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. 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 just want to be successful. 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. Just a fifth grader at the time, he said he didnt understand of what he was being accused. 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. 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. 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. Not long after 11:00 A.M. Lizzie found her father's body and called Bridget for help. ". 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. On the morning of Feb. 20, 2009, Chris Brown was running a little late for work. VOLANT Jonathan Krause insists that his nephew is not a killer. Im from the nearby area also. The farmhouse in Wampum, Pa. where Kenzie Houk was killed. Jordan said he and Houk had a strong relationship, and he even called her Mom., She was really nice. 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. 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. And then they took me straight to the county jail. Dr. Stiles helped her overcome this fear and realize she wasn't like her mother. Had to bc this case fascinates me and I was looking for a good discussion on here and this is literally the only one I can find. I dont believe there was gun residue on his hands. I can't even imagine all the pain Jordan Brown and his family went through :/. And her face was facing me, Adalynn said. I have never looked back that we arrested the wrong person, in my opinion. And we just sat on the couch in the living room waiting and then Kenzie told us to go because the bus is coming and we're going to be late. On November 20, 2010, Renee King, 29, of Macomb County, Michigan, called 911 to say her stepdaughter, two-year-old Lily Furneaux, was unconscious. And I'll say it. Aired on 05/06/1991 | CC tv-pg. While the decision did not declare him innocent of the charges, he cannot be retried. They told me that her and the baby were gone, and I remember collapsing in the yard, Brown said. 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. Now I can see an adult sticking with their story for a long period of time, but a young kid? 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. I have never expected to have the murder weapon to be a shotgun, Martin said. -, Press J to jump to the feed. Double jeopardy has attached under the Fifth Amendment, and Brown, now 21, cannot be retried. Two years later that resulted in the July 18, 2018 Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling. Judge Hodge put Brown on probation in the custody of an uncle who lived in Ohio, just across the border from Lawrence County. Dispensary owner Alden Linn said the impact of Brown's death has been felt . Brown and Houk had known each other since they were teenagers and were planning to be married soon. 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. 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. Authorities said they also tested Harveys hands for the presence of gunshot residue and found none. The rounds struck a victim's vehicle and an unoccupied apartment building. [17], Another possible suspect is Adam Harvey, an ex-boyfriend of Houk. The blanket being outside Jordans bedroom is not surprising. [I'd say,] Jordan, listen, if something happens. If I would read something and come across a word I didnt know, [I would] look it up. "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 dads pregnant fiance, Kenzie Houk. 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. You can customize your WPXI News App to receive breaking news alerts. 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. They never said he wasnt guilty. 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. I thought, you know, it was just some guy there doing work or something. Feb. Adalynn Houk is seen here in the undated family photo. She leaned against the Formica island, her sandy blond hair done up in a bulbous, frizzy ball. He acknowledged to authorities that he and Houk had argued about money. Until now. 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 . I don't think the kid did it. 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,. Where are phys reports showing this childs jealousy and hatred for his step mom. In an interview with New Castle News, Elisco addressed potential problems with how the case was investigated. Officials say it has been determined that a physical altercation occurred between the victim and Dequan Blount, who . Simpson became the immediate suspect, and seemingly fled from . 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. NEW CASTLE - Jordan Brown, charged at age 11 with killing his father's pregnant fiancee, is now fighting back against the legal system that jailed him. I think the ex boyfriend did it. Now, he was losing his son. He was almost 21 when Pennsylvania's highest court said prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to support a conviction. Early in the investigation, a number of people including Chris Brown told police they should look into another person -- Houks ex-boyfriend of six years, Adam Harvey. Retired Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bobby McGraw said he is still confident that Jordan Brown committed the murders. Jordan Brown mug shot AP Photo/Lawrence County Prison via Beaver County Times. A juvenile court judge later found Brown guilty of first-degree murder and homicide of an unborn child. A 7 year old will remember that. He knew the doors were unlocked. After some research I do believe he killed her. Police said what really turned the case for them were additional interviews they conducted with Jenessa and Jordan the night of the murders. She told WKBN that Brown has maintained his innocence from the beginning and expressed hopes for his future. I was just like, Hey mom, wake up. and when I turned her own, I realizedId come to the conclusion of what had happened. Have you been living under a rock? She stood by her confession and . She remembered picking up her mothers phone and answering it. 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. He kept talking about a piece of fuzz, and I got it out of my pocket and I threw it. In my opinion, he was focused on the shotgun shell casing that he threw after he left the residence, McGraw said. 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. I just watched the 20/20 episode. Houk, who was eight months pregnant at the time of her death, was found dead by her four-year-old daughter in the familys farmhouse in Pennsylvania. But now Im kind of, like, I go back and forth sometimes, I think, he said. Kids can be evil. Lawrence County Judge John Hodge found the now-14-year-old Jordan Brown delinquent, the juvenile . Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Accidents happen, buddy. 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. After the arrest, prosecutor John Bongivengo told reporters he was confident in his case against Jordan Brown. They had a warrant for Jordan's arrest. Houk, 26 and about eight months pregnant with Jordan's little brother, was found dead in her bed by her 4-year-old daughter on Feb. 20, 2009. That day, she said she remembered being woken up by the sound of a gunshot. 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. Under Pennsylvania law, an adjudicated juvenile offender cannot be held in custody past his 21st birthday. As for his stepsisters testimony, she was 7, could very well have felt scared they were going to arrest her so she threw Jordan under the bus, not fully understanding what was going on. Thats blood-boiling, seeing-red motive. At that point, we're trying to maintain the integrity of the scene.. TPD says they have arrested 21-year-old Jordan Brown for first degree murder. Its frustrating that they gave up so easily on Kenzies ex, Adam, so quickly. It's almost inconceivable that you could suggest that a shotgun was fired at close range wouldn't deposit any tissue, any blood on the barrel of the gun or on his clothing, which he wore to school, Elisco said. Pregnant Mother's Murder Leads Police to Arrest Her Step-Son Chris Brown and Kenzie Houk had been friends since they were teenagers. In my opinion, [it was] jealousy, jealousy of the impending birth, he said. We cannot get over the fact that Adam Harvey did not have the time to drive there and have the snow on his car, Martin said. ???? 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. They played a big [role] in, like, keeping my head straight, he said. I was just going to walk in to wake her [Kenzie Houk] up. I didn't think anything of it. 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. 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. I also signed up to comment. This was way beyond shoddy police work! As an investigator, you have to look at everything.. My wife is so much in shock I think Im gonna have to take her to the hospital. In an exclusive interview with 20/20, she told her own account of what happened that morning of Feb. 20, 2009, and some of it conflicts with the police timeline. Jordan battled the fear that she would turn out to be like her mother. Sometime shortly after, one of the tree trimmers spotted little Adalynn in the doorway, sobbing and saying her mother was dead. Harvey told police he didnt harm Houk, telling them he was sleeping at home when she was killed. "It was Adam Harvey, after all, who had been engaged in a bitter paternity and child-support battle with Kenzie and who, after paying for the support of Kenzies youngest daughter Adalynn for years, discovered through DNA testing that Adalynn is not his daughter afteralland that Kenzie had not been honest with him in more ways than one. Everything is gone. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://people.com/crime/jordan-brown-case-murder-kenzie-houk-interview-after-prison/. The day before Emily was murdered James (age 16 at the time) came to visit her. Investigators interviewed Houks then 7-year-old daughter, only recording the fourth interview. Channel 11s Amy Marcinkiewicz reached out to Houks family. 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. The father (or maybe his lawyer or someone) said theres a murderer walking among us who has been overlooked .any ideas? 5 Theories Explain HowCayleeAnthony Really Died, pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence, Who Is Carolyn Bryant Donham? 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. In 1985, David Arnold Brown masterminded a twisted plot to have his 14-year-old daughter, Cinnamon, kill his wife, Linda, to collect almost a million dollars in life insurance. Not only did the individual defendants in this case fail all of us, the institution of policing failed us as well, Alec Wright, an attorney with the OBrien Law firm in Pittsburgh who represents Brown, wrote in an emailed statement. I'm never not going to be here every day, Chris Brown said. Janessa Houk is seen here in this undated family photo. I came across a blog which claims that Kenzie's abusive ex had threatened to kill her or have her killed. This is precisely what would have had to have happened, Colafella added. A state police spokesman, Ryan Tarkowski, declined to comment on pending litigation. "Homicide, something of this magnitude was very, very uncommon," Martin said. Kids that age dont just up a kill without there having shown resentment and previous hostility toward their victims. Jordan Brown, who is attending college and studying computer science, is determined to leave his past behind and prepare for brighter days ahead. State Police Corporal Troy Steinheiser, now retired, interviewed Chris Brown at the state police barracks. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Both she and her unborn son died as a result of the attack. Jordans motive, McGraw believed, was that he was jealous of the new baby. No way. Interviewing those involved, with the goal of finding out who killed Jordan and why? I believe, I always have, that the attorney generals office and state police rushed to judgment, said Elisco. 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. 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. "She was yelling, 'You killed my father! As for whether or not an 11 year old could commit this crime, I absolutely believe it is more than possible. I guess you could speculate that. I miss her every day, he said. As for the shotgun shell casing police found near the driveway, Colafella said, On that property where they lived on a farm, there were shotgun shells all over the place. I agree with a lot of the previous comments- the bald cop was way too defensive, the girls story changed and that was ok but his story changed and it meant he was guilty, the ex had all the motive and he said he didnt do it so they said ok. What really gets me though is that grown men who have prior criminal experience commit murders, try and clean up the scene, and still leave physical evidence. [I] went downstairs, got my clothes, went in the bathroom, got dressed. That seems highly unlikely, added Bongivengo. They attempted CPR, but it was too late. We had a youth model shotgun in the house that had smelled like it recently had been fired, Martin said. And again a third appeal was taken to the Pennsylvania Superior Court. 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. The murder weapon to be a substitute for professional medical advice,,! ] Jordan, listen, if something happens I go back and forth sometimes, I come... I got it out of my pocket and I threw it went downstairs got! It was too late be married soon be like her mother reporters he was being accused family.! Believe, I realizedId come to the County jail would turn out to Houks family out of my and! Saying her mother arrested the wrong person, in my opinion, can... 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