"Chris was good about it. He knew the At eight months pregnant, the 26-year-old mother of two was sleeping in the Wampum, Pennsylvania, home she shared with them, her new fianc Chris Brown, and his son Jordan Brown, when she was shot right in the back of the head. Cloudy skies after midnight. experienced hunters at a turkey shoot. 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. The 26-year-old shared the New Beaver Borough home with her fiance, Chris Brown, his son Jordan and her two daughters. 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. More than two years after he was charged, the now-13-year-old was moved out of adult and back to juvenile court. Three years after Kenzie Houks murder, the trial, held at juvenile court, found Jordan Brown, then 14-years-old, guilty. He also indicated there is still work under way. Brown and his attorneys agreed to that in motion court Monday morning, according to Houks attorney, Peter J. Pietrandrea of Cranberry. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. They say Brown Bongivengo noted Houk, who had been lying on her side, was shot at point blank range. At a press conference Saturday afternoon, Bongivengo said the situation is something you wouldnt think of in your worst nightmare., And although the case is still being investigated and evidence being gathered, he said, We believe we have enough to charge him.. Keep it Clean. Hes insightful, hes intellectual, hes introspective. Be Truthful. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Low 39F. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. God bless those khakis! After all, he has post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] due to this. Low 39F. She anticipates adding volleyball and track this year. "It's a very serious crime, but I think we have an appropriate response that will provide the kinds of services and therapies that have a good chance at rehabilitating him," he said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 11-year-old boy who was about to become her stepson. The family went home and grieved together. 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. Use the 'Report' link on Hes hoping to get reimbursement for the gas money his father spent to come and see him every day, but this case could also attain him much more. "Worse thing is losing your daughter," said Houk's mother Debbie Houk. Christopher Brown, Jordan's dad, was working at the time, so he had an alibi (perABC News). Winds light and variable. Their motion notes she did not testify at Jordans preliminary hearing March 29. daughters in a farmhouse in the rural western Pennsylvania town of Adalynn said to serve her birthday cake after the memorial service, said Debbie Houk, who shares a birthday with her granddaughter. He needs to admit what hes done and show some remorse, she continued. Kenzie in the head and pop both kids. He said Saturday the two girls are with their maternal grandmother. "I know my son. Bongivengo explained that children between the ages of 10 and 18 normally are treated as juveniles. (AP Photo/The Houk Family). 51K views, 80 likes, 1 loves, 226 comments, 24 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from ABC 20/20: For the first time, Kenize Houk's younger daughter Adalynn describes finding her mother dead inside their. Janessa told police that shed recalled seeing Jordan moving his guns that morning before school. Houks 7-year-old daughter told police she saw Brown quickly cover something in a blue blanket. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Bloomington-Normal music teacher sentenced to 88 years on sexual assault, child porn charges, Bloomington homes evacuated Saturday after car strikes house, gas line, Bloomington native vying for tattoo magazine cover, Lawsuit: Normal police battered, arrested woman without cause, McLean County deputies find vehicle wanted in homicide investigation. In this undated photo released by the Houk family, shows Kenzie Marie Houk with her daughters Jenessa, left, and Adalynn in Wampum, Pa.. Eleven-year-old Jordan Brown is charged in the shooting death of the 26-year-old pregnant mother of two. The 4-year-old called out to a team of tree trimmers, telling one of them that her mother was dead. Supreme Court case banning the death penalty for juveniles in 2005. So how and why was Jordan finally exonerated? He said that after the older two children had left for school, she turned on the television and got herself something to eat. Her daughters Jenessa, 13 next month, and Adalynn, who turned 9 on Wednesday are growing up, Houks parents Jack and Debbie Houk of Shenango Township said. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. He spent his weekend in the Lawrence County jail. Rain earlythen remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Live. She first said she didn't see anything unusual with. According to Bongivengo, who called the crime heinous, the 4-year-old didnt hear the shooting. Im not religious, but this is what were told to do. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Pregnant woman's mom: 11-year-old made threats, In this undated photo released by the Houk family shows Kenzie Marie Houk with her daughters Jenessa, left, and Adalynn in Wampum, Pa.. Eleven-year-old Jordan Brown is charged in the shooting death of the 26-year-old pregnant mother of two. Don't Threaten. Boy charged with committing murder at age 11 to be tried as an adult. He went downstairs, got his clothes out of his soon-to-be bedroom and got dressed. I think hes come to terms with whats happened to him. "I think the judge's decision in this case is both disappointing, and I think, misinformed," said Lawrence Steinberg of Temple University. He didnt realize the gravity of what was happening to him until he was incarcerated for three to five years. But now, Jordan is trying to move on and not let the past bother him. So he was ruled out as a suspect pretty quickly. Winds light and variable. We'd love to hear eyewitness "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. I am seeking justice for Kenzie Marie Houk, her unborn son, Christopher, and their loved ones. You have permission to edit this article. "The case is obviously not over," said Elisco. Threats of harming another "He's an average 12-year-old," said Jordan's father Chris Brown. But he still had to wait until 2018 for his charges to be officially overturned. Shows. Stay at Home shutterstock.com Debbie Houk said Jordan Brown often gave 26-year-old Kenzie 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. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Then, around 2011, prosecutors chose not to try him as an adult in the fatal shooting, as they had initially planned. 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. In the suit, Houk asked that all reference to Adalynn Houk, 7, and Jenessa Houk, 11, be removed from the website. They took him to the police station and resumed questioning. On July 1, 2020 Jordan Brown and his father filed a lawsuit against retired state police investigators and officials seeking personal damages, but neither have made a single attempt in seeking justice for Kenzie Houk and their unborn son. About 8:15 a.m., Jordan and Janessa went out the back door and headed to school. That morning, Jordan was awakened by his sister Janessa. Houk's nephew reportedly heard Jordan make an alarming comment before the murder, which Debbie Houk says was swept under the rug. A hearing for Jordan is scheduled to begin in juvenile court Tuesday before Lawrence County Judge John W. Hodge. Both follow in their mothers athletic footsteps and both have chosen Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast Gabby Douglas and their mother as role models. Attorney Dennis A. Elisco, who is representing Jordan, confirmed Christopher Brown was the father of Houks baby. More. told Chris and Kenzie and they didn't believe it," Kraner said. He was found guilty of being a juvenile delinquent, which effectively meant he was guilty. Still even working on the idea that Jordan was jealous of his new baby brother, all of this might not be enough to charge him with the crime. Your IP: The worst pieces of circumstantial evidence, though, were that there was apparently traces of gunshot residue on his clothing and Jenessas recounting of that morning during her second police interview. accounts, the history behind an article. By that point, Jenessa had changed her story. He believed it had been a work truck and thought nothing of it. If convicted, he could become the youngest person in U.S. history to be sentenced to life in prison without parole. A 20-gauge shot gun shell casing was found next to the familys driveway. He's not there with the Boy Scouts. Here, she stated that she had heard what sounded like a gun being fired while waiting for Jordan to get ready and leave the house with her. Police determined that Houk was killed with a single shot in the back of the head with a youth model shot gun. I think the 7-year-old was fearful, Bongivengo continued, but when she started talking, her story was consistent with the circumstances.. "Mentally, he's gotten quite an education there," Brown said of the 13-months his son has spent in the facility. They even found a perfect shotgun shell in the driveway. Those evaluations are required by state law to determine if the youth is receiving adequate treatment. Rain earlythen remaining cloudy with showers overnight. We'd love to hear eyewitness or anything. Jordan has always maintained that he was innocent of Houk's killing, but with Houk's family and the police working against him, the fifth-grader was stuck in the juvenile detention system. But for Jordan Brown, the nightmare was just beginning. Jenessa Houk. Now 16, Jordan was found to be responsible for the deaths. Police said they found a spent shotgun shell in the same spot. Jordan's life has a bit more normalcy now that he has left prison. Lawrence County District. In prison, he taught himself guitar and how to play basketball, but it was still a prison. We Be Nice. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Chance of rain 60%. His ability to overcome adversity thats been thrown at him in life is astonishing. person will not be tolerated. Jordan Brown, who was 11 at the time, is charged with shooting a pregnant Houk as she lay on her bed Feb. 20. My family has been hurt so much and for so long. Thus, now that hes been acquitted, lets find out where he is today, shall we? All I want is for him to say that he loved my daughter and that he felt bad about what happened.. He is in a state of disbelief and shock., Elisco echoed Bongivengos words, saying this is an extremely tragic situation.. An 11-year-old Pennsylvania boy blew away his father's eight-months-pregnant fiance - then calmly got on the bus and went to school, police and. Of course, Kenzies family remains convinced that Jordan is responsible and that he was released on what is essentially a technicality. Family and friends gathered at the grave Thursday the fifth anniversary followed by a meal at the family home. Facebook gives people the power to. Houks suit states that names, identities and likenesses of the children are being used for fundraising purposes without the consent of the guardian and in violation of Pennsylvania law.. Rain earlythen remaining cloudy with showers overnight. The fetus was viable and the death of the mother caused the death of the baby.. Don't knowingly lie about anyone This recollection was hardly an innocuous detail, it also happened to be something that Jordan had omitted entirely from his own description. Due to tough-on-crime laws, Pennsylvania has more juveniles sentenced to life in prison without parole than any other state. lot when his Dad wasn't around.". The arrest of an allegedly murderous fifth-grader quickly found its way onto the Internet and onto network news. the back of the head. There was a chance that Jordan could be released much earlier, but it would be another eight months before he would stand trial for double homicide one count for the mother, one for the baby. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. But investigators believed the strongest piece of circumstantial evidence came from Jenessa. Last year, Jordan Brown, now 12, was charged with murdering Kenzie Houk, his father's eight-and-a-half month pregnant fiancee while she was asleep. He admitted to police that he and Kenzie argued about money but much as that seemed like viable motive on his part, it still couldnt be him. This has forever ruined her birthday, she said. Houk is the legal guardian of her granddaughters. There were two main theories: either a stranger had broken into Houk's home after the kids left for school and murdered the 26-year-old. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism He is still six months away from turning 12. (AP Photo/Lawence County Prison via Beaver County Times Lawrence County Prison via Beave Brown. He said the weapon is believed to be a 20-gauge youth model shotgun. 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. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, her daughters. They didnt move her, choosing to preserve the integrity of the scene as they waited for the medical examiner. But the district attorneys office turned down the request on the grounds nothing Janessa has said had been put down in writing. The declaration did not declare him innocent but it did mean he couldnt be retried. Since she was a little girl and in pure shock, the police couldn't interrogate her. The girls were sent to their fathers house while Chris and Jordan stayed in the home. She had been shot in the back of the neck. Brown is being held at the Lawrence County Jail, in a cell In it, the girl said she had heard a shotgun blast before she and Jordan had left the house to catch a school bus. After nine-and-a-half years, Chris Brown felt as if a great weight had been lifted off him and his family. Authorities believe the killing was premeditated. person will not be tolerated. Jordan assured them that he hadnt touched any gun that morning, but the smell of gunpowder and the youth model shotgun in the home told a different story. A little remorse on his part would help.. 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