LAWRENCE COUNTY, Pa. — A federal civil rights trial began against four former troopers and a former Pennsylvania State Police commissioner for wrongfully convicting Jordan Brown, who was exonerated in the 2009 deaths of his father’s fiancée and unborn child.
Brown was 11 years old when prosecutors said he shot 26-year-old Kenzie Houk, and then went to school. Brown’s lawyer told jurors that the child left for school that morning and was arrested less than 24 hours later, without any credible evidence. Jordan is now suing for mental and physical damages after spending nearly half his life in juvenile detention for a murder conviction the PA Supreme Court overturned due to insufficient evidence.
The shooting happened at their home in Wampum, Lawrence County.
A juvenile court judge later found Brown guilty of first-degree murder and homicide of an unborn child.
According to the lawsuit, former troopers Janice Wilson, Jeffrey Martin, Robert McGraw and Troy Steinhauser, as well as former commissioner Frank Pawlowski, fabricated evidence against Brown.
The lawsuit claims the only evidence against Brown was a “coerced and fabricated statement” of his soon-to-be stepsister, who was 7 years old at the time.
The young girl was interviewed four times in 14 hours after her mother’s death, according to the lawsuit, including once after midnight. Lawyers for Brown say the first two statements did not show that Brown was guilty, and the others “were built on lies that were fed to her by the investigators.”
Lawyers said the young girl said in her first two statements to police that Brown went upstairs to put on his socks and then they left for school together.
“People will believe what they want to believe, but Jordan was innocent. He lost his entire youth being wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn’t commit,” Wright said.
In 2016, Brown was released from juvenile detention, but he and his defense team continued to argue his innocence.
In court today, retired trooper David Bayer took the stand and testified to his role in the investigation. He was assigned to interview Kenzie Houk’s sister, who he said spoke to her multiple times a day. He reviewed his report from that day, which said the woman suspected her sister’s ex-boyfriend had something do with her murder. She said he had a bad temper when drinking. She said he was recently upset, claiming he was tricked into believing her 4-year-old daughter was his child. A recent paternity test had been given and the child was not his.
We reached out to Pennsylvania State Police in Harrisburg and were told that they do not comment on pending litigation.
Lawyers for PSP pointed out in court today the role the District Attorney plays in investigations.
The trial is expected to take approximately 10 days.
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