The broken-hearted father of Jordan Brown is rebuilding his life while remaining strong for his son. The morning of Feb. 20, 2009, workers cutting trees in New Beaver Borough were surprised to . It was Houk's 4-year-old daughter Adalynn who discovered her own mother's body. Keep it Clean. But in the five years since the shooting, Jordan has not received the help he needs, she said. a good shot. Yesterday was a difficult day for everybody involved, the district attorney said Saturday, adding officials at the scene were in shock. Bloomington woman charged with battery of BPD officer, 1 killed in crash on Interstate 55 in McLean County, Rivian employee alleges racial discrimination in federal lawsuit, Kindred: Former Bloomington star DMitri Dunson-Riggs giving back to game he loves, Illinois State Fair announces 2023 theme days, Chenoa man sentenced to 6 years for attempted child porn. There was no shotgun residue found on Harvey's hands, and he still had snow on the hood of his car as evidence he hadn't been driving that day. For now, it's a life interrupted for Jordan, as his lawyers begin the process of appealing the judge's decision. He needs to admit what hes done and show some remorse, she continued. He hopes to try and gain justice for the nearly 10 years of his childhood and teenage life that he spent behind bars. Threats of harming another A child's brain isn't fully developed -- especially in area that controls decision making, risk taking and impulse control, according to Steinberg, whose research influenced a Supreme Court case banning the death penalty for juveniles in 2005. Watch. 85 Followers, 146 Following, 13 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from jenessa houk (@cheer1jenessa) Threats of harming another Our story begins during that pregnancy, on a chilly February morning. racist or sexually-oriented language. Adalynn, who loves to read, is enrolled. He maintained his innocence the whole time and never changed his story. She even had a stepson through Chris in the form of his 11-year-old son Jordan. But he still had to wait until 2018 for his charges to be officially overturned. lot when his Dad wasn't around.". Browns son, Jordan, 14, is charged in her shooting death as well as the death of her unborn baby. So he was ruled out as a suspect pretty quickly. Christopher Brown, Jordan's dad, was working at the time, so he had an alibi (perABC News). In the meantime, I keep them busy and they keep me busy.. Share with Us. Then, after so many years of waiting to hear the verdict in his case, Jordan was found guilty on first-degree murder charges in 2012 (perYahoo News). Due to tough-on-crime laws, Pennsylvania has more juveniles sentenced to life in prison without parole than any other state. Winds light and variable. racist or sexually-oriented language. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Both girls are doing well in school, have friends and are surrounded by family, their grandmother said. And his father visited him every single day, making a 230 miles round trip, despite also mourning the loss of his fiance and their unborn son. Their blended family dynamic seemed to be going well since the children all got along. Shows. David H. Acker and Dennis A. Elisco, Jordans attorneys, describe Janessa as perhaps the most critical witness in this case. Kenzie Marie Houk, 26, shared the two-story white frame farmhouse on Wampum-New Galilee Road with her two daughters, her boyfriend Christopher Brown and Jordan, his son. that is degrading to another person. Browns lawyers appealed the conviction, which resulted in an overturning by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Its not unusual for newspapers to look back on major news events when key anniversaries come about. Its a shame that hes received no help whatsoever.. You can cancel at any time. Winds light and variable. I just dont get it.. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Im not angry. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 11-year-old boy who was about to become her stepson. He attended college to study computer science and criminal justice, in the hopes of becoming a civil rights attorney for the next generation of accused kids. Kids charged with murder in Pennsylvania are automatically considered adults and only a judge's decision can move the trial to juvenile court. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Ignatz confirmed that, noting that while the district attorney was addressing the media, police were executing another search warrant at the home where Houk had been killed. Since Jordans adjudication and disposition the juvenile justice system equivalent of a guilty verdict and sentencing Houk family members have been present every six months when Lawrence County Judge John W. Hodge reviews the case. But everybody put that aside and did their job to the letter.. Im not religious, but this is what were told to do. He said Saturday the two girls are with their maternal grandmother. Ellwood City Ledger reports that in order to get to the school bus with Jenessa, Jordan would have had only two minutes to murder Houk, clean the bullet debris off himself, clean the gun, and leave the house. Houk was found after her younger daughter alerted a nearby work crew. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. We racist or sexually-oriented language. Christopher left for work that morning, while the kids and Houk got ready for their day. It was a decision that would haunt him from that day on. Kenzie Houk's younger daughter Adalynn describes finding her mom dead . Each day Debbie Houk visits her daughter and grandson's grave while Chris Brown makes the four-hour round trip to visit his son in a juvenile detention center. For Houk's daughters Jenessa and Adalynn, they face a life without a mother. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Your IP: Kenzie Houk had been shot in the back of the head. "He's an average 12-year-old," said Jordan's father Chris Brown. Rain earlythen remaining cloudy with showers overnight. "When we interview someone, you expect them to give their account, wait a little while, we interview them again, and they should give the same account. She anticipates adding volleyball and track this year. Although not an eyewitness, the district attorney said, she was there at the time of the shooting, she heard it and she saw Jordan with the shotgun. Since she was a little girl and in pure shock, the police couldn't interrogate her. "Jordan had told (my son around Christmas) he was going to pop Prosecutors stand ready to bring the Jordan Brown case to its conclusion. 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 . However, that determination by Lawrence County Judge John W. Hodge has been overturned by the Pennsylvania Superior Court and the case was ordered back to the county. Debbie Houk said Jordan, a hunter, knew a lot about guns and was Brown and his dad Christopher lived with Houk and her two small If convicted, he could become the youngest person in U.S. history to be sentenced to life in prison without parole. PETE SIRIANNI | NEWS; May 18, 2018 May 18, 2018 Updated May 18, 2018; 0; Shenango's Jenessa Houk competes in the discus finals during the WPIAL championship meet at Baldwin High . He told him, 'Don't you ever 54.38.94.71 She even had a stepson through Chris in the form of his 11-year-old son Jordan. Winds light and variable. Low around 40F. Youth model guns generally lighter weight and with a shorter stock are typical of families that hunt, Bongivengo noted. They interviewed 7-year-old Jenessa four times, but only recorded the fourth interview. Lamancusa revealed he had provided unspecified legal advice to Jordans father, Christopher Brown. The judgment was that the evidence against Jordan was insufficient and circumstantial, so he was exonerated and can never be retried in the matter. Although he said Saturday he did not know who the gun belongs to, Bongivengo noted it was retrieved from Jordans bedroom and is most likely his weapon.. Suspicious. "When I spoke to the preacher he said to me, 'Do you realize that you actually held an angel, because we are all born into the world of sin, and this baby never was.'". The family was interviewed immediately after Houk's death. He has just been subjected to some awful things in the past 13 months.". The 11-year-old New Beaver Borough resident has been charged with criminal homicide and homicide of an unborn child after his fathers girlfriend just weeks away from giving birth was found shot to death in her home. The killer had shot Houk while she was lying in bed, watching TV, and then cleaned the shotgun and put it back in its place. These ventures are why the latter bought a youth-sized 20-gauge shotgun for his son, which the police considered the murder weapon. "I know my son. It would be the last time he was home for years: the 11-year-old was going to be charged as an adult for Houk's murder, according toNew Castle News. Authorities ruled her death a homicide. "Why should you get the things back that you had when you took so much you took two lives here. Whoever killed Kenzie certainly did something that day, they tore apart what could have been a loving, happy family. Share with Us. 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, then 11. NORMAL A Normal woman is suing the town's police department in federal court after she said officers used excessive force and arrested her w. Up Next in news My Son Is Not a Monster October 20, 2018 Christopher Brown was engaged to his fiance Kenzie Houk, per ABC News, and at eight and a half months pregnant, Houk was eagerly awaiting their new baby. At around 9 a.m., some tree trimmers arrived to do some work around the house. Brown and his dad, Christopher, lived with Houk and her two small daughters in a farmhouse in a rural western Pennsylvania town of Wampum, where the father often took his son hunting. Threats of harming another Thats, like, the only thing I really want people to know.. Wampum. Johnson said Houks pregnancy was 34 or 35 weeks along, meaning she was close to delivering the baby. She first said she didn't see anything unusual with Jordan that morning, but by the fourth interview, Jenessa claimed she saw Jordan moving around his shotgun the morning her mom died. For the fifth time, the Houk family has marked the death of their Kenzie Marie and her unborn son. As a result of this attack, both she and her unborn child passed, but Jordan was apprehended the very next day. Jenessa Houk is on Facebook. The boy's attorney, Dennis Elisco, did not immediately return a ", Jordan was denied the chance to stay in a juvenile facility where he would be released by the age of 21 as requested by his lawyers. He was no longer facing life in prison. It hurts.". They are now 12 and 9, respectively. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Over the years, Debbie Houk said, she is trying to summon up forgiveness for the boy accused in the death of her daughter and grandson. The blanket was found at the scene with a singed, quarter-sized hole. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. A little remorse on his part would help.. Adalynn, who loves to read, is enrolled in gymnastics and this year began learning basketball fundamentals. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? You have permission to edit this article. At some point, he continued, she went looking for her mother, found her body and called out to the tree trimmers, who were working about 30 or 40 yards from house. Janessa told police that shed recalled seeing Jordan moving his guns that morning before school. He said Jordan can petition to have his case transferred to juvenile court and he can request bond. They didnt move her, choosing to preserve the integrity of the scene as they waited for the medical examiner. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Of course, Kenzies family remains convinced that Jordan is responsible and that he was released on what is essentially a technicality. told Chris and Kenzie and they didn't believe it," Kraner said. accounts, the history behind an article. daughter," she said. Her case deserves to be reopened and reinvestigated. Houks 7-year-old daughter told police she saw Brown quickly cover something in a blue blanket. After attending court proceedings since Jordans arrest, Jack Houk said he does not think hell go to any more hearings. But when she was. Please sign the petition below to urge the courts to reopen Kenzie Marie Houks case and get justice. person will not be tolerated. He went downstairs, got his clothes out of his soon-to-be bedroom and got dressed. About 8:15 a.m., Jordan and Janessa went out the back door and headed to school. The girls were sent to their fathers house while Chris and Jordan stayed in the home. PITTSBURGH - An 11-year-old boy accused of killing his father's Millions were watching this small Pennsylvania town. We'd love to hear eyewitness Roughly 45 minutes later, Kenzies other daughter, 4-year-old Adalynn, found the body and alerted others. Corporal Jeffrey Martin was one of the first responders on the scene. Most children who are imprisoned have their case examined within a year at the most, while Jordan's case languished for years before he was even officially charged with anything (viaNew Castle News). Christopher Brown was not home at the time of the shooting, Bongivengo said, adding police had confirmed he was at work by 7 a.m. In it, the girl said she had heard a shotgun blast before she and Jordan had left the house to catch a school bus. What I would like to see is for the boy to get some help and for us to get freedom from this hurt.. Authorities believe the killing was premeditated. racist or sexually-oriented language. He spent the rest of his childhood behind bars for a crime he has always claimed he was innocent of, reports the Ellwood City Ledger. (AP Photo/Thhe Houk Family). The girls are the children of Houks daughter, Kenzie Marie Houk, who died Feb. 20, 2009. Be Proactive. The Houks and police point to overwhelming evidence they say will prove that Jordan is the killer, including gun residue found on his shirt, a fresh shell casting found outside as well as the testimony of Houk's 7-year-old daughter who says she saw Jordan with the gun. Three years after Kenzie Houks murder, the trial, held at juvenile court, found Jordan Brown, then 14-years-old, guilty. After all, he has post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] due to this. It wasn't that Kenzie was worried about the pregnancy, she was ready to have the baby and had plenty of practice being a mom. This includes photographs, references to or the identities of the minor children. isolated from the adult inmates, and Elisco has said he will seek In 2011, Amnesty International released a statement saying that due to Brown's age, his human rights were being violated, because he faced a lifetime in prison for something he was accused of in childhood. As CNN reports, both Houk and her unborn baby had been killed by a 20-gauge shotgun bullet to the back of the head. Chance of rain 60%. AsABC Newsreports, Jordan was confused and unaccompanied as he was taken to the county jail. that is degrading to another person. Looking back, I wish we had. Don't knowingly lie about anyone After being found responsible for the deaths on April 13, 2012, Jordan was sent first to a juvenile facility in Chambersburg, then to George Junior Republic in Grove City. It appeared that neither of them had noticed anything unusual that morning. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Be Nice. Don't knowingly lie about anyone after his father, was planned for Tuesday evening. At around 3:30 am, Chris awoke to the police pounding on his door. You have permission to edit this article. The 26-year-old shared the New Beaver Borough home with her fiance, Chris Brown, his . April 28, 2010 -- The killing of a young pregnant mother, allegedly by the 11-year-old boy who was about to become her stepson, has created a bitter feud between two families that were about to be happily joined through marriage. That doesn't seem quite right to me.". We were encouraged to enroll her in a program where she could compete and be trained by international coaches. And the murder weapon appeared to be Jordan Brown's child-sized gun. Police turned to other suspects. Not long after theyd begun working, one of the tree trimmers noticed 4-year-old Adalynn standing in the doorway and crying that her mother was dead. He was found guilty of being a juvenile delinquent, which effectively meant he was guilty. Plus, he cannot be recharged with the same offense, according to the court's ruling, according to New Castle News. Jenessa woke Jordan up, and the two left for school together. However, he noted officers had executed several search warrants, including one Friday that produced what they believe to be the murder weapon. I've talked to him numerous times in depth about what happened and if he knew anything about it, if he was involved, he would have told me by now," Brown said. "Chris was good about it. He also didnt seem to know where Kenzie lived. I dont want pity, but sometimes I get so angry.. He called the situation tragic in every sense of the word.. came downstairs with two guns, but returned upstairs after Houk's Bongivengo who said no bond is normal in a homicide case noted the boy is segregated at the jail. After all the interviews, police claimed that Jordan had shot his future stepmother, walked out the door, dropped a shotgun shell on the ground, and then hopped on the school bus with his Jenessa (via ABC News). Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. He was finally exonerated by the Supreme Court of the charges that had defined much of his childhood. Authorities ruled her death a homicide. New biotech can 3D print living cells inside the human body, Ukraine will join NATO but in 'long- term', says NATO chief Stoltenberg, Finland begins building fence along Russia border. It is not possible that it could have been anyone else.. Then, around 2011, prosecutors chose not to try him as an adult in the fatal shooting, as they had initially planned. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. But for the family of Houk, 26, who was found shot in the head in her rural farmhouse in Western Pennsylvania in February 2009 -- just two weeks away from giving birth to her first son -- life in prison may not be as severe as losing a loved one. 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