11 Year Old Murder Suspect Cinvicted

NEW CASTLE, Pa. - The family of 11-year-old Jordan Brown -- who's accused of killing his father's pregnant girlfriend in Lawrence County -- defended their young relative on Wednesday and said he couldn't have been jealous of the victim's biological children, as a prosecutor suggests.

"They've already convicted him and he didn't even go to trial," said Brown's uncle, Jonathan Krause. "He's an 11-year-old boy."

Earlier in the day, Brown was transferred from the Lawrence County Jail to the Allencrest Juvenile Detention Center in Brighton Township, Beaver County, where he'll await a bail hearing on a charge of homicide in Kenzie Houk's fatal shooting.

Brown's family expressed confusion over why the events took place and they, to a certain extent, refuse to believe it happened the way police say it did.

"I feel Jordan didn't do this in any way, shape or form, and if he did, we are going to support him regardless of what the situation might be," said Jonathan Krause, the brother of Brown's mother, Mildred Krause.

Jonathan Krause told WTAE Channel 4's Janelle Hall that the child lived with his mother until the age of 5, until Mildred Krause got sick and thought that Brown would have a better life with his father, Chris Brown, who still shares custody with her.


Kenzi Houk's family has said repeatedly that she loved Jordan Brown like one of her own kids. The Browns lived with Houk and her two young daughters, ages 8 and 4, at Houk's rural farmhouse in Wampum, where the 8-months-pregnant Houk was found shot in bed Friday morning.

"I just can't picture him doing that because he's such a sweet little boy," Jonathan Krause said. "You know, nobody wants to come forward and say they love that little boy. Well, we love him tremendously with all of our heart and we're going to try to help him the best we can."

Lawrence County District Attorney John Bongivengo has suggested a jealousy motive, theorizing that Jordan Brown didn't want to share his father's attention with Houk, the two girls and his new half-brother, who was due to be born in March.

"We're not charging an 11-year-old with a double homicide unless we're confident that he's our guy," Bongivengo said.


But Jonathan Krause said he doesn't believe that theory, because Jordan Brown also has a half-sister -- Mildred Krause's daughter from another relationship.

"I believe in my heart that he was neglected, that he was crying out for help and apparently nobody came to that boy's aid," he said.

Mildred Krause declined to comment about her son's homicide case on Wednesday.


State police said they believe Jordan Brown and Houk's youngest daughter were the only two people in the home with Houk when the shooting happened.

Lawrence County court papers from 1997 -- before Jordan Brown was born -- show Mildred Krause filed a protection from abuse order against Chris Brown, alleging that he showed "stalking, controlling behavior," and that he "threatened to break my neck" and "showed me his gun and permit and told me if I ever break up with him, he would kill me."

Court records show that in 1997, Mildred Krause, while pregnant with Jordan, filed a protection from abuse order against Jordan's father, Chris Brown, alleging that "he drinks heavily, he uses drugs and he has such a temper."

"When I told him i was going back to Florida, he tore up my brother's room. ... He also tried running me off the road when I had the baby with me. ... He told me if I ever broke up with him, he would kill me."

What's not explained is if that's true, why Mildred Krause agreed to allow Chris Brown to have custody of their son. Jordan Brown's defense attorney said the truth will come out and the district attorney, John Bongivengo, said he already knows it.

"Personally, and I can speak for the state troopers who worked on this, we're not charging an 11-year-old with a double homicide unless we're confident that he's our guy," Bongivengo said.