But it would take another three and a half years before his appeal was heard by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The court said that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to support the conviction, according to The Associated Press. And I was in there. [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. [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. It was the police. 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. That way I know what was trying to be said, and then thats how I read, he said. I'm your dad. Houk had a restraining order against Harvey because Houk had claimed Harvey threatened to kill her and her family. I'm not going to be mad at you. "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. Speakman said Brown's family lives out of state, so when he heard Jordan was murdered, he reached out to the family on Facebook. Everything is gone. It's saying that I have a charge in front of me in juvenile court, and I am finding that you are responsible for that crime, ABC News Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams said. Harvey told police he didnt harm Houk, telling them he was sleeping at home when she was killed. I just did & dont understand the grounds they dismissed her ex as innocent. 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. In another allegation, the lawsuit provides a transcript of an interview with a former girlfriend of Browns father, a woman who said at least twice that she was absolutely not afraid of Jordan Brown. 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. She had cheated him of his money and cheated on him by sleeping with another man. Attorney Dennis Elisco told WPXIthat he believes the supreme court made the right call in exonerating Brown, whose record he believes will eventually be expunged. They also pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence as reasons for the decision. 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. Emily's Death: Died September 18, 1979. 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 . Judge Hodge put Brown on probation in the custody of an uncle who lived in Ohio, just across the border from Lawrence County. My biggest hopes for him probably is that he gets a fair shake moving forward, that, you know, people look at this and, for what it is, what it truly is, Chris Brown said. The police asked me if there was anybody out there that I thought would've done something to her. 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. On July 18, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction in a 50 decision. 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. Police said what really turned the case for them were additional interviews they conducted with Jenessa and Jordan the night of the murders. Thats blood-boiling, seeing-red motive. A young Jordan Brown is seen here in this undated family photo. The question is, did this 11 year old do it? I also thought it was hilarious how uncomfortable the big bald cop in the middle was. He has repeatedly stated in interviews that while he suffers from PTSD, he is committed to turning his life around. My wife is so much in shock I think Im gonna have to take her to the hospital. It was a whole different world. This was their first child together a baby boy they had already named Christopher. Houk,. "Sure enough, his dad was the first person to reach out to me . I was just going to walk in to wake her [Kenzie Houk] up. Houks mother Debbie Houk told 20/20, Jordan's a murderer. I mean, Mary Bell was only 11 when she killed two young kids. Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, was murdered at her Los Angeles home on June 12, 1994, along with friend Ronald Goldman. It's three feet long., Inside the Browns' farmhouse, police found a collection of handguns, rifles and several rounds of ammunition. And if you go by Adalynns account, this means it all, including the murders, happened long after Jordan and Jenessa had left the house and were on their way to school. Before watching Stephanie's video, I had very little knowledge about the case besides seeing his mugshot around the internet and people labeling him as one of the youngest killer. They literally said because he cried in the interview he was still in love with her & because the car had snow on it? Eleven year-old shot and killed his father's pregnant fiancee, setting off a debate about trying him as an adult or a juvenile. 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. Trooper McGraw believed Jordan threw the shell to the ground as he was walking to the bus the morning of the murders. 6 New Details About The Woman Who May Have Falsely Accused Emmett Till. The 25-year-old criminal was born in Pennsylvania, United States. [I'm] happy that this part of it is over with Jordan, you know, being wrongfully accused. After Brown had spent more than three years in a juvenile detention facility in Erie, Pennsylvania, while Pennsylvania courts deliberated his status, Brown was tried as a juvenile and found guilty of being delinquent by a judge on April 13, 2012. Jordan Brown mug shot AP Photo/Lawrence County Prison via Beaver County Times. The investigators were excited to have a sensational murder case, and once their minds were made up they did not collect additional physical evidence because they were sure they had their killer. And her face was facing me, Adalynn said. The farmhouse in Wampum where Chris Brown lived with his fiance Kenzie Houk, his son Jordan Brown and her two daughters, Janessa and Adalynn. (CBS/AP) PITTSBURGH - A judge on Friday found 14-year-old Jordan Brown guilty of killing his father's pregnant fiance . The tree trimmers saw Adalynn sometime after 9 a.m. that morning. I just did & dont understand the grounds they dismissed her ex as innocent. He shot his father's fiancee in the back of her head, killing her and her unborn child. Elisco said that moniker fueled the media frenzy and the presumption of guilt that stayed with the case throughout.". I dont believe there was gun residue on his hands. Houk, who was eight months pregnant at the time of her death, was found dead by her four-year-old daughter in the familys farmhouse in Pennsylvania. He spent over three years in a juvenile facility in Pennsylvania. Emma Tustin, 32, was unanimously convicted at Coventry Crown Court on Thursday of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Tacoma Police say. [2][3] He was subsequently arrested. But omg! As time went on they completely abandoned that statement, which would have been the strongest evidence in the case, and rather tried to pursue a prosecution based upon this forensic evidence.. He is one. Dr. Todd Grande 1.26M subscribers Subscribe 394K views 1 year ago This video answers the question: Can I analyze the. They noted there was no eyewitness, no DNA or fingerprint evidence and no blood or biological material on Browns clothing. You know, if something happened, tell me. I did not know what the sound was, said Adalynn, who was 4 years old at the time and is now 13. Judge Hodge issued a juvenile court opinion on April 19, 2015, again finding that Jordan was the individual who killed Kenzie Houk and her unborn child on the morning of February 20, 2009. Police determined that Houk had been shot in the back of the head. 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. In a 5-0 ruling, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Jordan Brown, who was 11-years-old when he was arrested, booked into an adult jail and initially charged as an adult for the 2009 murder of his father's pregnant fiance. Davis's death helped inspire the Black Lives Matter Movement and contributed to the national debate Read MoreJordan Russell Davis (1995-2012) Love is the desire to see unneces 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. 20 A pregnant Kenzie Marie Houk, 26, is killed in the New Beaver Borough farmhouse she shared with her daughters Jenessa, 7, and Adalynn, 4 her fianc, Chris Brown, and his son,. When we interview someone, you expect them to give their account, wait a little while, we interview them again, and they should give the same account. In a rare move, the highest court in Pennsylvania ruled that "there was insufficient evidence" to prosecute the case. But because few people seem to agree with him, he said, Krause decided to speak out Wednesday on behalf of Jordan Anthony Brown, 11, who is charged with two counts of murder in the shooting death of his father's pregnant fiancee last week in New Galilee. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Charles . My sister Jenessa woke me up, said Jordan Brown. The 4 year old who is speaking now; she sure does remember some details from a tragic event. The daily journey, however, wreaked havoc on his finances, Chris Brown said. WAMPUM, Pa. A lawsuit has been filed against four former troopers and a former Pennsylvania State Police commissioner for wrongfully convicting Jordan Brown, who was exonerated in the 2009 deaths of his fathers fiance and unborn child. When he was just 11, Brown was charged with the murder of 26-year-old Kenzie Houk, who was eight months pregnant at the time. All I remember was they came and got me at 3:00 in the morning, Jordan Brown said. The decertification ruling transferred Brown's case from adult court to Lawrence County's family court division regularly presided over by Judge Hodge, who handled the subsequent juvenile adjudication and dispositional hearings. They are also not smart enough to leave no traces. I still love her. I didn't think anything of it. Nearly two years after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court cleared him, Mr. Brown is suing an ex-state police commissioner and former troopers. Jenessa statements to police were never presented at trial, nor did she testify. Houk, who was eight months pregnant at the time. I have been on the fence after seeing the 20/20 (originally thought he was innocent). Houk, a hairstylist and a stay-at-home mom, was sleeping in a bedroom downstairs at the time, which was to become Jordans room after the baby was born. Finally, the truth finally got out, Jordan Brown said. The youth's father did not publicly discuss the case, until after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court exonerated his son nine years later in July 2018. They discovered Mrs. Borden's body a short time later. See additional information. "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 dads pregnant fiance, Kenzie Houk. Police arrested Jordan Brown based on the information provided by the girl. 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. I honestly believed that jordan was guilty/there was enough evidence to prove it and never thought much of it since. Adalynn Houk is seen here in the undated family photo. 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. They also found a 20-gauge shotgun that belonged to Jordan Brown. Christopher Brown and his once-partner, Mildred Krause, gladly welcomed Jordan Brown into their lives on August 12, 1997. Bongivengo said police found a spent shotgun shell in the yard. 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. 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? 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 went in to wake her up. 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. Obtained by ABC News Police determined that Houk had been shot in the back of the head. Presiding Judge Dominick Motto of the Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, Common Pleas Court initially denied decertification and transfer to juvenile court because Jordan would not admit his involvement in the crime. Lawsuit claims evidence fabricated in case of man exonerated in pregnant stepmothers murder Lawsuit claims evidence fabricated in case of man exonerated in pregnant stepmothers murder. The arrest of an 11-year-old for murder quickly gained wide media attention, and suddenly Wampum, Pennsylvania, a town with a population of roughly 600 people, had millions of eyes on it. But he added that Jordan's hands were never checked for gunpowder residue. Harvey also drove a black truck. 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