Be Nice. Low 39F. Since she was a little girl and in pure shock, the police couldn't interrogate her. On February 20, 1997, the fifth-grader followed his normal routine alongside 7-year-old Jenessa Houk, his soon-to-be step-sister, and left home at almost 8:15 in the morning for school. "Why should you get the things back that you had when you took so much you took two lives here. The judgment was that the evidence against Jordan was insufficient and circumstantial, so he was exonerated and can never be retried in the matter. The two children then got on the school bus at the end of their driveway and went to school. Christopher left for work that morning, while the kids and Houk got ready for their day. Despite the fact that the blended family had only just moved in together, they seemed to be bonding well. State police arrived just before 10 a.m. and found Houk in her bed with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. 2009. Authorities believe the killing was premeditated. Jack Houk, who noted he has developed health issues that may be the result of stress, said, Every day I think of my daughter. But when a tree-service crew showed up at the house at 9, one of the workers observed Houk's 4-year-old daughter crying at the door that her mother was dead. person will not be tolerated. Brown told "Nightline" he was "heartbroken" and "sickened by the judge's ruling.". accounts, the history behind an article. accounts, the history behind an article. Police say she initially said nothing unusual happened that morning before school. But everything changed on the morning of February 20, 2009. The graves are decorated for holidays and special occasions, including Kenzies April 20 birthday and the anniversary of her death. Kids charged with murder in Pennsylvania are automatically considered adults and only a judge's decision can move the trial to juvenile court. I am seeking justice for Kenzie Marie Houk, her unborn son, Christopher, and their loved ones. that is degrading to another person. 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. Kenzie Houk had been shot in the back of the head. A lot of things might have been different.. Their motion notes she did not testify at Jordans preliminary hearing March 29. The site calls for financial support to provide Jordan with an effective defense. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Her case deserves to be reopened and reinvestigated. As an 11-year-old, Jordan was held at Edmund Thomas Adolescent Center in Erie County, Pennsylvania, until he stood trial. Bongivengo pointed to that information as the reason for the second charge homicide of an unborn child. She even had a stepson through Chris in the form of his 11-year-old son Jordan. He hopes to try and gain justice for the nearly 10 years of his childhood and teenage life that he spent behind bars. "When I spoke to the preacher he said to me, 'Do you realize that you actually held an angel, because we are all born into the world of sin, and this baby never was.'". A hearing on it is scheduled for Jan. 29. Jenessa is a cheerleader for football and basketball and plays basketball on an AAU traveling team. Their court filing states Janessa was present the entire time Jordan was at the home that morning. Wampum. Thus, now that hes been acquitted, lets find out where he is today, shall we? He tried. Hes remarkable, Alec Wright, one of Jordans lawyers, candidly stated. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. You have permission to edit this article. "Worse thing is losing your daughter," said Houk's mother Debbie Houk. Chance of rain 60%.. Jordans conviction was eventually overturned due to insufficient evidence. More than two years after he was charged, the now-13-year-old was moved out of adult and back to juvenile court. "The case is obviously not over," said Elisco. The young man wasnt just a suspect in his step-mothers murder, he was the prime suspect. Three years after Kenzie Houks murder, the trial, held at juvenile court, found Jordan Brown, then 14-years-old, guilty. Its a shame that hes received no help whatsoever.. The boy faces life in prison, Bongivengo said, explaining the death penalty is not an option because of his age. Pa. state senators urge Biden to restart Keysto, Successes despite setbacks veteran and New Ca, Larry Pugh discusses Black history during library event, Anderson, Boice lead New Castle to WPIAL champi, Jordan Brown Case, Five Years Later: Family gathers at cemetery, again, Jordan Brown Case, Five Years Later: Reluctant to comment, prosecutor remains ready, Jordan Brown, Five Years Later: Slaying shocks community; case drags on, Jordan Brown, Five Years Later: What happened and when, Jordan Brown Case, Five Years Later: Defense attorney learns to expect the unexpected, Jordan Brown Case, Five Years Later: Father convinced beyond a doubt of sons innocence, Our Opinion: After five years, Jordan Brown case continues sadly for all, Dollar General plans new Neshannock store, Column by Ron Poniewasz Jr.: WPIAL doesn't disappoint with questionable playoff venues, Two charged in gunfire while driving incident, Man charged for being inside condemned house, County WPIAL teams bidding for berth in state title tilt, Amish buggy crash victim described as good neighbor, Woman accused of stabbing man with scissors, New Castle school administrators getting raises, ROBISON, Linda May 19, 1951 - Mar 1, 2023, MARCEAU JR., William Jul 29, 1956 - Feb 27, 2023, SNIDER, Steven Jun 10, 1983 - Jan 25, 2023. Live. After all, he has post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] due to this. Bongivengo noted Houk, who had been lying on her side, was shot at point blank range. disrespect her,"' Debbie Houk added. Since Jordans adjudication and disposition the juvenile justice system equivalent of a guilty verdict and sentencing Houk family members have been present every six months when Lawrence County Judge John W. Hodge reviews the case. He too drove a black truck but investigators quickly determined that it would have been impossible for him to have made the 24-mile drive over to the house without disturbing the snow on his hood from earlier that day. He maintained his innocence the whole time and never changed his story. He doesn't appreciate the magnitude of what he's facing. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. So how and why was Jordan finally exonerated? He gets all the breaks. In the past, Harvey had warned that he would kill Houk, threatening her and her new family after finding out that Adalynn was not his biological child. Be Proactive. Bongivengo who said no bond is normal in a homicide case noted the boy is segregated at the jail. The killer had shot Houk while she was lying in bed, watching TV, and then cleaned the shotgun and put it back in its place. She was good with people.. 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. 7-year-old daughter saw him; they believe he then hid the gun in a 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. Chance of rain 60%.. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. Roughly 45 minutes later, Kenzie's other daughter, 4-year-old Adalynn, found the body and alerted others. 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.. We'd love to hear eyewitness After all the interviews, police claimed that Jordan had shot his future stepmother, walked out the door, dropped a shotgun shell on the ground, and then hopped on the school bus with his Jenessa (via ABC News). Your IP: 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. Steve Ignatz, a lieutenant with the state police, said there is no law in Pennsylvania calling for the sales of shotguns to be recorded, as is required with handguns. All we hear is how wonderfully hes doing academically, Jack Houk said. Bones found in Taylor Township identified as Story, Pa. state senators urge Biden to restart Keysto, Successes despite setbacks veteran and New Ca, Larry Pugh discusses Black history during library event, Dollar General plans new Neshannock store, Column by Ron Poniewasz Jr.: WPIAL doesn't disappoint with questionable playoff venues, Two charged in gunfire while driving incident, Man charged for being inside condemned house, County WPIAL teams bidding for berth in state title tilt, Amish buggy crash victim described as good neighbor, Woman accused of stabbing man with scissors, New Castle school administrators getting raises, ROBISON, Linda May 19, 1951 - Mar 1, 2023, MARCEAU JR., William Jul 29, 1956 - Feb 27, 2023, SNIDER, Steven Jun 10, 1983 - Jan 25, 2023. Pietrandrea said Houks request is reasonable. According to Bongivengo, there were initial reports from the boy about a black truck in the area that the children didnt recognize. He said the weapon is believed to be a 20-gauge youth model shotgun. Cloudy skies after midnight. That little baby was perfect," Debbie Houk said. 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. Right away, he could tell something was very wrong. Why Jordan Brown Was Exonerated After Being Convicted Of Murder At Age 11. They interviewed 7-year-old Jenessa four times, but only recorded the fourth interview. "I'll never cook that turkey. lot when his Dad wasn't around.". As a result of this attack, both she and her unborn child passed, but Jordan was apprehended the very next day. 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. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Jordan Brown Case: Grandmother asks childrens names, photos be removed from site, Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. mitsubishi rpm problem They interviewed 7-year-old Jenessa four times, but only recorded the fourth interview. She anticipates adding volleyball and track this year. It sounded to her like a gunshot, but when Jordan appeared none the worse for wear, he didnt think anything of it. It wasnt that Kenzie was worried about the pregnancy, she was ready to have the baby and had plenty of practice being a mom. It would have been expensive and taken all of her time. And the murder weapon appeared to be Jordan Brown's child-sized gun. Later, the 7-year-old girl told police she saw the boy drop 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. We'd love to hear eyewitness By that point, Jenessa had changed her story. Ignatz confirmed that, noting that while the district attorney was addressing the media, police were executing another search warrant at the home where Houk had been killed. Several times during Saturdays press conference, the district attorney said he could not comment, including when asked if the boy had confessed. ", Jordan was denied the chance to stay in a juvenile facility where he would be released by the age of 21 as requested by his lawyers. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Share with Us. Houks 7-year-old daughter told police she saw Brown quickly cover something in a blue blanket. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Kenzie Marie Houk, 26, shared the two-story white frame farmhouse on Wampum-New Galilee Road with her two daughters, her boyfriend Christopher Brown and Jordan, his son. According to ABC News, the Supreme Court determined that there was not enough evidence to say with certainty that Jordan had committed the crime. Its just not fair for the Houks, Jack Houk said. 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. Over the years, Debbie Houk said, she is trying to summon up forgiveness for the boy accused in the death of her daughter and grandson. Jordan's life has a bit more normalcy now that he has left prison. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. 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 . After attending court proceedings since Jordans arrest, Jack Houk said he does not think hell go to any more hearings. Winds light and variable. Investigators believed with substantial evidence, that the son of Houks fianc, Jordan Brown, who was 11-years-old at the time, had committed the murder. This being rural Pennsylvania, this was not uncommon and neither was Jordan knowing how to shoot. That led to the transfer of prosecutorial responsibilities to the attorney general. Shows. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, The district attorney said he works at Steelite, which is in an industrial park off Pulaski Road in Neshannock Township. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. As soon as the coroner began taking photos, Martin realized that what they were looking at was no complication or accident. NORMAL A Normal woman is suing the town's police department in federal court after she said officers used excessive force and arrested her w. The 4-year-old called out to a team of tree trimmers, telling one of them that her mother was dead. Share with Us. Debbie Houk said she believes the police have pieced together what happened and solved the case. At some point, he continued, she went looking for her mother, found her body and called out to the tree trimmers, who were working about 30 or 40 yards from house. Police said at least one person was hurt after a car crashed Saturday night into a west Bloomington home and caused a gas leak. And his father visited him every single day, making a 230 miles round trip, despite also mourning the loss of his fiance and their unborn son. I just dont get it.. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The broken-hearted father of Jordan Brown is rebuilding his life while remaining strong for his son. Be Truthful. They took him to the police station and resumed questioning. Jenessa woke Jordan up, and the two left for school together. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. indication the boy had a problem with Houk. Rain earlythen remaining cloudy with showers overnight. She had been shot in the back of the neck. She even had a stepson through Chris in the form of his 11-year-old son Jordan. 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. Their blended family dynamic seemed to be going well since the children all got along. He called the situation tragic in every sense of the word.. But in the five years since the shooting, Jordan has not received the help he needs, she said. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Stay at Home shutterstock.com In the suit, Houk asked that all reference to Adalynn Houk, 7, and Jenessa Houk, 11, be removed from the website. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. A child's brain isn't fully developed -- especially in area that controls decision making, risk taking and impulse control, according to Steinberg, whose research influenced a Supreme Court case banning the death penalty for juveniles in 2005. She and her unborn child passed, but only recorded the fourth.... Daughter, '' said Elisco a car crashed Saturday night into a west Bloomington home caused. 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