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. 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. But omg! Were ecstatic, we believe professionally and personally in Jordans innocence, Elisco told the station. She wanted financial support payments for Adalynn but he had refused, saying he first wanted proof that the child was his. Channel 11s Amy Marcinkiewicz reached out to Houks family. [2][3] He was subsequently arrested. The report also revealed that Houks ex-boyfriend had learned he was not the biological father of Houks youngest daughter just two weeks before the murder. Even with the relationship they had, Adam was still in love with Kenzie. They were saying there wasnt enough evidence. 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. 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. That decision, he told 20/20, is something that's haunted me.. I wasn't with anybody. 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. The farmhouse in Wampum, Pa. where Kenzie Houk was killed. I just want to be successful. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. Officials say it has been determined that a physical altercation occurred between the victim and Dequan Blount, who . 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 . She had cheated him of his money and cheated on him by sleeping with another man. The shooting happened at their home in Wampum, Lawrence County. A young Jordan Brown is seen here in this undated family photo. Jordan Brown, 11, is pictured following his arrest in the Feb. 20, 2009, shotgun slaying of his father's pregnant fiancee, Kenzie Marie Houk. I believe, I always have, that the attorney generals office and state police rushed to judgment, said Elisco. I lost it.. He acknowledged to authorities that he and Houk had argued about money. "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. 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. Feb. [12] Judge Hodge would announce Brown's disposition (the equivalent of a juvenile sentence) at a later date. He was 75. 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. 5 Theories Explain HowCayleeAnthony Really Died. Houks mother Debbie Houk told 20/20, Jordan's a murderer. 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. [17], Another possible suspect is Adam Harvey, an ex-boyfriend of Houk. Its difficult to charge an 11-year-old with homicide. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The boy, who was initially charged as an adult, spent . ", https://wandervogeldiary.wordpress.com/tag/jordan-brown-innocent/. 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. It's ridiculous. Houk, who was eight months pregnant at the time. Arrested when he was just 11 and charged with killing Kenzie Houk, the pregnant fiance of his father . 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]. The ruling in particular objected to the assumption, made by the juvenile court, that no one else but Jordan could have shot Houk. They had a warrant for Jordan's arrest. [1] Justice Debra Todd wrote the Court's opinion and noted, "The Commonwealths evidence was, therefore, insufficient as a matter of law to overcome Appellants presumption of innocence, and the juvenile courts adjudication of his delinquency for these serious crimes must be reversed. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. [5], Jordan Brown was initially charged as an adult. Brown and Houk had known each other since they were teenagers and were planning to be married soon. It's kind of a bittersweet feeling, you know. The work on this case like so many unsolved cases was shoddy. Elisco said that moniker fueled the media frenzy and the presumption of guilt that stayed with the case throughout.". Multiple members of Browns legal team have spoken out about the supreme courts decision. They attempted CPR, but it was too late. That day, she said she remembered being woken up by the sound of a gunshot. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. 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. I came across a blog which claims that Kenzie's abusive ex had threatened to kill her or have her killed. The rest of their story: https://people.com/crime/jordan-brown-case-murder-kenzie-houk-interview-after-prison/. His lawyers continued to file appeals in order to have his juvenile conviction (adjudication) overturned. The next day, state police arrested Brown, who was a fifth-grader at the time. Now 21, Brown, who spent more than. Dr. Stiles helped her overcome this fear and realize she wasn't like her mother. The state Attorney General prosecutor asserted that Houk was killed by a youth-model Harrington & Richardson 20-gauge shotgun, a Christmas gift to Jordan from his father. It used to bother me all the time. But, with my years of interviewing people-- he was crying for her.. The lawsuit also alleges that troopers failed to completely and properly investigate Houks ex-boyfriend who had threatened her and her family previously, had recently moved to the same area as her and had found out he was not the father of her youngest daughter. What happened to me is so horrible, even though when I was young I would say I didnt understand what was happening I look back and see all the blatant injustices, and that angers me, he said. He lost his entire youth being wrongfully convicted of a crime he didnt commit, Wright said. After the arrest, prosecutor John Bongivengo told reporters he was confident in his case against Jordan Brown. 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. 6 New Details About The Woman Who May Have Falsely Accused Emmett Till. 5 Theories Explain HowCayleeAnthony Really Died, pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence, Who Is Carolyn Bryant Donham? Its frustrating that they gave up so easily on Kenzies ex, Adam, so quickly. Officers responded to a report of a person shot in the 3600 block of Vine Street at 9:16. 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. 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. [18], Brown is currently a college junior studying computer science. Though Mr. Houk fully believes that Brown is the murderer, another possible suspect has been considered. 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. Investigators on the case told "20/20" in that rural area of Pennsylvania, Its fairly common, most especially young males would grow up with learning to shoot firearms.. And I just remember looking at him thinking, How can this kid have any more hope?. 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. Jordan Brown, who is attending college and studying computer science, is determined to leave his past behind and prepare for brighter days ahead. 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. Charles . Police had tried to speak with Adalynn when they arrived at the house, but reported that she was in a state of shock, and could not provide coherent answers. Jordan denied to "20/20" doing anything with his guns that morning, saying I never touched them.. And her phone rang.. 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. 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.Jordan was interviewed by Pennsylvania State Police twice that day and arrested before sunrise the next morning. Department policy says they should have recorded the first interview, not allowed multiple adults in the room, not talked about the case in front of the children and relied on the first interview as the most reliable if additional interviews were absolutely necessary. Janessa Houk is seen here in this undated family photo. That seems highly unlikely, added Bongivengo. Lawrence County Judge John Hodge found the now-14-year-old Jordan Brown delinquent, the juvenile . The blanket being outside Jordans bedroom is not surprising. The decertification ruling transferred Brown's case from adult court to Lawrence County's family court division regularly presided over by Judge Hodge, who handled the subsequent juvenile adjudication and dispositional hearings. His father backed up his alibi, confirming Harveys story that he was home with them. Houks younger daughter Adalynn, whom tree trimmers found sobbing when she discovered her mothers body, has never spoken publicly about this. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. 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. Im from the nearby area also. 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. Throughout Jordan Browns stay in detention in Erie, his father continued to ask him whether he'd killed Houk. 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