In a later interview, after investigators told her grandparents they believed Brown killed Houk, the girl said she saw him with guns that morning and heard a bang. On weekends Jordan hunted alongside his father, Chris Brown, who purchased the youth-sized 20-gauge shotgun that state police believed was the murder weapon. 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. His lawyers continued to file appeals in order to have his juvenile conviction (adjudication) overturned. 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. Police are still confident Jordan Brown did it.. 11 is pretty young to straight up plan and commit a murder like that, perhaps though some here know of other instances. Later that night, as Chris and Jordan Brown were finally starting to nod off around 3:30 a.m., they were startled by a pounding on the door. 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. 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. Speakman said Brown's family lives out of state, so when he heard Jordan was murdered, he reached out to the family on Facebook. ???? The mother of Kenzie Houk, who was 26 when she was murdered in 2009, and other relatives confirmed Monday's decision by a Lawrence County judge to release Jordan Brown following a juvenile. He acknowledged to authorities that he and Houk had argued about money. And none of us wanted to put handcuffs on an 11-year-old. Houk,. Houk had a restraining order against Harvey because Houk had claimed Harvey threatened to kill her and her family. The Jordan Brown case involves Jordan Brown (born August 12, 1997), who was initially charged at 11 as an adult in the fatal shooting of his father's fiance, Kenzie Marie Houk, 26, in New Beaver, Pennsylvania, which occurred on the morning of February 20, 2009. 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.. Officers responded to a report of a person shot in the 3600 block of Vine Street at 9:16. In her first interview, the girl said she did not hear or see anything unusual, according to the lawsuit. 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. See additional information. Police said what really turned the case for them were additional interviews they conducted with Jenessa and Jordan the night of the murders. At 9 a.m., tree trimming workers arrived to work around the house. I don't think the kid did it and I honestly do think the cops jumped on him and didn't do their homework. I have never expected to have the murder weapon to be a shotgun, Martin said. 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. I mean, you Google Jordan Brown and you get that mug shot picture that pops up, he said. Tacoma Police say. ", " The girl also told investigators that she saw Jordan Brown toss something on the snow next to their driveway. They attempted CPR, but it was too late. I came across a blog which claims that Kenzie's abusive ex had threatened to kill her or have her killed. 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. He was almost 21 when Pennsylvania's highest court said prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to support a conviction. So that's what I was going to get.. Thanks! I'm not going to be mad at you. April 13, 2012. Trooper McGraw believed Jordan threw the shell to the ground as he was walking to the bus the morning of the murders. Jordan Brown spent seven summers in detention and was released in 2016 when he was 18. [2][3] He was subsequently arrested. The tree trimmer called 911. "The conflict caused police to reinterview Jenessa, who told police that Jordan Brown had a shotgun covered in a blanket Friday morning and she heard a big boom prior to the pair leaving for school. Im from the nearby area also. Feb. Even with the relationship they had, Adam was still in love with Kenzie. Two years ago, Howard County State's Attorney Rich Gibson decided not to charge a Woodbine homeowner who shot and killed a drunken man at his door.The stranger had come to the wrong house . 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. The father-son duo was as close as possible and often spent their weekends hunting in the nearby woods. He spent over three years in a juvenile facility in Pennsylvania. [I'm] happy that this part of it is over with Jordan, you know, being wrongfully accused. The bed was all ready diapers were where they were supposed to be and everything, yeah she was ready.. 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. Both she and her unborn son died as a result of the attack. This was way beyond shoddy police work! Elisco disclosed to WPXI that Brown is attending college at an undisclosed location under another name. Paula Scarlett-Brown, the widow of Pilgrim Assemblies International founder Archbishop Roy E. Brown, told the New York Post on Sunday that she and Brown's daughter, Tiwana Brown, had a major fight over the minister's body just hours after his death on June 2. She leaned against the Formica island, her sandy blond hair done up in a bulbous, frizzy ball. He kept shifting and obviously upset. 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. 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. [1] Justice Debra Todd wrote the Court's opinion and noted, "The Commonwealths evidence was, therefore, insufficient as a matter of law to overcome Appellants presumption of innocence, and the juvenile courts adjudication of his delinquency for these serious crimes must be reversed. Attorney Katherine Burdick, another member of Browns defense team, discussed her reaction to the decision with local CBS station WKBN. Its my belief, especially after watching 20/20 that the police had tunnel vision. >>PREVIOUS STORY: Man convicted at 11 of pregnant stepmoms 2009 murder exonerated of crime. Pennsylvania State Police found a spent shotgun shell near the path Brown walked with Houk's older daughter to get to their school bus. 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. Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, was murdered at her Los Angeles home on June 12, 1994, along with friend Ronald Goldman. Jordan Brown is ruled . I would not bet that she can recall time and detail to provide evidence for the case. Where are phys reports showing this childs jealousy and hatred for his step mom. And that made me happy. 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. You know, it's just a truck, he told "20/20." -, Press J to jump to the feed. The ruling in particular objected to the assumption, made by the juvenile court, that no one else but Jordan could have shot Houk. 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. It would be another eight months before Jordan would stand trial for double homicide. 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. The 5-0 supreme court ruling exonerated Brown of all charges, overturning earlier findings by a Lawrence County Juvenile Court Judge that were upheld by the states appellate court. [7][8][9][10] Judge Hodge held that Brown's juvenile hearing would not be open to the public or to the news media. Now, he was losing his son. He was granted transfer of his case into the juvenile court system. All I remember was they came and got me at 3:00 in the morning, Jordan Brown said. He knew the doors were unlocked. On the morning of Feb. 20, 2009, Chris Brown was running a little late for work. Brown was 11 years old when prosecutors said he shot 26-year-old Kenzie Houk, who was eight months pregnant, in the head and then went to school. 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 wasn't with anybody. A state police spokesman, Ryan Tarkowski, declined to comment on pending litigation. It used to bother me all the time. The court said that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to support the conviction, according to The Associated Press. 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 saw a gentleman in front of me that was crying, said Martin. 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. Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were only 10 when they killed that poor toddler. 5 Theories Explain HowCayleeAnthony Really Died. They found Houk in the bedroom, he said, and thought at first that shed had a medical emergency. Jordans defense lawyers say her timeline means Jordan wasnt there when Houk was killed, but Martin, who worked the case, says after so many years he doesnt find Adalynns account credible. There was a small amount of gun residue on Jordan's jacket, explained by his lawyers as being from a hunt the boy had been on a few days prior. Wright described 11-year-old Brown sitting on a bench waiting to be placed in a jail cell with the sleeves and legs of his adult prison jumpsuit rolled up at the ankles and wrists to fit, swinging his feet because they didnt touch the ground. 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. Dr. Todd Grande 1.26M subscribers Subscribe 394K views 1 year ago This video answers the question: Can I analyze the. The 26-year-old Houk and her unborn baby died Feb. 20, 2009, when she was shot in the New Beaver Borough farmhouse she shared with her daughters, her fianc, Chris Brown, and his son Jordan,. [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. 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. Lawrence County Judge John Hodge found the now-14-year-old Jordan Brown delinquent, the juvenile . No way. Teen gets new hearing in case of woman's killing. 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. 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. The blended family seemed to be bonding. Just 18 hours before, Chris Brown had lost his fiance and unborn child. 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? 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. And that's when we realized that it was a homicide.. Wright says in the lawsuit that state police investigators failed to include any exculpatory evidence that indicated someone else could have committed the murders in their affidavit to charge Brown although he said plenty existed. Jordan Brown, now 17, insists he is innocent despite being convicted of killing his father's pregnant fiancee in 2009. . Unfortunately, we cant give him back the years that were lost, but were glad that the courts ruling today will mean that further barriers to his moving forward with a successful life will be broken down.". But what police did discover during their interview with Harvey was that he had recently discovered 4-year-old Adalynn, who was believed to be his and Houks daughter, was in fact, not his biological child at all. (CBS/AP) PITTSBURGH - A judge on Friday found 14-year-old Jordan Brown guilty of killing his father's pregnant fiance . [5], Jordan Brown was initially charged as an adult. I mean, Mary Bell was only 11 when she killed two young kids. 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. [13] He was to remain on juvenile court probation until he turned 21. It was just a bunch of strangers dragging me around.. Brown was tried as a juvenile after his lawyers fought a judges original decision to try him as an adult. I didn't think anything of it. People will believe what they want to believe, but Jordan was innocent. Police say 23-year-old Jordan Brown was witnessed firing a handgun from inside a vehicle. It's kind of a bittersweet feeling, you know. They also pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence as reasons for the decision. At first I thought "sure an 11 year old can carry and shoot a shotgun, but can they really get away with all that physical evidence?" Still, a juvenile court judge found Jordan Brown, then 14, delinquent in the case. At that point, we assumed that somehow she had hemorrhaged, Martin told 20/20. We didn't touch her, we didn't move her. Just a fifth grader at the time, he said he didnt understand of what he was being accused. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 2018 ruled prosecutors did not provide enough evidence to support a conviction and Brown was exonerated at the age of 20. 11 is not too young to wield a shotgun, and we dont know anything about his interactions with his dads fianc. They told me that her and the baby were gone, and I remember collapsing in the yard, Brown said. That's where the case took us. ", I just read about this case on people.com. Jordan Brown mug shot AP Photo/Lawrence County Prison via Beaver County Times. It was appalling to me that they seemingly just ignored that fact throughout the case.. Chris Brown said he drove every day, 230 miles round trip, to see his son in detention. This is final piece of the puzzle really providing him of his true feeling of innocent, closure put this behind me, Wright said. CLICK HERE to find out how. So we hurry up and went out the backdoor and ran down the driveway. The 4 year old who is speaking now; she sure does remember some details from a tragic event. Went to school.. This is a really interesting case. It's the totality of the circumstances. His father backed up his alibi, confirming Harveys story that he was home with them. A juvenile court judge later found Brown guilty of first-degree murder and homicide of an unborn child. According to the lawsuit, former troopers Janice Wilson, Jeffrey Martin, Robert McGraw and Troy Steinhauser, as well as former commissioner Frank Pawlowski, fabricated evidence against Brown. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 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