people in general to prevent the injustices before they happen or at least after they happen, trying to correct them., 2023 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved, Railroads urged to examine track detectors after Ohio crash, Historically mild February leaves Pittsburgh region with barely a trace of snow, EPA opens office near site of Ohio toxic train derailment, UPMC cites employment costs, pandemic as profits fell in 2022, Gas prices resume fall on worrisome inflation figures, analyst says, Low-calorie sweetener may increase risk of heart attack and stroke, study finds, Vento's Pizza, home of 'Franco's Italian Army,' to close, Heinz offers to buy boat for sailor who survived on ketchup while lost at sea, Pa. Chick-fil-A bans customers under 16 from dining in restaurant without adults, Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source. Just a fifth grader at the time, he said he didnt understand of what he was being accused. The human-rights organization Amnesty International opposed the effort to try Jordan as an adult, citing the mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole penalty as a violation of international law. Youve, you know, ruined his name in essence. It's almost inconceivable that you could suggest that a shotgun was fired at close range wouldn't deposit any tissue, any blood on the barrel of the gun or on his clothing, which he wore to school, Elisco said. I also thought it was hilarious how uncomfortable the big bald cop in the middle was. Jordan Brown said he has "mixed feelings" about what happened to him. I can remember just looking at Jordan and feeling like we had failed him. This is precisely what would have had to have happened, Colafella added. I gave him every opportunity. The lawsuit also alleges that troopers failed to completely and properly investigate Houks ex-boyfriend who had threatened her and her family previously, had recently moved to the same area as her and had found out he was not the father of her youngest daughter. Under Pennsylvania law, an adjudicated juvenile offender cannot be held in custody past his 21st birthday. Though life had taken them in different directions for a while, they reconnected and were getting ready to officially tie the knot, and give birth to a baby boy they had already named Christopher. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. "She was yelling, 'You killed my father! They routinely shot on that property. They couldn't prove that the shotgun found in the house was the one used in the murder, other than a sniff-test (smelling of the gun barrel). It was appalling to me that they seemingly just ignored that fact throughout the case.. Jordan Brown is alleged to have shot 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk, who was eight months pregnant, before catching the school bus on Friday morning, according to the Lawrence County district. They also pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence as reasons for the decision. The ruling in particular objected to the assumption, made by the juvenile court, that no one else but Jordan could have shot Houk. I lost it.. The farmhouse in Wampum where Chris Brown lived with his fiance Kenzie Houk, his son Jordan Brown and her two daughters, Janessa and Adalynn. Jordan Brown was 11 years old when he was arrested in the 2009 New Beaver, Pennsylvania, killing of 26-year-old Kenzie Houk and her unborn child. Pregnant Mother's Murder Leads Police to Arrest Her Step-Son Chris Brown and Kenzie Houk had been friends since they were teenagers. Investigators on the case told "20/20" in that rural area of Pennsylvania, Its fairly common, most especially young males would grow up with learning to shoot firearms.. I am a step dad to twin 12 year old girls, a 7 year old and a 4 year old for the past 3 years. [19], Last edited on 18 February 2023, at 18:45, "Court overturns then-11-year-old boy's conviction in Lawrence County killing", "Judge declares Jordan Brown guilty of murder", "Authorities: Jordan Brown Killed Father's Pregnant Girlfriend; 11-Year-Old Charged As Adult", "13-year-old US boy's murder trial could violate international law", "Boy accused in pregnant woman's death to be tried as a juvenile", "Lawyer Of Boy Accused Of Murder Fights To Have Him Tried In Juvenile System", "Court will hear Jordan Brown arguments at next session", "13-year-old murder suspect faces US court appeal", "Jordan Brown seeks release while awaiting court decision", "Media denied access to boy's juvenile case in '09 killing", "Judge: Pa. boy killed dad's pregnant fiance at 11", "Court rejects Pa. teen's appeal in '09 slaying; suspect now living in Ohio", "Jordan Brown exonerated of all charges in 2009 homicide", "PDF of 47 page decision, provided by WKBN News", "Supreme Court opinion cites insufficient evidence", "What happened after an 11-year-old boy was accused of murdering his pregnant soon-to-be stepmom", "What life is like today for man arrested at age 11 for pregnant future stepmom's death", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jordan_Brown_case&oldid=1140154229, Delinquent of first-degree murder and criminal homicide (acquitted), Held in juvenile rehabilitation until the age of 21, This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 18:45. On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Jordan Brown, who was convicted of murdering his fathers pregnant fiance in 2009 when he was just 11 years old. A certiorari request for review was made to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which granted an appeal to consider Brown's claims that the evidence was insufficient as a matter of law to sustain the adjudication of the juvenile court, and that its adjudication was against the weight of the evidence. Those law enforcement officers who said that they smelled [that the gun] was recently fired, they conceded that they had no expertise or training, said Jordans attorney Dennis Elisco. PITTSBURGH (AP) A boy who was 11 when he was accused of killing his father's pregnant fiance and her unborn son was found guilty Friday of their 2009 shotgun slayings. It's three feet long., Inside the Browns' farmhouse, police found a collection of handguns, rifles and several rounds of ammunition. No question.. He kept talking about a piece of fuzz, and I got it out of my pocket and I threw it. In my opinion, he was focused on the shotgun shell casing that he threw after he left the residence, McGraw said. Season Two 21st June 2004, Jim Donnelly goes to work as usual at the Glenbrook Steel Mill, places his lunch on the bench, gets changed into his work clothes - and is never seen again. At all. He knew the doors were unlocked. Brown was found guilty of first-degree murder and homicide of an unborn child in connection with the death of his father's fiance Kenzie Houk. TACOMA, Wash. Jordan Brown was killed on March 19 at the World of Weed Cannabis Dispensary during an armed robbery. Dara's mother, 64-year-old Linda McAllister, was shot dead in 2017, and the Hodges' daughter, 23-year-old Jordan Hodge, was convicted of the two murders, along with her boyfriend, 30-year-old . Read that Supreme Court order and realize that this kid was done wrong., 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. This was way beyond shoddy police work! CLICK HERE to find out how. Authorities said Harvey cooperated during the investigation and agreed to take a polygraph. "Jordan Brown was a fifth-grader in February 2009 when Pennsylvania police arrived to take him away as the sole suspect in the shotgun slaying of his dad's pregnant fiance, Kenzie Houk. (This account of the case is pulled from reports by ABC News, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Post-Gazette and available court documents.). He acknowledged to authorities that he and Houk had argued about money. I wasn't with anybody. Finally, it felt like a big weight had been lifted off of me. Why would the police ignore it? Jordan Brown was 11 years old when he was arrested in the 2009 killing of 26-year-old Kenzie Houk and her unborn child in New Beaver. I feel if we win the lawsuit itll shed a light of (my) innocence on people that they cant really ignore, Brown said, noting that even after he was exonerated, people still expressed mixed feelings about his innocence, which hes maintained since he was 11. The tree trimmer called 911. ", " The girl also told investigators that she saw Jordan Brown toss something on the snow next to their driveway. 6 New Details About The Woman Who May Have Falsely Accused Emmett Till. Jordan Brown, who is attending college and studying computer science, is determined to leave his past behind. On the morning of Feb. 20, 2009, Chris Brown was running a little late for work. Jade Townsend The case that took 44 years to be solved: Arlis Perry Fatim Hemraj Parents Make Shocking Discovery After 15-Year-Old Girl Sneaks Out to Meet a Strange Man Lioness Rue What Leads a. The summary of that interview provided by troopers is changed to claim the woman didnt want her interview used against the boy because she was scared of him. Houks father, Jack Houk, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he and his wife Debbie, who have raised Houks two daughters since her death, are distraught. Under Pennsylvania Law, those who are under 15 and being tried as an adult are sentenced to life with parole after 25 years. A young Jordan Brown is seen here in this undated family photo. But as far as his guiltiness, I know he is. No way. April 13, 2012. A week has passed since Roy Oliver, a Balch Springs police officer, shot his rifle through the window of a car and killed 15-year-old Jordan. I can't even imagine all the pain Jordan Brown and his family went through :/. Justices said in their 2018 decision that prosecutors presented largely circumstantial and insufficient evidence, saying among other things in trial testimony that a 20-gauge shotgun in Browns bedroom was the murder weapon actually supported an equally reasonable conclusion that it was not used in the murder. In response, he allegedly confronted Houks parents in a nightclub the night before Houk'sdeath. Inside the family's farmhouse, police had found handguns, rifles, several rounds of ammunition and a child-sized shotgun that belonged to Jordan. Her mom said she doesnt care what Browns next step is; she believes he killed her daughter. [13] He was to remain on juvenile court probation until he turned 21. Both children were interviewed and, according to police, neither said anything out of the ordinary had happened that morning. The coroner determined Lily had died at least two hours before her stepmother . The two of them, plus Browns then-11-year-old son Jordan and Houks two daughters, then-7-year-old daughter Jenessa and then-4-year-old daughter Adalynn, all from their previous relationships, had recently all moved in together in a farmhouse. I just watched the 20/20 episode. Where are phys reports showing this childs jealousy and hatred for his step mom. Jordan battled the fear that she would turn out to be like her mother. Marie Magoon, Spencer Jordan tortured 6-year-old Meika Jordan before death, alleges Crown Spencer Jordan, Meika's father, and Marie Magoon, her stepmother, were originally charged with. I'm never not going to be here every day, Chris Brown said. Everything is gone. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. This case was investigated by some of the finest police officers in this country, plain and simple. I'm a little on the fence concerning his guilt, but one thing I keep thinking about is this child, 11 years old at the time and now 21, has steadfastly proclaimed his innocence all of these years.

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