I didn't understand what was happening. By Roman Chiarello Written on Jul 22, 2018. He was almost 21 when Pennsylvania's highest. Pregnant Mother's Murder Leads Police to Arrest Her Step-Son Chris Brown and Kenzie Houk had been friends since they were teenagers. Now, he was losing his son. They told me that her and the baby were gone, and I remember collapsing in the yard, Brown said. This is final piece of the puzzle really providing him of his true feeling of innocent, closure put this behind me, Wright said. 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. We must demand to know how the Pennsylvania State Police could establish policies that would allow this tragedy to occur, and, even more to the point, encourage the occurrence of tragedies like this one.. I used to hate it. But as far as his guiltiness, I know he is. 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. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. In a rare move, the highest court in Pennsylvania ruled that "there was insufficient evidence" to prosecute the case. 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? 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. They investigated for eight hours then charged an 11-year-old as an adult. Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan serves his father, James, a slice of birthday cake as his mother, Doloris, watches during a party for Jordan's 26th birthday in Chicago, on Feb. 17, 1989. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Police determined that Houk had been shot in the back of the head. A 7 yaer old probably wont be able to put 2+2 together. I can't even imagine all the pain Jordan Brown and his family went through :/. I can remember just looking at Jordan and feeling like we had failed him. 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. (This account of the case is pulled from reports by ABC News, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Post-Gazette and available court documents.). Houks mother Debbie Houk told 20/20, Jordan's a murderer. It's ridiculous. 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. According to the 20/20 episode, there was no blood or tissue on the gun, and the police didn't even dust for fingerprints on the door to the house. In their decision, justices questioned prosecutors reliance on circumstantial evidence, including a questionable conclusion that a shotgun found in Browns bedroom was the murder weapon. Everything is gone. He shot his father's fiancee in the back of her head, killing her and her unborn child. I'm never not going to be your dad. And again a third appeal was taken to the Pennsylvania Superior Court. 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. Were going through hell. 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. 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. Its not a weapon that someone's going to carry across the field or carry up a driveway. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. By then, Bongivengo had been replaced by a different prosecutor. It was the police. Brown was found guilty of first-degree murder and homicide of an unborn child in connection with the death of his fathers 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. Meanwhile, officers also went to Mohawk Elementary School to speak to Jenessa and Jordan. And I was in there. Evidence Popularised By A New Documentary And TikTok Theory Suggests An O.J. 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. Have you been living under a rock? 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. She was thrilled, thats what she wanted, Houks mother Debbie Houk told 20/20. The clothing was washed. I don't think the kid did it. This was their first child together a baby boy they had already named Christopher. -, Press J to jump to the feed. Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were only 10 when they killed that poor toddler. Trooper McGraw believed Jordan threw the shell to the ground as he was walking to the bus the morning of the murders. Though Mr. Houk fully believes that Brown is the murderer, another possible suspect has been considered. The shooting happened at their home in Wampum, Lawrence County. The system is very, very wrong.. In my 25 years, I believe it was the only one in that area that I can remember.. Two years later that resulted in the July 18, 2018 Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling. 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. 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. The bed was all ready diapers were where they were supposed to be and everything, yeah she was ready.. The coroner determined Lily had died at least two hours before her stepmother . ". 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.". Speakman said Brown's family lives out of state, so when he heard Jordan was murdered, he reached out to the family on Facebook. 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. No way. It's the totality of the circumstances. Jordan Brown, 11, is pictured following his arrest in the Feb. 20, 2009, shotgun slaying of his father's pregnant fiancee, Kenzie Marie Houk. 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. All I remember was they came and got me at 3:00 in the morning, Jordan Brown said. A state police spokesman, Ryan Tarkowski, declined to comment on pending litigation. Elisco disclosed to WPXI that Brown is attending college at an undisclosed location under another name. It used to bother me all the time. My wife is so much in shock I think Im gonna have to take her to the hospital. And her phone rang.. They never said he wasnt guilty. 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. The blow back argument is hard, but he may have shot her from an angel and spot (door entrance) that may have hid it. Jordan said he and Houk had a strong relationship, and he even called her Mom., She was really nice. So that's what I was going to get.. Enough evidence without a reasonable doubt? I was just going to walk in to wake her [Kenzie Houk] up. 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. Houk,. It's so insane to me how these cops and detectives handled the case. You know, [he] maintained his innocence throughout from day one, he added. I would not bet that she can recall time and detail to provide evidence for the case. 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. Interviewing those involved, with the goal of finding out who killed Jordan and why? 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. 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. Houk, 26 and about eight months pregnant with Jordans little brother, was found dead in her bed by her 4-year-old daughter on Feb. 20, 2009. I guess the big question is whether the residue on the child speaks to being in the room, or if it speaks to pulling the trigger. I liked her a lot, Jordan Brown told 20/20. I was happy [about the baby] I always wanted a little brother. She remembered picking up her mothers phone and answering it. "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. It just seems like at some point during the investigation he would've broken if he'd been guilty. Her family says Adalynn shared bits of her story over the years, but its something neither police nor Jordans defense team have ever heard. He was granted transfer of his case into the juvenile court system. His lawyers continued to file appeals in order to have his juvenile conviction (adjudication) overturned. Now 21, Brown, who spent more than. Dr. Stiles helped her overcome this fear and realize she wasn't like her mother. The search for her killer ended with the most surprising murder suspect residents of Wampum, Pennsylvania, had ever seen: 11-year-old Jordan Brown, the son of the victim's fianc. On May 8, 2013, the Superior Court vacated the finding of delinquency, citing "palpable abuse of discretion" and sent the case back to juvenile court. As the conversation petered out, she hugged mea stronger one than usual. Charles . They also pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence as reasons for the decision. 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