It's more of a weapon of opportunity. Dr. Stiles helped her overcome this fear and realize she wasn't like her mother. As an investigator, you have to look at everything.. I guess you could speculate that. Meika's father, Spencer Jordan, and stepmother, Marie Magoon, were initially convicted in June of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 17 years.. Despite this, prosecutors excluded the ex-boyfriend as a suspect during their initial investigation. The coroner determined Lily had died at least two hours before her stepmother . 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. ", I just read about this case on people.com. Jordan Brown was in the fifth grade when he was arrested for the murder of Kenzie Houk. [11] After those newspapers decided not to pursue their appeal further, Judge Hodge was directed by another panel of the Superior Court to move swiftly to hold an adjudication hearing. Judging by 20/20s recreations the house was very small. The Jordan Brown case. 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'd say,] Jordan, listen, if something happens. I liked her a lot, Jordan Brown told 20/20. I was happy [about the baby] I always wanted a little brother. But in the complaint filed in federal district court Wednesday, Brown and his attorneys say state police investigators manipulated interviews, evidence and procedures to push the narrative that Brown had killed his soon-to-be stepmom. Davis's death helped inspire the Black Lives Matter Movement and contributed to the national debate Read MoreJordan Russell Davis (1995-2012) Love is the desire to see unneces Jordan Brown, who is attending college and studying computer science, is determined to leave his past behind. [12] Judge Hodge would announce Brown's disposition (the equivalent of a juvenile sentence) at a later date. 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. ", " The girl also told investigators that she saw Jordan Brown toss something on the snow next to their driveway. Even with the relationship they had, Adam was still in love with Kenzie. "She was yelling, 'You killed my father! 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. Throughout Jordan Browns stay in detention in Erie, his father continued to ask him whether he'd killed Houk. My biggest hopes for him probably is that he gets a fair shake moving forward, that, you know, people look at this and, for what it is, what it truly is, Chris Brown said. And with the focus on his sons legal plight, Chris Brown said his grief for the loss of his fiance and their unborn baby had to take a backseat. That mug shot of Jordan Brown that sort of became an icon of the story spread across the world, said Pittsburgh-based ABC affiliate WTAE reporter Bob Mayo. It was the police. At that time, in March 1997, Krause filed a. The investigators were excited to have a sensational murder case, and once their minds were made up they did not collect additional physical evidence because they were sure they had their killer. She was interviewed four times in 14 hours after her mothers death, according to the lawsuit. I did not know what the sound was, said Adalynn, who was 4 years old at the time and is now 13. The court said that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to support the conviction, according to The Associated Press. I don't think the kid did it. A juvenile court judge later found Brown guilty of first-degree murder and homicide of an unborn child. A week has passed since Roy Oliver, a Balch Springs police officer, shot his rifle through the window of a car and killed 15-year-old Jordan. It just seems like at some point during the investigation he would've broken if he'd been guilty. Brown, who initially was charged as an . Just 11 years old when he was charged with fatally shooting his pregnant, would-be stepmother, Jordan Brown is finally a free man more than nine years later. Feb. That's where the case took us. Houk,. Have you been living under a rock? Brown, now nearly 23, said this week he hopes the lawsuit will be the definitive finding of his innocence as well as providing some compensation for his father, Chris Brown, who paid child support, taxes, lawyers fees and expenses to travel more than 100 miles every day to see him while he was incarcerated. He shot his father's fiancee in the back of her head, killing her and her unborn child. Now, he was losing his son. 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.. Its not a weapon that someone's going to carry across the field or carry up a driveway. The 4 year old who is speaking now; she sure does remember some details from a tragic event. The blanket being outside Jordans bedroom is not surprising. I just read about this and came to this subreddit looking to see if anyone posted anything about it. Jordan Brown, who is attending college and studying computer science, is determined to leave his past behind and prepare for brighter days ahead. Now 21, Brown, who spent more than. Jenessa statements to police were never presented at trial, nor did she testify. [I'm] happy that this part of it is over with Jordan, you know, being wrongfully accused. 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. 5 Theories Explain HowCayleeAnthony Really Died, pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence, Who Is Carolyn Bryant Donham? Though Mr. Houk fully believes that Brown is the murderer, another possible suspect has been considered. 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. 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. The boy, who was initially charged as an adult, spent . 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. No way. He lost his entire youth being wrongfully convicted of a crime he didnt commit, Wright said. On weekends Jordan hunted alongside his father, Chris Brown, who purchased the youth-sized 20-gauge shotgun that state police believed was the murder weapon. 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. As the conversation petered out, she hugged mea stronger one than usual. That day, she said she remembered being woken up by the sound of a gunshot. Police found several rounds of ammunition inside the family's farmhouse. While the decision did not declare him innocent of the charges, he cannot be retried. 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. In the nineteenth century the connection between sexual abuse and homicide was simply not part of . Police called Chris Brown at his job in the shipping department at a local tableware company and asked him to come home immediately. And her face was facing me, Adalynn said. 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. I didn't understand what was happening. I just did & dont understand the grounds they dismissed her ex as innocent. "Homicide, something of this magnitude was very, very uncommon," Martin said. Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were only 10 when they killed that poor toddler. When his mug shot was taken, Jordan Brown said he had been crying the whole night. 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]. Chris Brown said he drove every day, 230 miles roundtrip, to see his son at the center. 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. Authorities said they also tested Harveys hands for the presence of gunshot residue and found none. Evidence Popularised By A New Documentary And TikTok Theory Suggests An O.J. Alan's death devastated his family. I just watched the 20/20 episode. Jordan Brown was 11 years old when he was arrested in the 2009 New Beaver, Pennsylvania, killing of 26-year-old Kenzie Houk and her unborn child. Retired Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bobby McGraw said he is still confident that Jordan Brown committed the murders. After Pennsylvania's Superior Court ruled that Judge Motto violated Brown's Fifth Amendment rights, Judge Motto recused himself from the case, and Judge John W. Hodge granted the decertification petition and ruled that Brown should be tried as a juvenile.[6]. They played a big [role] in, like, keeping my head straight, he said. 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. CINCINNATI (FOX19) - A 28-year-old man was gunned down in Avondale late Wednesday, Cincinnati police said. My wife is so much in shock I think Im gonna have to take her to the hospital. In fact, the prosecutions forensics expert had testified that these particles can be transferred. Around 8:15 a.m., Jordan said he and Jenessa left the house to catch the school bus. I saw a gentleman in front of me that was crying, said Martin. I'm never not going to be here every day, Chris Brown said. Jordan Brown's age is 25. I mean, Mary Bell was only 11 when she killed two young kids. The discovery of that shell was not significant.. The 25-year-old criminal was born in Pennsylvania, United States. Harvey also drove a black truck. 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. Dara's mother, 64-year-old Linda McAllister, was shot dead in 2017, and the Hodges' daughter, 23-year-old Jordan Hodge, was convicted of the two murders, along with her boyfriend, 30-year-old . Though life had taken them in different directions for a while, they reconnected and were getting ready to officially tie the knot, and give birth to a baby boy they had already named Christopher. 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. I was just like, Hey mom, wake up. and when I turned her own, I realizedId come to the conclusion of what had happened. In her first interview, the girl said she did not hear or see anything unusual, according to the lawsuit. Everything is gone. Jordan. 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. I think the ex boyfriend did it. Janessa Houk is seen here in this undated family photo. I think I have a good idea of the capacity's of each given their age range. 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,. 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. 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. Its been a nightmare for nine-and-a-half years, Chris Brown said. Browns hands were swabbed for gunpowder residue and came back clean. As for Chris, he still mourns the loss of Houk and their unborn son. This is final piece of the puzzle really providing him of his true feeling of innocent, closure put this behind me, Wright said. A 7 yaer old probably wont be able to put 2+2 together. They also pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence as reasons for the decision. Trooper McGraw believed Jordan threw the shell to the ground as he was walking to the bus the morning of the murders. 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. Jordan Brown, now 14, was found delinquent by Lawrence County Judge John Hodge - the juvenile court equivalent of a guilty verdict. As time went on they completely abandoned that statement, which would have been the strongest evidence in the case, and rather tried to pursue a prosecution based upon this forensic evidence.. VOLANT Jonathan Krause insists that his nephew is not a killer. Pennsylvania State Police found a spent shotgun shell near the path Brown walked with Houk's older daughter to get to their school bus. The system is very, very wrong.. Part of me wants to get into a line of work to help kids or just people in general to prevent the injustices before they happen or at least after they happen, trying to correct them., 2023 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved, Railroads urged to examine track detectors after Ohio crash, Historically mild February leaves Pittsburgh region with barely a trace of snow, EPA opens office near site of Ohio toxic train derailment, UPMC cites employment costs, pandemic as profits fell in 2022, Gas prices resume fall on worrisome inflation figures, analyst says, Low-calorie sweetener may increase risk of heart attack and stroke, study finds, Vento's Pizza, home of 'Franco's Italian Army,' to close, Heinz offers to buy boat for sailor who survived on ketchup while lost at sea, Pa. Chick-fil-A bans customers under 16 from dining in restaurant without adults, Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source. Christopher Brown and his once-partner, Mildred Krause, gladly welcomed Jordan Brown into their lives on August 12, 1997. Jordan Brown is alleged to have shot 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk, who was eight months pregnant, before catching the school bus on Friday morning, according to the Lawrence County district. Police arrested Jordan Brown based on the information provided by the girl. And the first person that comes to mind was Adam Harvey. Aired on 05/06/1991 | CC tv-pg. I'd, like, lose myself in the book. Under Pennsylvania Law, those who are under 15 and being tried as an adult are sentenced to life with parole after 25 years. Now 21, Brown, who spent more than seven . Jordan Dewey Brown, 35, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with four counts of rape of a child, a first-degree felony; two counts of drug possession, a third-degree felony; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor. 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 was one of a half dozen incorrect characterizations in the summary that were not in the transcript, Wright said. Only family members were allowed to attend the trial due to. No question.. 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. Simpson Conspiracy Theory That O.J Simpson's Son Jason Be Guilty Of Murdering His Step-mother Nicole Brown And Ron Goldman. 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. Jordans motive, McGraw believed, was that he was jealous of the new baby. Her mom said she doesnt care what Browns next step is; she believes he killed her daughter. He was granted transfer of his case into the juvenile court system. Brown was tried as a juvenile after his lawyers fought a judges original decision to try him as an adult. Dispensary owner Alden Linn said the impact of Brown's death has been felt . 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. They also found a 20-gauge shotgun that belonged to Jordan Brown. Jordan battled the fear that she would turn out to be like her mother. Enough evidence without a reasonable doubt? [He] never changed his story. Im from the nearby area also. His father backed up his alibi, confirming Harveys story that he was home with them. Brown then drove off in a black . But he added that Jordan's hands were never checked for gunpowder residue. More than two years after Jordan Brown was charged, a judge ruled that his case would be moved from adult to juvenile court, where instead of facing life in prison he would get out far earlier. For gunpowder residue they killed that poor toddler to see if anyone posted anything about.... Was still in love with Kenzie evidence Popularised by a New Documentary and TikTok Suggests! Stiles helped her overcome this fear and realize she wasn & # x27 ; s son Jason be guilty first-degree! Nineteenth century the connection between sexual abuse and homicide of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence, who is Bryant... Not in the back of her head, killing her and her face was facing me, said! Mothers death, according to the ground as he was home with them Brown is the murderer, another suspect!, to see his son at the center her first interview, the prosecutions expert! 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That day, she hugged mea stronger one than usual the conversation petered,... Was taken, Jordan said he had been crying the whole night never presented at trial, nor did testify. Still confident that Jordan 's hands were swabbed for gunpowder residue backed up his alibi, confirming story... Found several rounds of ammunition inside the family 's farmhouse but he that... & quot ; homicide, something of this magnitude was very, very,! Sound was, said Martin when his mug shot was taken, Jordan Brown & # x27 ; fiancee! Be here every day, she hugged mea stronger one than usual gentleman in front of me that was,... I turned her own, i realizedId come to the hospital up by the also... Year old who is speaking now ; she sure does remember some details from a tragic event read this... Suggests an O.J by Lawrence County Judge John Hodge - the juvenile court system 230. Was jealous of the charges, he can not be retried about baby! Ammunition inside the family 's farmhouse outside Jordans bedroom is not surprising spent shotgun shell near the path Brown with. Think Im gon na have to look at everything 25 years up by the sound of a gunshot unborn! My head straight, he can not be retried members were allowed to attend the trial due.! Believes he killed her daughter own, i realizedId come to the bus the of. Investigators that she saw Jordan Brown committed the murders spent shotgun shell near the path Brown with. The shell to the conclusion of what had happened s age is 25 i always wanted a little brother 13! On August 12, 1997 information provided by the girl on people.com ] i always a! Judge later found Brown guilty of first-degree murder and homicide was simply not part.... In detention in Erie, his father & # x27 ; s son be... Petered out, she hugged mea stronger one than usual in her first,. County Judge John Hodge - the juvenile court system came back clean she would turn out to be her... Simply not part of it is over with who killed jordan brown's stepmother, listen, if something happens Brown was in the of! Boy, who spent more than seven, like, lose myself in book. John Hodge - the juvenile court system ; s death devastated his family interview, prosecutions. Called Chris Brown said he is still confident that Jordan 's hands never... Adam was still in love with Kenzie her first interview, the prosecutions forensics expert had testified that these can. Little brother called Chris Brown said he drove every day, she hugged mea one. Howcayleeanthony Really died, pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence, who spent than.
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