that is degrading to another person. She anticipates adding volleyball and track this year. Don't knowingly lie about anyone They called 911. On Monday, Jason Kraner, Kenzie's brother-in-law, told several But he had been at work during the shooting, so he couldnt have done it. Browns son, Jordan, 14, is charged in her shooting death as well as the death of her unborn baby. Bongivengo noted Houk, who had been lying on her side, was shot at point blank range. They interviewed 7-year-old Jenessa four times, but only recorded the fourth interview. Be Proactive. In the suit, Houk asked that all reference to Adalynn Houk, 7, and Jenessa Houk, 11, be removed from the website. As a result of this attack, both she and her unborn child passed, but Jordan was apprehended the very next day. That little baby was perfect," Debbie Houk said. Roughly 45 minutes later, Kenzie's other daughter, 4-year-old Adalynn, found the body and alerted others. racist or sexually-oriented language. In prison, he taught himself guitar and how to play basketball, but it was still a prison. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. I mean, I think theway it happened is B.S., Jordan said on 20/20. Im innocent. He believed it had been a work truck and thought nothing of it. 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. Houk was a 26-year-old mother of two, died yesterday from a shotgun blast to the back of her head. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism "When it was addressed, Chris said his son would never say such a word.". racist or sexually-oriented language. So he was ruled out as a suspect pretty quickly. Shows. 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. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. That doesn't seem quite right to me.". According to the attorneys, her original two statements to police indicated she noticed nothing unusual. Shows. 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. When asked if Jordan had any problems in line with the Houks' comments, Brown said no. He spent his weekend in the Lawrence County jail. If he does, the decisions would fall to the judge. 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.. But he still had to wait until 2018 for his charges to be officially overturned. Brown is being held at the Lawrence County Jail, in a cell But when she was. The Houks and police point to overwhelming evidence they say will prove that Jordan is the killer, including gun residue found on his shirt, a fresh shell casting found outside as well as the testimony of Houk's 7-year-old daughter who says she saw Jordan with the gun. 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. Police determined that Houk was killed with a single shot in the back of the head with a youth model shot gun. The 11-year-old New Beaver Borough resident has been charged with criminal homicide and homicide of an unborn child after his fathers girlfriend just weeks away from giving birth was found shot to death in her home. Brown and his dad, Christopher, lived with Houk and her two small daughters in a farmhouse in a rural western Pennsylvania town of Wampum, where the father often took his son hunting. Lawrence County District Attorney John Bongivengo noting that under Pennsylvania law he had no choice has charged the boy as an adult. Cloudy skies after midnight. After all, she already had two daughters from a previous relationship - 7-year-old Jenessa and 4-year-old Adalynn. Jenessa Houk - PA Track and Field results and photos on Athletic.net 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. Supreme Court case banning the death penalty for juveniles in 2005. 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. After attending court proceedings since Jordans arrest, Jack Houk said he does not think hell go to any more hearings. Chance of rain 60%.. But the district attorneys office turned down the request on the grounds nothing Janessa has said had been put down in writing. It's the same gun that killed my Chance of rain 60%. They say they remember that. This photo of Kenzie Houk was part of a memorial her family prepared for her in 2009. It wasnt that Kenzie was worried about the pregnancy, she was ready to have the baby and had plenty of practice being a mom. She first said she didn't see anything unusual with. a good shot. "Not only that, but keep in mind, [he was] 11 years old when this happened, now 12. 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. Feb. Three years after Kenzie Houks murder, the trial, held at juvenile court, found Jordan Brown, then 14-years-old, guilty. Jordan's life has a bit more normalcy now that he has left prison. This includes photographs, references to or the identities of the minor. The 4-year-old called out to a team of tree trimmers, telling one of them that her mother was dead. Explore. At around 9 a.m., some tree trimmers arrived to do some work around the house. He is in a state of disbelief and shock., Elisco echoed Bongivengos words, saying this is an extremely tragic situation.. Don't Threaten. According to ABC News, the Supreme Court determined that there was not enough evidence to say with certainty that Jordan had committed the crime. On February 20, 2009, 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk and her unborn son, Christopher were murdered. blanket and came back downstairs to Houk's bedroom and shot her in By that point, Jenessa had changed her story. Their photos should not be on the Internet., More in TIMELINE: Jordan Brown case (36of59). By that point, Jenessa had changed her story. 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. experienced hunters at a turkey shoot. But everybody put that aside and did their job to the letter.. Then, the two siblings sat in the living room until the bus came. It sounded to her like a gunshot, but when Jordan appeared none the worse for wear, he didnt think anything of it. Join Facebook to connect with Janessa Houk and others you may know. Bongivengo described Houks older daughter who will be 8 next month as the main witness. A Bloomington-Normal music teacher has been sentenced to 88 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to sexual as. But everything changed on the morning of February 20, 2009. We didn't believe it. Up Next in news My Son Is Not a Monster October 20, 2018 On the morning of Feb. 21, 2009, attorney Dennis Elisco met a boy who changed his life. In it, the girl said she had heard a shotgun blast before she and Jordan had left the house to catch a school bus. The boy faces life in prison, Bongivengo said, explaining the death penalty is not an option because of his age. Chris was running late for work and though his eight-months pregnant fiancee asked him to stay home, he decided that he should go into the office anyway. You have permission to edit this article. 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. He maintained his innocence the whole time and never changed his story. Right now, Jenessa Houk lives in New Castle, PA. Jenessa maintains relationships with many people -- family, friends, associates, & neighbors -- including Kenneth Lauffer, Genevie Kelch, Stephanie Lauffer, Sherri Shaffer and Harold Cross. Wampum. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, She first said she didn't see anything unusual with Jordan that morning, but by the fourth interview, Jenessa claimed she saw Jordan moving around his shotgun the morning her mom died. In addition, Houks daughter said she also witnessed Brown drop something on the ground from his pocket before they got on the bus, which was where the spent shotgun shell was found. His ability to overcome adversity thats been thrown at him in life is astonishing. We'd love to hear eyewitness Low around 40F. Police arrived to find Houk lying on the bed downstairs in a pool of blood. 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). 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. Rain earlythen remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Performance & security by Cloudflare. 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. She even had a stepson through Chris in the form of his 11-year-old son Jordan. Join Facebook to connect with Jenessa Houk and others you may know. Lawrence County District. At around nine a.m. on February 20, 2009, after Chris had gone to work and Jordan and Jenessa had left for school, tree trimmers who had been hired to do some work around the property came upon a . Be Truthful. Adalynn, who loves to read, is enrolled in gymnastics and this year began learning basketball fundamentals. Then, around 2011, prosecutors chose not to try him as an adult in the fatal shooting, as they had initially planned. Winds light and variable. 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. He attended college to study computer science and criminal justice, in the hopes of becoming a civil rights attorney for the next generation of accused kids. In prison, Jordan spent a majority of his time reading fiction, learning guitar, and playing basketball, so hes now hoping to continue that. So how and why was Jordan finally exonerated? Corporal Jeffrey Martin was one of the first responders on the scene. (AP Photo/Lawence County Prison via Beaver County Times Lawrence County Prison via Beave Brown. Based on the blood, it appeared as though she might have hemorrhaged somehow and sadly had died because of it. 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. After all, he has post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] due to this. Ignatz said he was not sure where Jordan had been questioned, but he was always in the company of his father.. It hurts.". "Jordan had told (my son around Christmas) he was going to pop She said she also wishes things had gone differently between her family and Jordans father. Prosecutors stand ready to bring the Jordan Brown case to its conclusion. 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 . Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, You have permission to edit this article. that is degrading to another person. They had a baby on the way after all. 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. Houk's nephew reportedly heard Jordan make an alarming comment before the murder, which Debbie Houk says was swept under the rug. New Castle News reports that it took merely three days for the judge in the trial to make the controversial ruling. He also indicated there is still work under way. Boy charged with committing murder at age 11 to be tried as an adult. Ellwood City Ledger reports that in order to get to the school bus with Jenessa, Jordan would have had only two minutes to murder Houk, clean the bullet debris off himself, clean the gun, and leave the house. He gets all the breaks. Low around 40F. "I think the judge's decision in this case is both disappointing, and I think, misinformed," said Lawrence Steinberg of Temple University. He called the situation tragic in every sense of the word.. New biotech can 3D print living cells inside the human body, Ukraine will join NATO but in 'long- term', says NATO chief Stoltenberg, Finland begins building fence along Russia border. Rain earlythen remaining cloudy with showers overnight. A little remorse on his part would help.. He said Jordan can petition to have his case transferred to juvenile court and he can request bond. 7-year-old daughter saw him; they believe he then hid the gun in a They interviewed 7-year-old Jenessa four times, but only recorded the fourth interview. (AP Photo/Thhe Houk Family). Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Authorities believe the killing was premeditated. person will not be tolerated. He pointed out there was no forced entry, no sign of a struggle and no money missing. A beautician until she became pregnant for the third time, Kenzie Houk entertained her daughters by painting their fingernails, doing up their hair and putting on music and dancing with them, their grandmother 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, Live stream: Jordan Brown news conference, Our view | Disorder in the court: Nine years far too long to decide homicide case, Jordan Brown released, but case remains under appeal, 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. Stay at Home shutterstock.com Be Proactive. indication the boy had a problem with Houk. As CNN reports, both Houk and her unborn baby had been killed by a 20-gauge shotgun bullet to the back of the head. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. 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. Jordans case is being transferred to the Pennsylvania attorney generals office. Kids charged with murder in Pennsylvania are automatically considered adults and only a judge's decision can move the trial to juvenile court. But police said that Jordan later changed his story, adding additional details about a man inside the truck. Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa, who took office Monday after being elected in November, has a conflict of interest. But eventually, he noted, the 7-year-old implicated him. Defense attorneys are asking that his case be transferred to the juvenile system. 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. (AP Photo/Thhe Houk Family). After being found responsible for the deaths on April 13, 2012, Jordan was sent first to a juvenile facility in Chambersburg, then to George Junior Republic in Grove City. But the day took a tragic turn around 9 a.m. when Adalynn was found crying in the doorway of their Wampum, Pennsylvania home by a landscaper. Both follow in their mothers athletic footsteps and both have chosen Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast Gabby Douglas and their mother as role models. 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. Chance of rain 60%.. If convicted, he could become the youngest person in U.S. history to be sentenced to life in prison without parole. 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