Kenzie Marie Houk
Child Finds Murdered Pregnant Woman In Lawrence Co
Girl, 4, Finds Pregnant Mom Dead, Tells Tree Workers
Pa. boy, 11, charged with killing pregnant woman
11-Year-Old Boy Charged In Murder Of Pregnant Woman
11-Year-Old Charged With Killing Pregnant Woman
Boy Shoots Dad’s Pregnant Fiancee Before School, Police Say
11-YR.-OLD ‘SLAYS’ HIS DAD’S GAL
Jordan Brown
I’m sure all the ‘don’t charge kids as adults’ people will be all over this one.
By: Trench Reynolds on February 21, 2009
at 9:21 pm
I saw this story on the news earlier. It caught my interest, because I am from the area, In which the woman lived. After seeing this, I got on Myspace, and looked up both the woman and “live in boyfriend”. I was shocked to see the status of Christopher brown (The live in boyfriend) to be “There is a person that is going to die”. It was also odd, that Chris last logged onto Myspace, On the 9th of February. I do not think the little boy committed this crime. If it is possible that he did do this, I am wondering if his father put him up to it. I tried to reach Crime Stoppers in that area, And left a tip of what I saw. I do not know if they will use it or not. But I’m hoping people will look further into this, As a possibility.
By: a.kay on February 22, 2009
at 1:11 am
Trench,
Yeah, I expect to see that and people saying he could nto have done this. Well, from what I have read, he was jealous of the attention his dad gave Kenzie and the baby, and he even told someone he wanted to kill her. He knew what he was doing and he is old enough to know that murder is wrong and illegal. And I bet he knew she was pregnant too! So, I do not feel sorry for him. My compassion is for Kenzie and her unborn son.
By: mylifeofcrime on February 22, 2009
at 11:45 am
try him as an adult!!!!!!!!!!!!
note from blog owner
He has been charged as an adult.
By: Haley on February 22, 2009
at 11:56 am
I have a friend who used to date chris brown. I showed her the pic of his myspace profile. She said that was him. I dont kn ow wehat the first comment’s author is talking about. It says his mood was loved and that he last logged in in 2008. She needs to get her facts straight before leaving a comment that involved Crime Stoppers. He had to know she was pregnant, she was 8 months. It’s a tragedy. What would make an 11 year old want to kill 2 people?
By: rosaria on February 22, 2009
at 4:53 pm
This is so very sad for that entire family. Why wasn’t the gun locked up?
By: Books For Inmates on February 22, 2009
at 5:14 pm
A.K.A Would you put those links for the Myspace in here? Please. Thank You
By: Lavonna on February 22, 2009
at 5:16 pm
This case is so tragic! The first thing I thought was that the boy must have been insanley jealous of the girlfriend and the baby. I just wonder what the catalyst was for such an event?
By: Maya B. on February 22, 2009
at 5:24 pm
I felt sorry for the Father!!
By: Allan on February 22, 2009
at 9:32 pm
Distrusting why did this small boy muder..
By: abhishekdaaga on February 23, 2009
at 2:30 am
I’m sorry, but an elevan year old doesn’t understand the consequences of their actions. The part of the brain that controls and analyzes this type of information doesn’t fully develop until the late 20’s! This is why “young adults” do such stupid stunts–
This is a child who has committed a terrible deed. Yes, there will be consequences, but it is the parents who should be held responsible. Everyone is gun crazy, and yet people do not lock up their weapons. Not only that, but kids are allowed to watch age inappropriate tv and movies and then they act out of what they see.
If you think this kid knew what he was doing, and the consequences, then you are wrong. It is sad, it is a terrible thing. The child needs help to deal with whatever is going on in his head, but to hold this child as an adult is proposterous.
By: peppermintpatty777 on February 23, 2009
at 10:37 am
This is so sad. How can anyone Murder such a lovely woman and one who is pregnant at that? I mean how jealous was this eleven year old boy? I’m a child of divorce and I’m sure I’ve been jelous of eitheir parents signifigant others, and the fact my half brothers get to grow up with my dad and I didn’t. But to Kill someone? Thats inconceivable to me. There is no justfication to hurt or kill anyone ever, and this boy really scares me. The look he wears in his mugshot is disturbing.
I pray for poor Kenzie who was so senselessly taken from her friends and family, and for the little baby she was carrying who never got a chance to live. I pray for her poor little 4 year old daughter who had to find her mother like that, and for Kenzie’s friends and family. I pray for all parties involved and hope that Kenzie and her baby are finding peace in the heaven and that her family finds comfort here on earth.
By: Katie on February 23, 2009
at 11:33 am
First, why was an 11yr old, 7yr old up getting themselves ready for school alone in the first place? Second, I was raised in a home with Firearms and all of the recommended locks, classes, clubs, etc. – but if left alone, I would try my damndest to get my rifle free so that i could take it horseback and “pretend” to defend my farm… kids are kids; thats why they are given parents o guide them… period.
Third, I agree with peppermintpatty777 – there is a juvenile court system for a reason; unless you have been incarcerated I would suspect that you have no idea what happens to the weak and vulnerable… or everyoen else for that matter. Let me pose this question – If a mentally disabled adult committed such a crime and was deterimined to have the ‘mentality and maturity” of an 11yr old would recommend prison or the death penalty?
“Significant recent studies have found that the majority of juveniles on death row had terrible childhoods, with backgrounds of physical or sexual abuse, “profound psychological disorders, low IQ, indigence, and/or intensive substance abuse.”7 Moreover, recent studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have found that adolescent brains are far less developed than previously thought; that the brain development process continues into the early 20’s; that “the parts of the brain that govern judgment, reasoning and impulse control are not fully developed until the early twenties”; that due to the underdevelopment of this portion of the brain teenagers rely heavily on another part of the brain responsible for “gut reactions”; that this reliance continues until the early twenties and is found more among males than females.8
These studies confirm the long-accepted view in our society about the lesser maturity of juveniles—the main reason for which our society, by law, excludes persons below 18 years from a range of activities such as voting, serving on juries or in the military, marrying, entering into contracts, purchasing alcohol and tobacco products, and executing wills and holds that minors should not be held accountable for their actions to the same degree as adults.”
By: Tiff on February 23, 2009
at 1:02 pm
Here are the myspace profiles for both Kenzie and Chris.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=99362415
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=230584130
By: RK on February 23, 2009
at 1:19 pm
This situation could have been prevented. The child should not have had access to a DEADLY WEAPON. There is a reason that hunter’s safety courses here where we live begin at age TWELVE. I live 4 miles from where this happened and my son attended the safety course about a mile from where this occurred. Why on Earth would a father allow their young CHILD to keep a weapon in their bedroom? I blame the parent! The child was jealous. If there was no access to the lethal weapon, he would still be just a jealous little boy….not a murderer. As a mother of three, I truly feel for this child. It is so hard to feel bad for him, yet at the same time feel he should be locked away from society. The damage has been done, and now he needs to be punished with jail time for life. He will likely be “raised” in the jail system and if he is tried as a juvenile, will be out when he’s 21. Then what will he be? A product of the jail system and a young man capable of murder. Lock hijm up for good…he took two lives and ruined the lives of so many others!
By: ncwbeach on February 23, 2009
at 3:51 pm
peppermint,
You are right, to a certain extent. I believe that an 11 year old KNOWS that a gun will kill someone if he points it at a person and shoots.
By: Shauncey on February 23, 2009
at 5:30 pm
I just saw a little blurb on Yahoo news that the 11 year old had planned the killing. Need to read it though.
By: Katie on February 23, 2009
at 7:23 pm
Okay here is the address to the article
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090224/ap_on_re_us/pregnant_woman_killed
I’m not very good at posting links. Sorru ;0/
Bonnie, I hope you don’t mind me posting this.
Thanks.
-Katie
By: Katie on February 23, 2009
at 7:32 pm
Wow. New Castle is my hometown and I went to high school with this girl. Cannot believe this happened. Totally shocked. Thank god they are trying him as an adult. Such a senseless crime.
By: Sara on February 23, 2009
at 9:47 pm
The morning news said that the gun was actually given to the 11 yr old boy as a gift from his dad. So why would it be locked up? This seems like an irresponsible father.
By: chops on February 24, 2009
at 6:34 am
adult crimes deserve adult time. regardless of the gun situation, you can’t blame a child’s parents for every action that a child does. an eleven year old understands the difference between right and wrong. if he didn’t realize what he was doing was wrong then he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to hide all the evidence. im sorry, but he committed and “adult” crime that took the lives of two people. it’s not like he stole a pack of gum from wal-mart here folks…
By: shansurprise on February 24, 2009
at 8:50 am
The fact of the matter is that tragically the mother of two is now gone. Would she be gone if the child hadn’t been given a gun? Would she be gone if her brother in law had brought up the child’s “threats” in an effort to obtain help for this child. Would she be gone, if as a parents, she and the boys father had safely kept the guns in the house locked up. We forget that this is still a CHILD. While we can reason he is 11 and he knows that murder is wrong, we can also argue that all 11 yr olds also know they should do their homework, their chores, bathe, etc. and still as PARENTS we must remind them and GUIDE them. According to reports from family and the press this 11 yr old was dealing with EMOTIONAL, STRESSFUL, CONFUSING changes in his life, why didn’t anyone HELP him then. Why are the same adults that were in the position to help him wanting to condemn him now? Why would you admit to knowing the child had a propensity for violence but not admit to sharing responsibility to helping that child with this violence. Why is it that if an ADULT can become overwhelmed, stressed, and angered to the point of murder (however wrong it may be) that some of us naively believe that a child can’t be. This should be a wake up call to all families, and society as a whole. The fact that children today are more aware and to some extent mature does not exonerate us from the repsonsibility to parent, nurture and guide our youth. My opinion is that the family should recognize that as the ADULTS, as his “FAMILY” their actions or lack thereof contributed to this tragedy and as such they instead of turning their backs on him, judging him, and wishing him the worst of punishments, should recognize that they too share in his CULPABILITY.
Most importantly, let us all remember that we are innocent until proven guilty and we have not even scratched the surface and what really happened.
By: Concerned on February 24, 2009
at 8:52 am
I was reading some forums about this one and all people seemed to talk about was that this would make people more against weapons. Why are the americans so obsessed with guns? There is no reason for a none-hunter, cop or someone like this to own a gun. Less guns, less killing. Give me some good reasons to why normal people should have a gun? To defend themselves? No way. I never had a gun and never had any problems of defending myself. With a gun, you quickly can become a killer.
By: Helsingborg on February 24, 2009
at 11:29 am
Unfortunately I think if this kid wanted Kenzie’s demise……he would figure out a way with or without the gun! I hate that the people on many boards are making the victim out to be the bad guy here. Any 11 year old that can get on a bus and act normal after doing something like that has ISSUES! Where was his BIO mom? Why didn’t he live with her? Alot of unanswered questions. Just think of how the little girl that found her mother has to remember her mother! This is all so tragic! But I say, this boy needs to be accountable for this. It was an execution style MURDER! His attorney wants to get him out on bail! HMMMMMMMMMM…would you want this kid to return back to school where your kids go?? Serial killers start out very young and unfortunately this could be one of those bad seeds! This is just tragic no matter what way you look at it. My heart goes out to both families!
By: chooky on February 24, 2009
at 2:03 pm
[...] Kenzie Marie Houk murder 2/20/2009 Wampum, PA *11 year old Jordan Brown, son of her boyfriend, arre… Kenzie Marie Houk Child Finds Murdered Pregnant Woman [...] [...]
By: Top Posts « WordPress.com on February 24, 2009
at 5:19 pm
Does anyone remember, I think it was last year, it was a murder of a family (mom, dad and brother) in a small town and the daughter survived…and called 911…it was called a ’small town murder mystery” as someone basically entered the home in the middle of the night…i just watched nancy grace and thought of that case for some reason but cant remember any more details of it…does anyone know anything about it?
By: Dan on February 24, 2009
at 9:19 pm
I am from New Castle; I believe exactly as the DA has stated that this was a cold blooded murder. This boy had made threats to kill Kenzie and the children at Christmas time but they did not think he was serious.
Kenzie was eight and a half months pregnant, due date was March 8th, and that little baby was already 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 191/2 inches long.
How dare this public defender describe him as any normal eleven year old! He wants him out on bail; he has no children, how can he possibly comprehend this family’s loss?
We do not want him on our streets with our children or in our schools.
Charge him as an adult; he became an adult when he chose to kill two people!!!!!!!!
By: Marlene on February 25, 2009
at 6:53 pm
I knew her, and her two daughters. She came to North Carolina to visit her old friend that moved here. I was bestfriends with her friends daughter. She came and picked me up with Taylor, and her two daughters to drive and pick up a playset. She was a very nice women. RIP Kenzie. :[
By: Alyssa on February 26, 2009
at 10:19 am
As I start my post I do want to say that murdering someone is not a way to deal with the situation. I am a human being coming from a divorced family. I grew up unhappy and knowing my step father didn’t like us kids. Did we act different around my mother, most certainly and so did my step dad. Unless you have experienced what a child in a divorced family is like, you can not judge this kid. I would lay money that he cried out for help numerous ways but no one acted on his cry for help. I bet things between Kenzie and Jordan were not as stated in all of these article out there. What a family member sees is different than what happends behind closed doors. Everyone can go on and on about him being jealous, but what was the real sitation like!! You will never know. Do you know why? Like I said before the family on the outside knows NOTHING what goes on behind the doors of the house. Even the ‘real’ parent, this one being Chris has no idea what the situation is and he is there everyday. I say this because I am now a step parent and the ‘real’ parent (not step parent) tries to keep everything at peace in their mind. They want to keep both sides (one being the child and the ’step’ parent happy). In turn, many things go unnoticed as did many cries for help probably get turned down.
My prayers go out to everyone involved because it shouldn’t have come to this, but is a wake up call to the nation of divorced families to notice cries for help.
I’m not turning the blame on the victim, but I do hope everyone looks at both sides to the full extent and not just the outcome of the situation.
I would not hesitate to house this boy in my home. He is an 11 year old and yes knows right from wrong, but if I were to ask my nephew if he would know the outcome of something like this, I bet he has no idea its a life sentence. If I were to ask my step child who is 5 years older if he knew the outcome I am sure he would know. My point is back to the cries for help.
Was Jodan left behind like many children of divorced parents are? Was her family loving to him just as much as her 2 children? I doubt is as it’s a rare thing for families to accept step children like a real grandchild or real nephew. Was he invited everywhere the other 2 kids where, probably not. He was probably an innocent victim of step child left behind..
Before you judge my post you must think of all sides of the situation.
By: heads up divorced families and nation on February 26, 2009
at 4:38 pm
I really don’t understand why them kids were up by them self’s getting ready for school I have 5 and when they were little I was up with them .This does not make sense .The 4 year old had to get up by her self and fine her mommy dead…….The brother in law should of told Christopher Brown about the threat so he is to blame a little also Christopher Brown is to blame what he did not see this he is Jordan’s father for god sake.Christopher Brown was not at the funeral that’s sad and unforgiving to me ..He loved her we think he wanted that baby we think..ask yourself did he really want all this .My kids were raised in a house full of guns LOCKED guns period Christopher Brown should have to pay for some of this and to be honest I do not believe this boy acted alone he is only 11 to have knowledge of knowing to cover the gun to toss the shell come on and where is this man who loved this woman where is he where is his love for her now where is his pain we have not seen that ,So he did not love her like all thinks……Bless them little girls for not having there mother around .There must of been a lot of drama in that house for this to happen…..Bless all in this someone will pay but it will not be for long.My father in law was murdered and the man who did it served 20 years and his murderer is a free man today.This boy did not act alone he does not have mental capably to think like a murderer …….. crap he is only 11 years old …….
By: Windance on February 27, 2009
at 10:04 am
The voice of reason is apparent with the person who thinks Chris Brown should be held accountable.
The myth of Adult crime?Adult Time is gone, surgeon general says so:
Myth: Getting tough with juvenile offenders by trying them in adult criminal courts reduces the likelihood that they will commit more crimes.
Fact: Youths transferred to adult criminal court have significantly higher rates of re-offending and a greater likelihood of committing subsequent felonies than youths who remain in the juvenile justice system. They are also more likely to be victimized, physically and sexually.
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/news/pressreleases/pr_youthviolence.htm
By: justice4jordan on February 28, 2009
at 2:58 pm
i’m writing a paper on this and i believe that this boy had his oppurtunity at a great, wonderful life. But when he took that gun held it up and fired it at his father’s pregnant girlfriend, he lost that oppurtunity. he should be tried as an adult.
By: ryan on April 8, 2009
at 12:31 pm
Been following this story since Feb. 09 and whether Jordan Brown did or didn’t do this has yet to be determined (according to media there seems to be a lot of speculations and assumptions) but we as a society better be VERY afraid when we have state laws (and DA’s) that can lock up children this young forever without the chance of ever getting out again. Children this young need help which they will not get in prison. Society, as well as the victim’s, need to remember that these laws also apply to our own children/grandchildren. Don’t say it can’t happen to your child or your child would not do this or that because if you asked these parents whose children are locked up for life, I am sure they said the same thing.
The laws to lock up children under 18 years old in adult prisons need to change NOW!!!!! Children need to be held accountable for their actions but not on an adult level because they are not adults!!! They cannot be deemed adults in one aspect of the law (crime) and not be in another (voting, drinking, joining the military, they even need parent permission to go on a school field trip, etc….). Locking children up in adult prisons is not a life sentence it is a death sentence to these children especially when we have far worse adults out on our streets. Sentencing children under 18 years old as adults and in some cases locking them up forever with no chance of parole is saying that these children are worse then the child molesters living in our neighborhoods, it is saying they are worse than the drunk driving who serves a few years for killing someone while driving drunk, it is saying that they are worse than the drug dealers who return back to their corner, it says that they are worse than the adults who have killed and have gotten only a few years WITH parole. Think about it!!!!
By: Jamie on May 4, 2009
at 12:09 pm
I was a dear friend of Kenzie’s. We were friends since she was 15 we have been through some crazy times, but all in all she never deserved this. These two little girls lost their mom. They are the victims but yet it all seems like they were the ones who got a life sentence the day their mother was murdered. No matter what people say the bottom line is that Kenzie was murdered and someone did it. So with that said the police and Commonwealth of PA have gathered the information that they could to piece together and solve this case. All in all there needs to be closure and some piece for her family and friends. It bothers me that people say “oh what a poor thing for that little boy”. Well everyone needs not to forget about the two little girls who have no mom to guide them through life; who will do their hair, talk to them about the birds and bees, who will watch them grow into young women who will be there for them to lean on and go through lifes adventures. WHO WILL THAT SOMEONE BE? Yes they have people that love and care for them but as we all know it not the same as our mom. RIP Kenzie, we love you and miss you.
By: Billiejo on August 27, 2009
at 10:47 am