who killed jordan brown's stepmother
Why would the police ignore it? He lost his entire youth being wrongfully convicted of a crime he didnt commit, Wright said. It used to bother me all the time. Have you been living under a rock? The bed was all ready diapers were where they were supposed to be and everything, yeah she was ready.. 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. 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. I'm never not going to be your dad. The blended family seemed to be bonding. But it would take another three and a half years before his appeal was heard by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. A never-ending shadow of shock and grief embarked upon the Brown family in February of 2009, after the lady of the house, Kenzie Marie Houk, was shot dead and their 11-year-old son, Jordan Brown, was held accountable for the murder. "[15][16] The last words of the opinion then ordered that "Appellant is discharged." 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? 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? I don't think the kid did it and I honestly do think the cops jumped on him and didn't do their homework. Kids that age dont just up a kill without there having shown resentment and previous hostility toward their victims. After the arrest, prosecutor John Bongivengo told reporters he was confident in his case against Jordan Brown. They were saying there wasnt enough evidence. 21-year-old Jordan Brown talks for the first time about going to jail as a boy for a crime he says he didn't commit in an interview with ABC News' Juju Chang. I guess you could speculate that. 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. I was standing right at the edge of the doorway, and I remember the coroner saying, as he started to touch the body, We have a problem, Martin said. It was just a bunch of strangers dragging me around.. Convictions of first-degree murder against a father and stepmother who killed six-year-old Meika Jordan have been upheld by Canada's top court. Jordan Brown spent seven summers in detention and was released in 2016 when he was 18. On the morning of Feb. 20, 2009, Chris Brown was running a little late for work. Though Mr. Houk fully believes that Brown is the murderer, another possible suspect has been considered. 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. I was just going to walk in to wake her [Kenzie Houk] up. 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. She remembered picking up her mothers phone and answering it. -, Press J to jump to the feed. Boy who killed dad's pregnant fiancee to get juvenile review. Police said what really turned the case for them were additional interviews they conducted with Jenessa and Jordan the night of the murders. Trooper McGraw believed Jordan threw the shell to the ground as he was walking to the bus the morning of the murders. And he told me everything was going to be all right, and I just sat there and cried.. 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. Harvey also drove a black truck. She leaned against the Formica island, her sandy blond hair done up in a bulbous, frizzy ball. Attorney Katherine Burdick, another member of Browns defense team, discussed her reaction to the decision with local CBS station WKBN. It's more of a weapon of opportunity. Alan's stepmother, Rosalind L. Brown, and her brother, Montel Pettiford, were eventually convicted of his murder. I would not bet that she can recall time and detail to provide evidence for 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. Were going through hell. He was 75. "Homicide, something of this magnitude was very, very uncommon," Martin said. 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. Jordan. They also pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence as reasons for the decision. While the decision did not declare him innocent of the charges, he cannot be retried. 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 . It also mentions that he had a significant motive. It was a whole different world. And I was in there. Following three days of testimony and legal argument, Judge Hodge issued his ruling on April 13, 2012, that Brown was responsible for first degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Kenzie Houk and of homicide in the death of her unborn male child. Two of the statements did not show that Brown was guilty, and the others were built on lies that were fed to her by the investigators. She never testified under oath. He was almost 21 when Pennsylvanias highest court said prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to support a conviction. I honestly believed that jordan was guilty/there was enough evidence to prove it and never thought much of it since. Enough evidence without a reasonable doubt? Teen gets new hearing in case of woman's killing. 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. Brown was tried as a juvenile after his lawyers fought a judges original decision to try him as an adult. A 7 yaer old probably wont be able to put 2+2 together. The day before Emily was murdered James (age 16 at the time) came to visit her. The trial lasted three days. 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. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Brown said this week from his western Pennsylvania home that he is studying computer science at a college in Ohio, but taking criminal justice classes with the idea that he might go to law school and pursue a career as a civil rights attorney. He spent over three years in a juvenile facility in Pennsylvania. And the first person that comes to mind was Adam Harvey. Accidents happen, buddy. 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. 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. Under Pennsylvania law, an adjudicated juvenile offender cannot be held in custody past his 21st birthday. 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). 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. Harvey told police he didnt harm Houk, telling them he was sleeping at home when she was killed. I came across a blog which claims that Kenzie's abusive ex had threatened to kill her or have her killed. 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. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://people.com/crime/jordan-brown-case-murder-kenzie-houk-interview-after-prison/. But Houks family remains convinced that Jordan is guilty, and that he should receive the maximum punishment and be tried as an adult. RELATED:Latest Updates And News About The Murder Of1stGrader AprilTinsley And The Man Finally Arrested After 30 Years, The content produced by YourTango is for informational and educational purposes only. The 4 year old who is speaking now; she sure does remember some details from a tragic event. Naturally, I hugged her . I don't think the kid did it. In her first interview, the girl said she did not hear or see anything unusual, according to the lawsuit. 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. In fact, police said, in his second interview, Jordan changed his description of the black truck and added that there was a person inside with a hat on, ducking down. We did not get this wrong, McGraw told 20/20. There is not a trooper on scene that day that has lost one second of sleep over this case.. He kept shifting and obviously upset. 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. 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. 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. Multiple members of Browns legal team have spoken out about the supreme courts decision. Jordan is the prime suspect in the 2009 murder of his father's 26 year-old fianc, Kenzie Houk, who was also 8 months pregnant at the time of her death. CINCINNATI (FOX19) - A 28-year-old man was gunned down in Avondale late Wednesday, Cincinnati police said. CLICK HERE to find out how. And I'll say it. 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. Brown could be held in a juvenile rehabilitative treatment facility only until he turned 21 in August 2018. Houk's 4-year-old daughter alerted nearby tree cutters roughly 45 minutes after Jordan Brown and Houk's 7-year-old daughter got on a school bus. I wasn't with anybody. "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. 5 Theories Explain HowCayleeAnthony Really Died, pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence, Who Is Carolyn Bryant Donham? 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. All I remember was they came and got me at 3:00 in the morning, Jordan Brown said. After researching the case more, in particular the testimony of the 7 year old Jenessa. Jordan freely admitted he knew how to handle a gun, and the gun powder was only found on his sweatshirt, which hed worn on a duck hunt just a couple days before. Jordan denied to "20/20" doing anything with his guns that morning, saying I never touched them.. I'd, like, lose myself in the book. And again a third appeal was taken to the Pennsylvania Superior Court. 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. Charles . She said the person on the other end of the line asked to talk to her mother so she went into the downstairs bedroom to get her. I believe that testimony, further more with: "She told officers she asked Jordan Brown about the source of the sound, but he would not answer. ???? Jordan Dewey Brown, 35, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with four counts of rape of a child, a first-degree felony; two counts of drug possession, a third-degree felony; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor. He was almost 21 when Pennsylvania's highest court 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 where Chris Brown lived with his fiance Kenzie Houk, his son Jordan Brown and her two daughters, Janessa and Adalynn. Jordan Brown mug shot AP Photo/Lawrence County Prison via Beaver County Times. Where is any evidence showing abuses by the son towards his stepmom. Channel 11s Amy Marcinkiewicz reached out to Houks family. I mean, you Google Jordan Brown and you get that mug shot picture that pops up, he said. Pregnant Mother's Murder Leads Police to Arrest Her Step-Son Chris Brown and Kenzie Houk had been friends since they were teenagers. April 13, 2012. I also thought it was hilarious how uncomfortable the big bald cop in the middle was. [7][8][9][10] Judge Hodge held that Brown's juvenile hearing would not be open to the public or to the news media. As the conversation petered out, she hugged mea stronger one than usual. It was one of a half dozen incorrect characterizations in the summary that were not in the transcript, Wright said. Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. Judging by 20/20s recreations the house was very small. Chris Brown said he drove every day, 230 miles roundtrip, to see his son at the center. I miss her every day, he said. I just did & dont understand the grounds they dismissed her ex as innocent. Read that Supreme Court order and realize that this kid was done wrong., 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Brown and Houk had known each other since they were teenagers and were planning to be married soon. I went back in the house and I remember a very nice cop had sat me on the chair. You know, if something happened, tell me. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office then took over prosecution of the case. 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. 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. The Pennsylvania Superior Court rejected an appeal by three area newspapers (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and New Castle News) to overturn Hodge's ruling and open the hearing to the public. ". Im 100 percent, you know, a whole, clean slate. 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.. Both children were interviewed and, according to police, neither said anything out of the ordinary had happened that morning. His attorneys say police were never able to prove Jordan Browns shotgun was the murder weapon. A 7 year old will remember that. They told me that her and the baby were gone, and I remember collapsing in the yard, Brown said. 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