Debbie Houk said she believes the police have pieced together what happened and solved the case. her daughters. Im not religious, but this is what were told to do. Kenzies death had been caused by a single gunshot wound to the back of the head, possibly by a 20-gauge shotgun.The Brown household held a number of handguns, rifles, shotguns, including a 20-gauge one, and several rounds of ammunition. Houk was only weeks away from giving birth, according to Johnson, who said the baby was a boy. Jordan Brown talks about the confusion he felt for years following his detention in a juvenile delinquency facility for the death of 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk, in an interview with Juju. The boy faces life in prison, Bongivengo said, explaining the death penalty is not an option because of his age. This story originally appearedFeb. 23, 2009, in the New Castle News. Kenzie Houk had been shot in the back of the head. Jack Houk, who noted he has developed health issues that may be the result of stress, said, Every day I think of my daughter. Be Nice. ABCs 20/20: My Son is Not a Monster is a chapter that delves deep into the 2009 murder of Kenzie Houk, along with its confounding aftermath. 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. Will you do the same? each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Over the following nine years, Christopher visited his son every single day even though the trip was about 115 miles each way bringing him fantasy books to distract him from life behind bars. Before leaving office this week, John Bongivengo, the former district attorney, opposed the motion. AsABC Newsreports, Jordan was confused and unaccompanied as he was taken to the county jail. However she was at the courthouse that day, they said, where she was interviewed by members of the district attorneys office and possibly members of the Pennsylvania state police prior to the hearing. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The arrest of an allegedly murderous fifth-grader quickly found its way onto the Internet and onto network news. God bless those khakis! They now had the unfortunate responsibility to contact Chris Brown and tell him that not only was Kenzie been killed, so had his unborn baby. They took him to the police station and resumed questioning. She even had a stepson through Chris in the form of his 11-year-old son Jordan. The declaration did not declare him innocent but it did mean he couldnt be retried. "I think the judge's decision in this case is both disappointing, and I think, misinformed," said Lawrence Steinberg of Temple University. The girls were sent to their fathers house while Chris and Jordan stayed in the home. In all of this time, Chris has sat through hearings as if he does not care. Hes remarkable, Alec Wright, one of Jordans lawyers, candidly stated. Police determined that Houk was killed with a single shot in the back of the head with a youth model shot gun. We'd love to hear eyewitness Use the 'Report' link on He fell to his knees in despair and once he had regained composure, made his way to the state police barracks. reporters the boy also told his son he wanted to kill Kenzie and Shows. Jordan Brown's lawyers seek witness statements, Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. But investigators believed the strongest piece of circumstantial evidence came from Jenessa. David H. Acker and Dennis A. Elisco, Jordans attorneys, describe Janessa as perhaps the most critical witness in this case. He told him, 'Don't you ever He reported the baby was 19 1/2 inches long and weighed 7.4 pounds. Pietrandrea said Chris Brown was named in the suit because he is a founding trustee of the trust fund and owns of the Save Jordan Brown website. Chance of rain 60%. Christopher and Houk had already established their family: Christopher's son, 11-year-oldJordan Brown,and Houk's daughters, 4-year-old Adalynn and 7-year-old Jenessa. Then, after so many years of waiting to hear the verdict in his case, Jordan was found guilty on first-degree murder charges in 2012 (perYahoo News). Keep it Clean. We Don't Threaten. By that point, Jenessa had changed her story. After all, he has post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] due to this. Authorities ruled her death a homicide. Chance of rain 60%. The worker quickly called 911 and waited for Pennsylvania State Police to arrive. 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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. As an 11-year-old, Jordan was held at Edmund Thomas Adolescent Center in Erie County, Pennsylvania, until he stood trial. Brown is being held at the Lawrence County Jail, in a cell PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Elisco has said he had no Lamancusa revealed he had provided unspecified legal advice to Jordans father, Christopher Brown. Kenzie Houk's younger daughter Adalynn describes finding her mom dead . He doesn't appreciate the magnitude of what he's facing. Ive never received the answers I want. 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Meanwhile, Chris Brown was fighting for his childs innocence and lost his job because of it. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism An appeal of the Superior Court ruling will be argued before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court next month. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be Proactive. But there was another suspect they weren't considering: Houk's ex-partner, Adam Harvey, who Houk was reportedly terrified of and she even had a protective order against him. 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.. If convicted, he could become the youngest person in U.S. history to be sentenced to life in prison without parole. However, that determination by Lawrence County Judge John W. Hodge has been overturned by the Pennsylvania Superior Court and the case was ordered back to the county. He noted he had spent the previous two hours with Jordans father and described him as a mess. a good shot. Two years after his guilty verdict for the first-degree murder of Kenzie and the criminal homicide of her unborn child was overturned for good, Jordan filed a federal lawsuit against a few former police officials over his stolen childhood. Low 39F. If he does, the decisions would fall to the judge. The fetus was viable and the death of the mother caused the death of the baby.. (AP Photo/Thhe Houk Family). Shows. As the result of the investigation, which reportedly included statements from Janessa Houk who was 7 when the shooting occurred Jordan was charged with two counts of homicide in the death of Houk and her unborn child. The two children then got on the school bus at the end of their driveway and went to school. Be Nice. 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 . All we hear is how wonderfully hes doing academically, Jack Houk said. "I'll never cook that turkey. PETE SIRIANNI | NEWS; May 18, 2018 May 18, 2018 Updated May 18, 2018; 0; Shenango's Jenessa Houk competes in the discus finals during the WPIAL championship meet at Baldwin High . It wasn't that Kenzie was worried about the pregnancy, she was ready to have the baby and had plenty of practice being a mom. Police arrived to find Houk lying on the bed downstairs in a pool of blood. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, On the morning of Feb. 21, 2009, attorney Dennis Elisco met a boy who changed his life. accounts, the history behind an article. Attorneys for a 12-year-old boy charged with homicide are seeking information regarding a key witness. It hurts.". Rain earlythen remaining cloudy with showers overnight. They still believe that he should receive the maximum punishment and even that he should be tried as an adult. At around 9 a.m., some tree trimmers arrived to do some work around the house. Their court filing states Janessa was present the entire time Jordan was at the home that morning. We were encouraged to enroll her in a program where she could compete and be trained by international coaches. Be Nice. According to Bongivengo, who called the crime heinous, the 4-year-old didnt hear the shooting. Debbie Houk said Jordan Brown often gave 26-year-old Kenzie Debbie Houk said, adding that Jordan "just bucked her (Kenzie) a Click to reveal He was no longer facing life in prison. Don't knowingly lie about anyone As CNN reports, both Houk and her unborn baby had been killed by a 20-gauge shotgun bullet to the back of the head. He spent the rest of his childhood behind bars for a crime he has always claimed he was innocent of, reports the Ellwood City Ledger. Keep it Clean. But police said that Jordan later changed his story, adding additional details about a man inside the truck. For now, it's a life interrupted for Jordan, as his lawyers begin the process of appealing the judge's decision. 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. Don't Threaten. In prison, Jordan spent a majority of his time reading fiction, learning guitar, and playing basketball, so hes now hoping to continue that. racist or sexually-oriented language. Watch. Jenessa Houk - PA Track and Field results and photos on Athletic.net Since she was a little girl and in pure shock, the police couldn't interrogate her. He knew the Bongivengo pointed to that information as the reason for the second charge homicide of an unborn child. Bongivengo who said no bond is normal in a homicide case noted the boy is segregated at the jail. Use the 'Report' link on It was Houk's 4-year-old daughter Adalynn who discovered her own mother's body. Debbie Houk said she will still observe Adalynns birthday with cupcakes, but there wont be a party for a week or two. Boy charged with committing murder at age 11 to be tried as an adult. Up Next in news My Son Is Not a Monster October 20, 2018 All I want is for him to say that he loved my daughter and that he felt bad about what happened.. It is not possible that it could have been anyone else.. Don't Threaten. One Pennsylvania family's happy life was suddenly turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Three years after Kenzie Houks murder, the trial, held at juvenile court, found Jordan Brown, then 14-years-old, guilty. Winds light and variable. Whoever killed Kenzie certainly did something that day, they tore apart what could have been a loving, happy family. mitsubishi rpm problem Her case deserves to be reopened and reinvestigated. 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 . 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.. Share with Us. A motion filed in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court asks for disclosure of all statements Janessa Houk has provided to authorities primarily those made in the early weeks of the investigation into the shooting death of her mother, Kenzie Houk. The morning of Feb. 20, 2009, workers cutting trees in New Beaver Borough were surprised to . For Houk's daughters Jenessa and Adalynn, they face a life without a mother. She anticipates adding volleyball and track this year. 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. dangers of a gun.". ", 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. Explore. Of course, Kenzies family remains convinced that Jordan is responsible and that he was released on what is essentially a technicality. Don't knowingly lie about anyone Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. The coroner said an unborn baby could survive only minutes after its mothers death. A Bloomington native is in the running to be the next face of Inked magazine. Kenzie Houks family is coming along since she was taken from them five years ago. Jordan had even begun referring to Kenzie as mom. He was happy to have a little brother and would even have his own room once the baby was born. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. racist or sexually-oriented language. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. They had a baby on the way after all. Although he said Saturday he did not know who the gun belongs to, Bongivengo noted it was retrieved from Jordans bedroom and is most likely his weapon.. Since he never changed his story and maintained his innocence, his father believed him. 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. Keep it Clean. Feb. 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. Explore. (AP Photo/The Houk Family). Houks 7-year-old daughter told police she saw Brown quickly cover something in a blue blanket. Thats the same day Lawrence County President Judge Dominick Motto is scheduled to conduct a hearing on whether or not Jordan should continue to be treated as an adult. Threats of harming another Home. Not only that, but Janessa recalled waiting in the living room for Jordan when she heard a big boom echo through the house. In 2020, when he was 23 years old, Jordan embarked in a lawsuit against the state police officers involved in his case (via Ellwood City Ledger). Adalynn, who loves to read, is enrolled in gymnastics and this year began learning basketball fundamentals. 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. New Castle News reports that it took merely three days for the judge in the trial to make the controversial ruling. Each day Debbie Houk visits her daughter and grandson's grave while Chris Brown makes the four-hour round trip to visit his son in a juvenile detention center. Her statement was very credible. These ventures are why the latter bought a youth-sized 20-gauge shotgun for his son, which the police considered the murder weapon. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. racist or sexually-oriented language. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. 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