I'm never not going to be here every day, Chris Brown said. 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]. 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. In the nineteenth century the connection between sexual abuse and homicide was simply not part of . [12] Judge Hodge would announce Brown's disposition (the equivalent of a juvenile sentence) at a later date. I saw a gentleman in front of me that was crying, said Martin. Police also said they found a 20-gauge shotgun shell casing in pristine condition next to the familys driveway the next day. Jordan Brown, who was convicted, then exonerated, of murdering his father's fiance when he was a preadolescent, has filed suit against those who his attorney said robbed him of his childhood, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Jordan battled the fear that she would turn out to be like her mother. Its frustrating that they gave up so easily on Kenzies ex, Adam, so quickly. He knew there was a 20 gauge shotgun that they have in the house and gets there after everybody leaves, before it snows with no tracks, and gets by the tree cutting guys. Seriously the alibi for the ex boyfriend that threatened to kill her was he had some snow on his truck still..give me a break. Where is any evidence showing abuses by the son towards his stepmom. 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. The human-rights organization Amnesty International opposed the effort to try Jordan as an adult, citing the mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole penalty as a violation of international law. 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. Its not a weapon that someone's going to carry across the field or carry up a driveway. 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. Kids can be evil. Harvey also drove a black truck. The work on this case like so many unsolved cases was shoddy. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Now 21, Brown, who spent more than. The lawsuit claims the only evidence against Brown was a coerced and fabricated statement of his soon-to-be stepsister, who was 7-years-old at the time. Kenzie Houk was eight months pregnant when she was shot in the back of the head while she was sleeping in bed in their western Pennsylvania farmhouse. Only family members were allowed to attend the trial due to. Jordan Brown was sitting with his stepsister Jenessa in a room adjacent to the room where the victim was sleeping, run upstairs, grab a shotgun, load it with a shotgun shell, walk over to the bed, place that shotgun up against her head, pull that trigger, kill her, somehow manage to wipe whatever-- bodily fluid or blood might have been contained on the end of that gun, take it upstairs, replace it along the wall, remove the shell, run downstairs while her sister presumably was waiting for him in this very small house All without leaving a single clue., All they really arrested him on, largely, was the statement of Jenessa, Elisco said. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office then took over prosecution of the case. Kenzie Houk and her family had a protective order against Harvey after she claimed he had left messages threatening to kill her and her family. So we hurry up and went out the backdoor and ran down the driveway. 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. And it was a boy. Despite this, prosecutors excluded the ex-boyfriend as a suspect during their initial investigation. Police said what really turned the case for them were additional interviews they conducted with Jenessa and Jordan the night of the murders. In my opinion, [it was] jealousy, jealousy of the impending birth, he said. 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. As an investigator, you have to look at everything.. 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. The coroner determined Lily had died at least two hours before her stepmother . No question.. The 20/20 interview also gave me the hunch he was guilty. 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. In her first interview, the girl said she did not hear or see anything unusual, according to the lawsuit. Where are phys reports showing this childs jealousy and hatred for his step mom. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. I wasn't with anybody. Janessa Houk is seen here in this undated family photo. Houk,. And again a third appeal was taken to the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Now 21, Brown, who spent more than. Not long after 11:00 A.M. Lizzie found her father's body and called Bridget for help. ", I just read about this case on people.com. I went back in the house and I remember a very nice cop had sat me on the chair. They investigated for eight hours then charged an 11-year-old as an adult. When asked what message he had for the police troopers who'd arrested his son, Chris Brown said, Shame on you, is probably the most polite way to put it.. They also found a 20-gauge shotgun that belonged to Jordan Brown. Jordan Brown, 11, is pictured following his arrest in the Feb. 20, 2009, shotgun slaying of his father's pregnant fiancee, Kenzie Marie Houk. Have you been living under a rock? Browns hands were swabbed for gunpowder residue and came back clean. While the decision did not declare him innocent of the charges, he cannot be retried. The police asked me if there was anybody out there that I thought would've done something to her. Jordan Brown (right), seen here with his father Chris Brown (left), was released when he turned 18 in 2015. They were saying there wasnt enough evidence. He was almost 21 when Pennsylvania's highest. Double jeopardy has attached under the Fifth Amendment, and Brown, now 21, cannot be retried. I can't even imagine all the pain Jordan Brown and his family went through :/. CLICK HERE to find out how. But omg! I gave him every opportunity. He kept shifting and obviously upset. Wright says more than that, the evidence investigators gave to prosecutors was improperly gathered, mischaracterized or fabricated to support a theory that the then 11-year-old had committed the murder something he would have had to do and clean up without missing anything in the space of about 120 seconds. [They] put me in the back of the car and they took me to the police barracks. A 7 yaer old probably wont be able to put 2+2 together. TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. 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). Simpson became the immediate suspect, and seemingly fled from . The Jordan Brown case. 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. Chris Brown said he drove every day, 230 miles roundtrip, to see his son at the center. Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Jeffrey Martin, now retired, says he was one of the first responders on the scene. Houk was found lying in bed in a pool of blood with a shotgun blast to the back of her head, according to court papers. After his February 21, 2009 arrest, Jordan was placed in the Lawrence County Jail, a facility for adults. Why would the police ignore it? Now 21, Brown, who spent more than seven . And her face was facing me, Adalynn said. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. 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. And I would assume every trooper who investigated that case feels the same way. 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. 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. Nearly two years after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court cleared him, Mr. Brown is suing an ex-state police commissioner and former troopers. Those law enforcement officers who said that they smelled [that the gun] was recently fired, they conceded that they had no expertise or training, said Jordans attorney Dennis Elisco. Aired on 05/06/1991 | CC tv-pg. He knew the doors were unlocked. 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