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Tonight, Jordan Brown, 21, will speak publicly for the first time about being charged with the double-homicide of his father’s fiancee and their unborn child when he was just 11.
The shooting of Kanzie Marie Houk, 26, and her unborn child, occurred on the morning of February 20, 2009. Less than 24 hours later, Jordan was arrested. In 2012, he was convicted in juvenile court of first-degree murder and first-degree homicide.
This past July, Brown’s conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Jordan served seven years in detention before he was finally released.
Read on to learn more about Brown’s case.
1. He Was Charged with the Murder of Kenzie Houk When He Was in 5th Grade
“I had no idea what was going on.” Jordan Brown, now 21, recalls his arrest at age 11 for murder. Brown was convicted of shooting & killing his soon-to-be stepmother & her unborn child in 2009. His conviction was overturned this July. Watch #ABC2020 Friday t.co/fFLxBguChN
When he was just 11, Brown was charged with the murder of 26-year-old Kenzie Houk, who was eight months pregnant at the time.
He spent over three years in a juvenile facility in Pennsylvania before being found guilty in 2012. If he had been tried as an adult, he could have faced a life sentence.
The murder weapon, a youth-model Harrington & Richardson 20-gauge shotgun, was an Easter gift to Jordan from his father- they would often hunt together on the weekends. A shell from the gun was found on the path that Brown walked to get to his school bus each morning. Prosecutors argued in court that Jordan committed the murder and proceeded to get on the school bus not long after.
After being arrested in February 2009, Jordan was placed in the Lawrence County Jail in Pennsylvania. As the facility was only for adults, he was transferred to a juvenile center in March 2009.
2. No DNA or Blood Tied Him to the Crime
Brown was charged after police found a “youth-sized gun” inside the house, which reportedly smelled like it had been recently fired, according to WKBN.
No blood or DNA linked him to the crime.
Speaking to press after Jordan was deemed responsible for his daughter’s death, Jack Houk stated that Jordan was “evil.”
3. He Was Initially Charged as an Adult
“They’re accusing an 11-year-old.” FRIDAY: A father’s fight to free his son, while police & the victim’s family believe he committed murder. And for the first time, free after 7 years behind bars, Jordan Brown speaks out in an exclusive #ABC2020 interview. t.co/ZGewRPfd2o
At first, Brown was charged as an adult in the death of his father’s fiancee.
After his arrest, Amnesty International came forward to oppose Jordan being tried as an adult. They presented a petition, signed by 4,000 people, that argued trying Jordan as an adult would violate his fifth and sixth amendment rights.
Once the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled that this violated Brown’s constitutional rights, the presiding judge recused himself from the case, and a new judge, John W. Hodge, ruled that Brown be tried as a juvenile. Hodge also determined that the case should not be open to the public or news media.
On April 13, 2012, Judge Hodge ruled that Jordan was responsible for first-degree murder in the death of Kenzie Houk.
4. His Conviction Was Overturned in July
Jordan’s conviction was overturned on July 18 in a unanimous 5-0 decision. Their verdict was based on the argument that insufficient evidence was used to charge Jordan. Among other things, justices argued “that trial evidence pointing to a shotgun in Brown’s bedroom as the murder weapon supported an equally reasonable conclusion that it wasn’t the murder weapon.”
WKBN reports attorney Matt Mangino as saying, “Here it seemed, justices felt the evidence could be interpreted in two different ways, and obligation is on the prosecution to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
He added that the majority opinion was that “although there was evidence presented, it wasn’t enough to convict and overturn the decision.”
5. His Father Did Not Publicly Discuss the Case Until July 2018
Jordan’s father, Chris, did not publicly speak about the case until July 2018, when the conviction was overturned.
In a statement reported by NC News Online, Chris Brown said, “It’s been a long road… I was overwhelmed with joy but still full of sorrow knowing that we will not have closure with our loss,” Brown said. “It’s good to have Jordan back, to have him at home and the ability to put this behind us and move on. That was our main goal. This is something I wouldn’t wish on any other parent out there.”
He added that his son’s reports while in detention were all positive. “He graduated high school with a 3.9 grade-point average and is doing well in college… I’m interested to see what life brings down the road for him.”
Brown said he would like the case to be reinvestigated given his son’s overturned conviction. “There are people who are sworn to do that… I hope they reinvestigate and pursue the actual murderer who has been walking the streets for nine years.”