(This account of the case is pulled from reports by ABC News, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Post-Gazette and available court documents.). In an interview with New Castle News, Elisco addressed potential problems with how the case was investigated. Houks older daughter, then 7, also said she had heard a loud noise in the house around the time of the shooting. They are also not smart enough to leave no traces. It's the totality of the circumstances. Two years later that resulted in the July 18, 2018 Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling. 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? This was their first child together a baby boy they had already named Christopher. Just 18 hours before, Chris Brown had lost his fiance and unborn child. 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. 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. Were going through hell. However, shortly after his birth, Chris attained full custody as his mother fell seriously ill. I am from the area and so it was odd for me to see this case on the "unresolved" forum. If in fact the blanket was shot through then there would have been fibers in the victims hair or embedded in her skull. The coroner determined Lily had died at least two hours before her stepmother . The work on this case like so many unsolved cases was shoddy. 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. Not long after 11:00 A.M. Lizzie found her father's body and called Bridget for help. Still, a juvenile court judge found Jordan Brown, then 14, delinquent in the case. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office then took over prosecution of the case. I did not know what the sound was, said Adalynn, who was 4 years old at the time and is now 13. I'm your dad. 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 can't even imagine all the pain Jordan Brown and his family went through :/. Kenzie Houks family is speaking out against the decision. 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 still love her. I went in to wake her up. VOLANT Jonathan Krause insists that his nephew is not a killer. It's ridiculous. After the arrest, prosecutor John Bongivengo told reporters he was confident in his case against Jordan Brown. I remember when this all happened and just read up on everything that has happened since (I had an idea that he was out of prison, but had NO idea that his conviction was overturned based on insufficient evidence). 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 called Chris Brown at his job in the shipping department at a local tableware company and asked him to come home immediately. April 13, 2012. Simpson became the immediate suspect, and seemingly fled from . 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. 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. 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. Inside the family's farmhouse, police had found handguns, rifles, several rounds of ammunition and a child-sized shotgun that belonged to Jordan. Brown could be held in a juvenile rehabilitative treatment facility only until he turned 21 in August 2018. Only family members were allowed to attend the trial due to. But still, that side of it, that suffering from the loss and not having any answers, knowing he was falsely accused and the route the prosecutor and investigators took on this, the inadequate investigation. The blanket being outside Jordans bedroom is not surprising. Alan's stepmother, Rosalind L. Brown, and her brother, Montel Pettiford, were eventually convicted of his murder. 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. Meanwhile, officers also went to Mohawk Elementary School to speak to Jenessa and Jordan. As the years passed, Jordan Brown said he spent much of his time absorbed in the books his father brought him, reading with a dictionary next to him. I honestly believed that jordan was guilty/there was enough evidence to prove it and never thought much of it since. She feared him, Chris Brown said. The court said that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to support the conviction, according to The Associated Press. You know, [he] maintained his innocence throughout from day one, he added. 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? 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. 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. 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.". All I remember was they came and got me at 3:00 in the morning, Jordan Brown said. The ruling in particular objected to the assumption, made by the juvenile court, that no one else but Jordan could have shot Houk. As an investigator, you have to look at everything.. 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. 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 used to hate it. Ill be honest with you, I suffer from PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] over this, Chris Brown continued. 5 Theories Explain HowCayleeAnthony Really Died. Police said she told them she saw Jordan moving his guns that morning. [13] He was to remain on juvenile court probation until he turned 21. And again a third appeal was taken to the Pennsylvania Superior Court. The blended family seemed to be bonding. They noted there was no eyewitness, no DNA or fingerprint evidence and no blood or biological material on Browns clothing. Jordan Brown mug shot AP Photo/Lawrence County Prison via Beaver County Times. As for Chris, he still mourns the loss of Houk and their unborn son. 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. It also mentions that he had a significant motive. Finally, the truth finally got out, Jordan Brown said. 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. I just watched the 20/20 episode. On May 8, 2013, Superior Court, in the second appeal that came before it in this case, ruled that "the juvenile court committed a palpable abuse of discretion in rendering a ruling that is plainly contrary to the evidence" and vacated the juvenile court's disposition of delinquency. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. I have never looked back that we arrested the wrong person, in my opinion. Medical examiners determined early that both people probably had been killed with an ax or a hatchet. 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. It just seems like at some point during the investigation he would've broken if he'd been guilty. I just want to be successful. Now, he was losing his son. The father (or maybe his lawyer or someone) said theres a murderer walking among us who has been overlooked .any ideas? Now 21, Brown, who spent more than seven . Yes kids will add to their story but that is because of their recollection process but adults do too. Enough evidence without a reasonable doubt? And none of us wanted to put handcuffs on an 11-year-old. 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. Jordan Brown was charged Saturday as an adult in the shooting death of 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk, who was 8 months pregnant, Lawrence County District Attorney John Bongivengo said at a news . Cinnamon Brown, whose sensational 1985 murder of her stepmother at her father's urging was the subject of two books and a television miniseries, is free after serving seven years in a California . I dont believe there was gun residue on his hands. 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. 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. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. She stood by her confession and . 2023 Cox Media Group. 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. Her partner and Arthur's father, 29-year-old Thomas Hughes, was found guilty of. Teen gets new hearing in case of woman's killing. They argue that the particle of gunpowder residue on his shirt and pants could have come from the jacket he had worn to a recent turkey shoot. Its difficult to charge an 11-year-old with homicide. 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,. They discovered Mrs. Borden's body a short time later. Cinnamon confessed to fatally shooting her step-mother and was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison. On the morning of Feb. 20, 2009, Chris Brown was running a little late for work. [I'd say,] Jordan, listen, if something happens. The trial lasted three days. And on 20/20 Adalynn said she woke up from a loud noise..she answers her moms phone goes to wake her up..she doesnt wake up..she goes outside & the tree trimmers help.. which would have been around 9am.. the other girl per the police reports said it was an ordinary morning. I didnt care. Police found several rounds of ammunition inside the family's farmhouse. 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. 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. I don't think the kid did it. After Pennsylvania's Superior Court ruled that Judge Motto violated Brown's Fifth Amendment rights, Judge Motto recused himself from the case, and Judge John W. Hodge granted the decertification petition and ruled that Brown should be tried as a juvenile.[6]. He kept shifting and obviously upset. Went to school.. A juvenile court judge later found Brown guilty of first-degree murder and homicide of an unborn child. 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. The farmhouse in Wampum where Chris Brown lived with his fiance Kenzie Houk, his son Jordan Brown and her two daughters, Janessa and Adalynn. In response, he allegedly confronted Houks parents in a nightclub the night before Houk'sdeath. Sometime shortly after, one of the tree trimmers spotted little Adalynn in the doorway, sobbing and saying her mother was dead. Both she and her unborn son died as a result of the attack. I didn't know where I was at, what was going on or anything, he said. I went back in the house and I remember a very nice cop had sat me on the chair. 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. Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Jeffrey Martin, now retired, says he was one of the first responders on the scene. 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. Finally, it felt like a big weight had been lifted off of me. I also thought it was hilarious how uncomfortable the big bald cop in the middle was. Police also said they found a 20-gauge shotgun shell casing in pristine condition next to the familys driveway the next day. Read that Supreme Court order and realize that this kid was done wrong., 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Evidence Popularised By A New Documentary And TikTok Theory Suggests An O.J. 6 New Details About The Woman Who May Have Falsely Accused Emmett Till, discussed her reaction to the decision with local CBS station WKBN, Groom Invites His Nephews To His Wedding But Excludes Brother's Stepdaughter Her Mom Is Debating Whether To Attend, What Jon Hamm Says Changed His Mind About Marriage After Swearing It Off During His 18-Year Relationship With Jennifer Westfeldt, Man Insists Landlords Should Get Tipped By Tenants If They're Going To Tip Baristas, Latest Updates And News About The Murder Of1stGrader AprilTinsley And The Man Finally Arrested After 30 Years. -, Press J to jump to the feed. In her first interview, the girl said she did not hear or see anything unusual, according to the lawsuit. 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. 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. I would not bet that she can recall time and detail to provide evidence for the case. TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. Chris Brown said he drove every day, 230 miles roundtrip, to see his son at the center. Jordan Brown, now 14, was found delinquent by Lawrence County Judge John Hodge - the juvenile court equivalent of a guilty verdict. You know, it's just a truck, he told "20/20." He knew the doors were unlocked. And I'll say it. The police asked me if there was anybody out there that I thought would've done something to her. 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. 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. He needed to drive four hours every day, he said, to visit Jordan because hes my son., Jordan Brown said those visits were a lifeline: I dont know what I wouldve done without them.". Pay for the crime that you did, Deborah Houk said in a phone interview Wednesday. Now 21, Brown, who spent more than. As for whether or not an 11 year old could commit this crime, I absolutely believe it is more than possible. His attorneys say police were never able to prove Jordan Browns shotgun was the murder weapon. Why would the police ignore it? 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 . Brown, now nearly 23, said this week he hopes the lawsuit will be the definitive finding of his innocence as well as providing some compensation for his father, Chris Brown, who paid child support, taxes, lawyers fees and expenses to travel more than 100 miles every day to see him while he was incarcerated. It wasnt until the coroner arrived and started taking photos, Martin said, that they realized this was something else. He shot his father's fiancee in the back of her head, killing her and her unborn child. 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. But when police pulled him over in that truck the day of the murders, they determined that he could not have made the almost 24-mile drive over to Houks house and back to his neighborhood because snow left on the hood was still intact. Emma Tustin, 32, murdered the boy by . I just did & dont understand the grounds they dismissed her ex as innocent. Dr. Todd Grande 1.26M subscribers Subscribe 394K views 1 year ago This video answers the question: Can I analyze the. I would also like to hear more about the alternate suspect the lawyer speaks of. It's kind of a bittersweet feeling, you know. On June 13, 2016, more than seven years after his arrest, Jordan Brown was released from juvenile custody, two months before his 19th birthday. And I went outside, and I had asked the tree men that were cutting down trees, Do you guys know my grandmas number? And they were like, No. she said. Authorities said Harvey cooperated during the investigation and agreed to take a polygraph. Throughout Jordan Browns stay in detention in Erie, his father continued to ask him whether he'd killed Houk. At that point, we assumed that somehow she had hemorrhaged, Martin told 20/20. We didn't touch her, we didn't move her. The farmhouse in Wampum where Chris Brown lived with his fiance Kenzie Houk, his son Jordan Brown and her two daughters, Janessa and Adalynn. 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. Speakman said Brown's family lives out of state, so when he heard Jordan was murdered, he reached out to the family on Facebook. I miss her every day, he said. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://people.com/crime/jordan-brown-case-murder-kenzie-houk-interview-after-prison/. In my opinion, [it was] jealousy, jealousy of the impending birth, he said. The Jordan Brown case. Naturally, I hugged her . 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. Despite this, prosecutors excluded the ex-boyfriend as a suspect during their initial investigation. In my 25 years, I believe it was the only one in that area that I can remember.. Now I can see an adult sticking with their story for a long period of time, but a young kid? Police say 23-year-old Jordan Brown was witnessed firing a handgun from inside a vehicle. Even with the relationship they had, Adam was still in love with Kenzie. That's where the case took us. Thats blood-boiling, seeing-red motive. Tacoma Police say. He was granted transfer of his case into the juvenile court system. Attorney Katherine Burdick, another member of Browns defense team, discussed her reaction to the decision with local CBS station WKBN. TACOMA, Wash. Jordan Brown was killed on March 19 at the World of Weed Cannabis Dispensary during an armed robbery. By Roman Chiarello Written on Jul 22, 2018. 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. We had a youth model shotgun in the house that had smelled like it recently had been fired, Martin said. Jordan's mother, Mildred Krause, was just four months pregnant with him when she first entered a courtroom to battle his father, Christopher Brown. He was almost 21 when Pennsylvanias highest court said prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to support a conviction. Arrested when he was just 11 and charged with killing Kenzie Houk, the pregnant fiance of his father . A state police spokesman, Ryan Tarkowski, declined to comment on pending litigation. It was a whole different world. Jordan Brown, 11, is pictured following his arrest in the Feb. 20, 2009, shotgun slaying of his father's pregnant fiancee, Kenzie Marie Houk. And I was in there. 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. I am very curious to see if the 7 year old step sister will ever speak out on what she saw/heard that morning now as an adult. Her unborn son died as well. 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. Now 21, Brown, who spent more than. 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. After researching the case more, in particular the testimony of the 7 year old Jenessa. It was just a bunch of strangers dragging me around.. Jordan Brown (Shooting of Kenzie Houk) | Did an 11-Year-Old Commit Murder? Officials say it has been determined that a physical altercation occurred between the victim and Dequan Blount, who . This is a really interesting case. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. And that's when we realized that it was a homicide.. At 9 a.m., tree trimming workers arrived to work around the house. Jordan. Its my belief, especially after watching 20/20 that the police had tunnel vision. By then, Bongivengo had been replaced by a different prosecutor. 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. It's three feet long., Inside the Browns' farmhouse, police found a collection of handguns, rifles and several rounds of ammunition. But omg! Trooper McGraw believed Jordan threw the shell to the ground as he was walking to the bus the morning of the murders. 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.[1]. This is final piece of the puzzle really providing him of his true feeling of innocent, closure put this behind me, Wright said. 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. He has repeatedly stated in interviews that while he suffers from PTSD, he is committed to turning his life around. 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. 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. They investigated for eight hours then charged an 11-year-old as an adult. I was hard pressed to believe it back then & now Im even more convinced they had tunnel vision. Just 11 years old when he was charged with fatally shooting his pregnant, would-be stepmother, Jordan Brown is finally a free man more than nine years later. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. She remembered picking up her mothers phone and answering it. Of course a killer is going to say I didnt kill her, and of course a violent man who would kill his pregnant ex would be raised by an equally violent man who would have no problem providing an alibi for his son. 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. I wasn't with anybody. She was thrilled, thats what she wanted, Houks mother Debbie Houk told 20/20. The clothing was washed. You took an 11-year-olds childhood away from him. 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. They also pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence as reasons for the decision. Judge Hodge put Brown on probation in the custody of an uncle who lived in Ohio, just across the border from Lawrence County. And the first person that comes to mind was Adam Harvey. Another issue Jordans attorneys raised was that there was no blood or tissue found on the gun or Jordan Browns clothing that day. However, Jordan said he remembered seeing a black truck near the garage. It's so insane to me how these cops and detectives handled the case. Harvey told police he didnt harm Houk, telling them he was sleeping at home when she was killed. 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. I just read about this and came to this subreddit looking to see if anyone posted anything about it. According to The Associated Press, Kenzie Houks ex-boyfriend had a history of threatening her, and Houk and multiple members of her family had restraining orders against him. 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. Interviewing those involved, with the goal of finding out who killed Jordan and why? Aired on 05/06/1991 | CC tv-pg. [Then] she told me that when she was waiting downstairs for Jordan to come downstairs and go get the school bus like they normally do, she heard a big boom and she identified it as the sound of a gun, added retired Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bobby McGraw. The police didn't collect all of the potential evidence and didn't so enough investigating into other suspects. I lost it.. 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. 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. A judge finding a juvenile delinquent is effectively a guilty verdict. 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. He had 120 seconds to kill her and clean up. O.J. His father backed up his alibi, confirming Harveys story that he was home with them. The state Attorney General said Houk had been killed by a youth-model Harrington & Richardson 20-gauge shotgun that Brown had received as a Christmas gift from his father, with Pennsylvania State Police reporting finding a spent shotgun shell near the path the 11-year-old walked to get to his school bus the morning . But now Im kind of, like, I go back and forth sometimes, I think, he said. [12] Judge Hodge would announce Brown's disposition (the equivalent of a juvenile sentence) at a later date. That morning of Feb. 20, 2009, Jordan Brown said, was just a normal morning as he was getting ready for school. Everything is gone. 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. She leaned against the Formica island, her sandy blond hair done up in a bulbous, frizzy ball. Brown and Houk had known each other since they were teenagers and were planning to be married soon.
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who killed jordan brown's stepmother