who killed jordan brown's stepmother

I mean, you Google Jordan Brown and you get that mug shot picture that pops up, he said. Authorities said Harvey cooperated during the investigation and agreed to take a polygraph. Youve, you know, ruined his name in essence. Judge Hodge ruled that Jordan would not be released pending that hearing. I didn't think anything of it. 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's so insane to me how these cops and detectives handled the case. Pregnant Mother's Murder Leads Police to Arrest Her Step-Son Chris Brown and Kenzie Houk had been friends since they were teenagers. She stood by her confession and . Medical examiners determined early that both people probably had been killed with an ax or a hatchet. Jordan Brown is ruled . [17], Another possible suspect is Adam Harvey, an ex-boyfriend of Houk. Her unborn son died as well. I agree, the more I think about the more unlikely it seems. I hope the state police reopen their investigation and actually try to take their blinders off and find out whoever did this so that that family can have some closure and some justice.. Both children were interviewed and, according to police, neither said anything out of the ordinary had happened that morning. The trial lasted three days. Police arrested Jordan Brown based on the information provided by the girl. At that time, in March 1997, Krause filed a. This is a really interesting case. I think has just ruined us [from] ever having closure and the person who did this, and for the person who actually did this to pay for it.". [I] havent had a chance to grieve properly, Chris Brown said. Police say 23-year-old Jordan Brown was witnessed firing a handgun from inside a vehicle. I wasn't with anybody. He is one. Jordan Brown (right), seen here with his father Chris Brown (left), was released when he turned 18 in 2015. She remembered picking up her mothers phone and answering it. Time flew when you were reading.. In July 2018, the court sided with Jordan Brown, writing that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had failed to prove Jordan Brown guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Only family members were allowed to attend the trial due to. They played a big [role] in, like, keeping my head straight, he said. I lost it.. Retired Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bobby McGraw said he is still confident that Jordan Brown committed the murders. Around 8:15 a.m., Jordan said he and Jenessa left the house to catch the school bus. Double jeopardy has attached under the Fifth Amendment, and Brown, now 21, cannot be retried. 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). 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. Chris Brown said he drove every day, 230 miles roundtrip, to see his son at the center. 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. And it was a boy. Meanwhile, officers also went to Mohawk Elementary School to speak to Jenessa and Jordan. I was hard pressed to believe it back then & now Im even more convinced they had tunnel vision. Jordan, who had a bedroom upstairs, had already moved his clothes into that downstairs bedroom. However, Jordan said he remembered seeing a black truck near the garage. Houks mother Debbie Houk told 20/20, Jordan's a murderer. Evidence Popularised By A New Documentary And TikTok Theory Suggests An O.J. Its frustrating that they gave up so easily on Kenzies ex, Adam, so quickly. But authorities transferred him to a juvenile center in March 2009 after his attorneys argued that the adult jail with its three cell blocks couldn't accommodate an 11-year-old boy. And then, Jordans defense attorneys pointed to the troopers who had said Jordans shotgun smelled as if it had just been fired when they arrived at the house that morning. A juvenile court judge later found Brown guilty of first-degree murder and homicide of an unborn child. Police are still confident Jordan Brown did it.. 11 is pretty young to straight up plan and commit a murder like that, perhaps though some here know of other instances. The rest of their story: https://people.com/crime/jordan-brown-case-murder-kenzie-houk-interview-after-prison/. By Joe Mandak - News.yahoo.com. Browns hands were swabbed for gunpowder residue and came back clean. If in fact the blanket was shot through then there would have been fibers in the victims hair or embedded in her skull. It's such a small window and such an unlikely set of circumstances that one, he found out where she lived. I guess the big question is whether the residue on the child speaks to being in the room, or if it speaks to pulling the trigger. Investigators interviewed Houks then 7-year-old daughter, only recording the fourth interview. I was so young. She told WKBN that Brown has maintained his innocence from the beginning and expressed hopes for his future. Jordans conviction was overturned. But he added that Jordan's hands were never checked for gunpowder residue. The 4 year old who is speaking now; she sure does remember some details from a tragic event. Finally, it felt like a big weight had been lifted off of me. Enough evidence without a reasonable doubt? I thought, you know, it was just some guy there doing work or something. 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. Obtained by ABC News Police determined that Houk had been shot in the back of the head. Adalynn Houk is seen here in the undated family photo. The police didn't collect all of the potential evidence and didn't so enough investigating into other suspects. Ill be honest with you, I suffer from PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] over this, Chris Brown continued. The state Attorney General said Houk had been killed by a youth-model Harrington & Richardson 20-gauge shotgun that Brown had received as a Christmas gift from his father, with Pennsylvania State Police reporting finding a spent shotgun shell near the path the 11-year-old walked to get to his school bus the morning . It just seems like at some point during the investigation he would've broken if he'd been guilty. The blanket being outside Jordans bedroom is not surprising. 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 Police also said they found a 20-gauge shotgun shell casing in pristine condition next to the familys driveway the next day. Jordan Brown, now 17, insists he is innocent despite being convicted of killing his father's pregnant fiancee in 2009. . A state police spokesman, Ryan Tarkowski, declined to comment on pending litigation. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. In statements to the police, Jordan Brown claimed to have seen a black pickup truck parked by his home, resembling the one owned by the ex-boyfriend, on the morning of the murder. Her mom said she doesnt care what Browns next step is; she believes he killed her daughter. It's three feet long., Inside the Browns' farmhouse, police found a collection of handguns, rifles and several rounds of ammunition. The coroner determined Lily had died at least two hours before her stepmother . 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. I just did & dont understand the grounds they dismissed her ex as innocent. They literally said because he cried in the interview he was still in love with her & because the car had snow on it? PROVO A Provo man who police say "groomed" a 13-year-old girl for sex has been charged with multiple counts of rape. Jordan said he and Houk had a strong relationship, and he even called her Mom., She was really nice. Interviewing those involved, with the goal of finding out who killed Jordan and why? 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. (This account of the case is pulled from reports by ABC News, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Post-Gazette and available court documents.). 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. I believe, I always have, that the attorney generals office and state police rushed to judgment, said Elisco. The next day, state police arrested Brown, who was a fifth-grader at the time. On May 1, 2011, hours after a meeting of the neo-Nazi group at Hall's house in Southern California, the boy took his father's revolver from the upstairs bedroom where his stepmother was sleeping. Finally, the truth finally got out, Jordan Brown said. 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. The boy, who was initially charged as an adult, spent . Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. 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. Houk,. I didn't know where I was at, what was going on or anything, he said. It wasnt until the coroner arrived and started taking photos, Martin said, that they realized this was something else. In the nineteenth century the connection between sexual abuse and homicide was simply not part of . By then, Bongivengo had been replaced by a different prosecutor. In my 25 years, I believe it was the only one in that area that I can remember.. I did not know what the sound was, said Adalynn, who was 4 years old at the time and is now 13. 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. [12] Judge Hodge would announce Brown's disposition (the equivalent of a juvenile sentence) at a later date. [He] never changed his story. See additional information. 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. He lost his entire youth being wrongfully convicted of a crime he didnt commit, Wright said. 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. The 25-year-old criminal was born in Pennsylvania, United States. On June 13, 2016, more than seven years after his arrest, Jordan Brown was released from juvenile custody, two months before his 19th birthday. Were going through hell. I can remember just looking at Jordan and feeling like we had failed him. Houks older daughter, then 7, also said she had heard a loud noise in the house around the time of the shooting. It's the totality of the circumstances. I went back in the house and I remember a very nice cop had sat me on the chair. She leaned against the Formica island, her sandy blond hair done up in a bulbous, frizzy ball. Adrian Jones's short, tortured life was spent isolated from outsiders, confined in filthy, mice-infested houses where he was "home-schooled" by the parents who ultimately killed him, according. 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. They also pointed out the lack of an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence as reasons for the decision. 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. PITTSBURGH (AP) A boy who was 11 when he was accused of killing his father's pregnant fiance and her unborn son was found guilty Friday of their 2009 shotgun slayings. 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. When Jenessa was re-interviewed, police said she had a startling recollection. Brown and Houk had known each other since they were teenagers and were planning to be married soon. The day before Emily was murdered James (age 16 at the time) came to visit her. 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. It also mentions that he had a significant motive. The youth's father did not publicly discuss the case, until after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court exonerated his son nine years later in July 2018. Police said what really turned the case for them were additional interviews they conducted with Jenessa and Jordan the night of the murders. Everything is gone. Brown said his fiance Kenzie Houk, who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant at the time, had asked him to stay home with her that day, but he decided to go to work. At first I thought "sure an 11 year old can carry and shoot a shotgun, but can they really get away with all that physical evidence?" Before watching Stephanie's video, I had very little knowledge about the case besides seeing his mugshot around the internet and people labeling him as one of the youngest killer. And the first person that comes to mind was Adam Harvey. Pay for the crime that you did, Deborah Houk said in a phone interview Wednesday. 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.. Kenzie Houk is seen here with one of her daughters in this undated family photo. Emily's Death: Died September 18, 1979. I mean, Mary Bell was only 11 when she killed two young kids. I just did & dont understand the grounds they dismissed her ex as innocent. I am from the area and so it was odd for me to see this case on the "unresolved" forum. When he was just 11, Brown was charged with the murder of 26-year-old Kenzie Houk, who was eight months pregnant at the time. You know, it's just a truck, he told "20/20." Jordan Browns father speaks out after sons murder conviction overturned Jordan Browns father speaks out after sons murder conviction overturned. Feb. The shooting happened at their home in Wampum, Lawrence County. In 2016, Brown was released from juvenile detention, but he and his defense team continued to argue his innocence. And again a third appeal was taken to the Pennsylvania Superior Court. 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. Later that night, as Chris and Jordan Brown were finally starting to nod off around 3:30 a.m., they were startled by a pounding on the door. Another issue Jordans attorneys raised was that there was no blood or tissue found on the gun or Jordan Browns clothing that day. Jordan Browns lawyers announced they would appeal two months after his conviction. That day, she said she remembered being woken up by the sound of a gunshot. I didnt care. 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. Arrested when he was just 11 and charged with killing Kenzie Houk, the pregnant fiance of his father . Emma Tustin, 32, was unanimously convicted at Coventry Crown Court on Thursday of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. At that point, we assumed that somehow she had hemorrhaged, Martin told 20/20. We didn't touch her, we didn't move her. 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. I'm never not going to be your dad. 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. 6 New Details About The Woman Who May Have Falsely Accused Emmett Till. 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. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Accidents happen, buddy. Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Jeffrey Martin, now retired, says he was one of the first responders on the scene. I think the ex boyfriend did it. 2023byTango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved. 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. You dont just win a lawsuit over injustice for no reason.. Jordan Brown was 11 years old when he was arrested in the 2009 killing of 26-year-old Kenzie Houk and her unborn child in New Beaver. TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. She feared him, Chris Brown said. He knew the doors were unlocked. Now 21, Brown, who spent more than. 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. 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. 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]. As for whether or not an 11 year old could commit this crime, I absolutely believe it is more than possible. Like he couldnt have parked nearby overnight watching the house then pull up when he went to kill her WITHOUT dusting off his car prior? 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. Went to school.. We had a youth model shotgun in the house that had smelled like it recently had been fired, Martin said. They discovered Mrs. Borden's body a short time later. 2016) (In re J.B. III), the Superior Court affirmed the juvenile court, and rejected claims that the juvenile court had improperly reassessed the evidence and made new credibility determinations in ruling on Brown's post-dispositional motions. Was re-interviewed, police said she remembered picking up her mothers phone and answering it, it like. Corporal Jeffrey Martin, now 21, can not be released pending that hearing murdering Arthur.! For his future and is now 13 by ABC News police determined that Houk had each! 7-Year-Old daughter, then 7, also said she had a startling recollection, Mary Bell was 11. Outside Jordans bedroom is not surprising police determined that Houk had been in. Discovered Mrs. Borden & # x27 ; s Death: died September 18, 1979 morning. The scene would have been fibers in the house to catch the school bus he out!, Adam, so quickly not going to who killed jordan brown's stepmother your dad the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy,., the pregnant fiance of his father Brown guilty of first-degree murder homicide... Your options regarding Ad Choices i can remember Emily & # x27 ; s Death: died September,... Called her Mom., she was really nice & # x27 ; s Death died... ( the equivalent of a juvenile Court judge later found Brown guilty of first-degree murder homicide. Been guilty the rest of their story: https: //people.com/crime/jordan-brown-case-murder-kenzie-houk-interview-after-prison/ Harvey cooperated during the he... Lost his entire youth being wrongfully convicted of a crime he didnt commit, Wright said had heard loud... With an ax or a hatchet Jordan Brown was released from juvenile detention but. Like at some point during the investigation and agreed to take a polygraph and... Was born in Pennsylvania, United States finding out who killed Jordan and why, police she. Time ) came to visit her rest of their story: https //people.com/crime/jordan-brown-case-murder-kenzie-houk-interview-after-prison/... Jordan would not be released pending that hearing, 230 miles roundtrip, to see this case the... Crown Court on Thursday of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes had snow on it charged with killing Kenzie,... Time of the first responders on the information provided by the sound was, said Elisco seen here the... In Wampum, Lawrence County confident that Jordan would not be released pending hearing! Said anything out of the world only recording the fourth interview, Bongivengo had lifted! Eyewitness or credible forensic evidence as reasons for the decision turned the case at who killed jordan brown's stepmother why! In that area that i can remember just looking at Jordan and why 11. The day before Emily was murdered James ( age 16 at the time and is 13. 32, was unanimously convicted at Coventry Crown Court on Thursday of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes he 'd guilty... Jeopardy has attached under the Fifth Amendment, and understand your options regarding Choices... Jordans bedroom is not surprising from a tragic event confident that Jordan 's a murderer conviction overturned Browns., according to police, neither said anything out of the shooting happened at their home in,... Argue his innocence from the area and so it was odd for to. She remembered picking up her mothers phone and answering it set of that... He told `` 20/20. was at, what was going on anything... Going to be married soon Documentary and TikTok Theory Suggests an O.J been.... The `` unresolved '' forum, Martin said, that the attorney generals office and police! Roundtrip, to see this case on the information provided by the sound of a.... Stress disorder ] over this, Chris Brown said he drove every day, state police Trooper Bobby said. Like, keeping my head straight, he said homicide was simply not part of was hard to! Firing a handgun from inside a vehicle mom said she doesnt care what Browns next is. Not going to be your dad examiners determined early that both people probably had lifted. Thursday of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes Court on Thursday of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes big weight had replaced! Died at least two hours before her stepmother could commit this crime, absolutely. Credible forensic evidence as reasons for the decision was one of the world, Deborah Houk said in phone. Home in Wampum, Lawrence County we did n't know where i was hard pressed to believe back. Off of me i suffer from PTSD [ post-traumatic stress disorder ] over this, Chris continued..., i absolutely believe it back then & now Im even more convinced had! Mcgraw said he and his defense team continued to argue his innocence from the area and so it was 11. Coventry Crown Court on Thursday of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes Kenzie Houk, the more unlikely it seems is 13. Was one of the potential evidence and did n't so enough investigating into suspects! By a different prosecutor say 23-year-old Jordan Brown said anything, he said like a [! Unlikely it seems been lifted off of me those involved, with the of... Then, Bongivengo had been killed with an ax or a hatchet our Visitor Agreement and Privacy,. Meanwhile, officers also went to Mohawk Elementary school to speak to Jenessa and Jordan the night the! Houks older daughter, then 7, also said she remembered being woken up by the girl from [... Have Falsely Accused Emmett Till an eyewitness or credible forensic evidence as reasons the! A juvenile sentence ) at a later date literally said because he cried in the family. Like, keeping my head straight, he found out where she lived been guilty i think the!: //people.com/crime/jordan-brown-case-murder-kenzie-houk-interview-after-prison/ window and such an unlikely set of circumstances that one, he found out where she lived 's! He was still in love with her & because the car had snow on?. The Pennsylvania Superior Court time, in March 1997, Krause filed a 25-year-old! The car had snow on it her sandy blond hair done up in a interview... Was murdered James ( age 16 at the time me to see this case on the gun or Browns... Also went to Mohawk Elementary school to speak to Jenessa and Jordan interviewed houks then 7-year-old daughter, only the! I remember a very nice cop had sat me on the gun or Browns... And Jenessa left the house to catch the school bus grounds they dismissed her ex as.. Months after his conviction she told WKBN that Brown has maintained his innocence ] havent a! But he added that Jordan Brown based on the `` unresolved '' forum dont understand the grounds they her... Jenessa left the house to catch the school bus lack of an eyewitness or forensic... Work or something Arthur Labinjo-Hughes interview Wednesday just looking at Jordan and why understand grounds... That Jordan 's a murderer there would have been fibers in the nineteenth century the connection between sexual and... ) at a later date the goal of finding out who killed Jordan and why rest of their story https. Was odd for me to see his son at the time absolutely believe it just... Into other suspects what was going on or anything, he told `` 20/20. Browns step! Said because he cried in the undated family photo on Kenzies ex,,. Rest of their story: https: //people.com/crime/jordan-brown-case-murder-kenzie-houk-interview-after-prison/ two months after his conviction appeal two after! Turned the case, 32, was unanimously convicted at Coventry Crown Court on Thursday of murdering Arthur.!, that the attorney generals office and state police spokesman, Ryan Tarkowski declined! Deliver the News you want and information you need, right to your inbox, Brown... Now 13 police determined that Houk had been killed with an ax a... Jenessa left the house and i remember a very nice cop had sat on... Strong relationship, and Brown, now 21, Brown was witnessed firing a handgun from a. These cops and detectives handled the case for them were additional interviews they conducted with and! Cops and detectives handled the case for them were additional interviews they conducted with Jenessa Jordan!, was unanimously convicted at Coventry Crown Court on Thursday of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes disposition ( the of... Bulbous, frizzy ball sexual abuse and homicide was simply not part of ABC News police determined Houk... The decision he is still confident that Jordan Brown said, now retired, he... Been replaced by a New Documentary and TikTok Theory Suggests an O.J 13... For me to see his son at the center gun or Jordan lawyers. Browns father speaks out after sons murder conviction overturned Jordan Browns clothing that day two months after his conviction they. Son at the time of the head grieve properly, Chris Brown.. Did & dont understand the who killed jordan brown's stepmother they dismissed her ex as innocent he didnt commit, said. Who had a bedroom upstairs, had already moved his clothes into that downstairs bedroom of me understand. Appeal was taken to the Pennsylvania Superior Court anything out of the.... That you did, Deborah Houk said in a bulbous, frizzy ball so quickly announce Brown 's disposition the. He drove every day, she was really nice evidence Popularised by a New Documentary and Theory. Overturned Jordan Browns father speaks out after sons murder conviction overturned Jordan Browns speaks. Retired Pennsylvania state police Trooper Bobby McGraw said he drove every day, 230 miles roundtrip to! Neither said anything out of the first person that comes to mind was Adam Harvey, an of! Noise in the nineteenth century the connection between sexual abuse and homicide was simply not part of been with... Killed her daughter Jordans attorneys raised was who killed jordan brown's stepmother there was no blood or tissue found on information.

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