I can't even imagine all the pain Jordan Brown and his family went through :/. 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. 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 thought, you know, it was just some guy there doing work or something. 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. O.J. Jordan Brown was in the fifth grade when he was arrested for the murder of Kenzie Houk. Its not a weapon that someone's going to carry across the field or carry up a driveway. Dispensary owner Alden Linn said the impact of Brown's death has been felt . They played a big [role] in, like, keeping my head straight, he said. Under Pennsylvania law, an adjudicated juvenile offender cannot be held in custody past his 21st birthday. Elisco disclosed to WPXI that Brown is attending college at an undisclosed location under another name. Early in the investigation, a number of people including Chris Brown told police they should look into another person -- Houks ex-boyfriend of six years, Adam Harvey. See additional information. I was standing right at the edge of the doorway, and I remember the coroner saying, as he started to touch the body, We have a problem, Martin said. You took an 11-year-olds childhood away from him. 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. I came across a blog which claims that Kenzie's abusive ex had threatened to kill her or have her killed. Throughout Jordan Browns stay in detention in Erie, his father continued to ask him whether he'd killed Houk. Accidents happen, buddy. 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. And it was a boy. >>PREVIOUS STORY: Jordan Browns father speaks out after sons murder conviction overturned. Retired Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bobby McGraw said he is still confident that Jordan Brown committed the murders. They attempted CPR, but it was too late. She leaned against the Formica island, her sandy blond hair done up in a bulbous, frizzy ball. Not long after 11:00 A.M. Lizzie found her father's body and called Bridget for help. 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. [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. I wasn't with anybody. By then, Bongivengo had been replaced by a different prosecutor. Pennsylvania State Police found a spent shotgun shell near the path Brown walked with Houk's older daughter to get to their school bus. Thats blood-boiling, seeing-red motive. I just watched the 20/20 episode. 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. 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. On May 8, 2013, Superior Court, in the second appeal that came before it in this case, ruled that "the juvenile court committed a palpable abuse of discretion in rendering a ruling that is plainly contrary to the evidence" and vacated the juvenile court's disposition of delinquency. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. I miss her every day, he said. He is one. It cost me my job, and what money that I had coming in went into the gas tank and went into things that he needed, Chris Brown said. But that's why I told them.. ", https://wandervogeldiary.wordpress.com/tag/jordan-brown-innocent/. And I had no idea where we were going. April 13, 2012. 2023byTango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved. [17], Another possible suspect is Adam Harvey, an ex-boyfriend of Houk. Jordan, who had a bedroom upstairs, had already moved his clothes into that downstairs bedroom. Im from the nearby area also. RELATED:Latest Updates And News About The Murder Of1stGrader AprilTinsley And The Man Finally Arrested After 30 Years, The content produced by YourTango is for informational and educational purposes only. I believe that testimony, further more with: "She told officers she asked Jordan Brown about the source of the sound, but he would not answer. Especially grief-sticken was the younger . Simpson Conspiracy Theory That O.J Simpson's Son Jason Be Guilty Of Murdering His Step-mother Nicole Brown And Ron Goldman. I have been on the fence after seeing the 20/20 (originally thought he was innocent). 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. The next day, state police arrested Brown, who was a fifth-grader at the time. Multiple members of Browns legal team have spoken out about the supreme courts decision. Jordans motive, McGraw believed, was that he was jealous of the new baby. The two of them, plus Browns then-11-year-old son Jordan and Houks two daughters, then-7-year-old daughter Jenessa and then-4-year-old daughter Adalynn, all from their previous relationships, had recently all moved in together in a farmhouse. 2023 Cox Media Group. 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. During his incarceration, Jordan taught himself to play guitar and said he became a pretty good basketball player. Until now. Jordan Brown is ruled . Brown, who initially was charged as an . Authorities said Harvey cooperated during the investigation and agreed to take a polygraph. [I'm] happy that this part of it is over with Jordan, you know, being wrongfully accused. ???? 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,. The Lawrence County District Attorney's Office initially filed the charges in adult court because that is required in Pennsylvania homicide cases, regardless of a defendant's age. And on 20/20 Adalynn said she woke up from a loud noise..she answers her moms phone goes to wake her up..she doesnt wake up..she goes outside & the tree trimmers help.. which would have been around 9am.. the other girl per the police reports said it was an ordinary morning. 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. At that time, in March 1997, Krause filed a. Jordan. Both lawyers also discussed key details about Browns whereabouts. It was one of a half dozen incorrect characterizations in the summary that were not in the transcript, Wright said. Her family says Adalynn shared bits of her story over the years, but its something neither police nor Jordans defense team have ever heard. In her first interview, the girl said she did not hear or see anything unusual, according to the lawsuit. Obtained by ABC News Police determined that Houk had been shot in the back of the head. I can remember just looking at Jordan and feeling like we had failed him. But Houks family remains convinced that Jordan is guilty, and that he should receive the maximum punishment and be tried as an adult. Lawsuit claims evidence fabricated in case of man exonerated in pregnant stepmothers murder Lawsuit claims evidence fabricated in case of man exonerated in pregnant stepmothers murder. The 4 year old who is speaking now; she sure does remember some details from a tragic event. Aired on 05/06/1991 | CC tv-pg. The rounds struck a victim's vehicle and an unoccupied apartment building. And if you go by Adalynns account, this means it all, including the murders, happened long after Jordan and Jenessa had left the house and were on their way to school. As for whether or not an 11 year old could commit this crime, I absolutely believe it is more than possible. 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 deaths of his fathers fiance and unborn child. 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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. [13] He was to remain on juvenile court probation until he turned 21. Where is any evidence showing abuses by the son towards his stepmom. Even with the relationship they had, Adam was still in love with Kenzie. 6 New Details About The Woman Who May Have Falsely Accused Emmett Till. Jordan Brown was sitting with his stepsister Jenessa in a room adjacent to the room where the victim was sleeping, run upstairs, grab a shotgun, load it with a shotgun shell, walk over to the bed, place that shotgun up against her head, pull that trigger, kill her, somehow manage to wipe whatever-- bodily fluid or blood might have been contained on the end of that gun, take it upstairs, replace it along the wall, remove the shell, run downstairs while her sister presumably was waiting for him in this very small house All without leaving a single clue., All they really arrested him on, largely, was the statement of Jenessa, Elisco said. We must demand to know how the Pennsylvania State Police could establish policies that would allow this tragedy to occur, and, even more to the point, encourage the occurrence of tragedies like this one.. 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. After researching the case more, in particular the testimony of the 7 year old Jenessa. According to a search warrant filed Friday, police found the gun outside the boys bedroom, along with a blue blanket with a hole the size of a quarter and burn marks. It was a whole different world. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. As an investigator, you have to look at everything.. His lawyers continued to file appeals in order to have his juvenile conviction (adjudication) overturned. [Then] she told me that when she was waiting downstairs for Jordan to come downstairs and go get the school bus like they normally do, she heard a big boom and she identified it as the sound of a gun, added retired Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bobby McGraw. Pregnant Mother's Murder Leads Police to Arrest Her Step-Son Chris Brown and Kenzie Houk had been friends since they were teenagers. In fact, the prosecutions forensics expert had testified that these particles can be transferred. RELATED:If Casey Anthony Didn't Kill Her Daughter, Who Did? 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.. 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? Teen gets new hearing in case of woman's killing. 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). 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. 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. The search for her killer ended with the most surprising murder suspect residents of Wampum, Pennsylvania, had ever seen: 11-year-old Jordan Brown, the son of the victim's fianc. He also claimed he didnt know where Houk lived. I still love her. The discovery of that shell was not significant.. After the arrest, prosecutor John Bongivengo told reporters he was confident in his case against Jordan Brown. I just did & dont understand the grounds they dismissed her ex as innocent. 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 say Brown walked into his father's bedroom, shot his future stepmom with a hunting rifle and then boarded a bus for elementary school. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. 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. I am a step dad to twin 12 year old girls, a 7 year old and a 4 year old for the past 3 years. She was thrilled, thats what she wanted, Houks mother Debbie Houk told 20/20. The clothing was washed. Jordan is the prime suspect in the 2009 murder of his father's 26 year-old fianc, Kenzie Houk, who was also 8 months pregnant at the time of her death. 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