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Charged as an adult? But he's 11!

Here's a story that's downright terrifying. The Associated Press reports:

Jordan.jpg

Fifth-grader Jordan Brown boarded the bus and headed to school like he did most other mornings in this rural western Pennsylvania community.

But before he left home on Friday, authorities say, the 11-year-old boy had shot his father's pregnant fiancee in the back of the head as she lay in bed. He then put his youth model 20-gauge shotgun back in his room before going out to catch his bus, police say.

Brown was charged Saturday as an adult in the death of 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk, who was eight months pregnant, Lawrence County District Attorney John Bongivengo said. Houk's fetus died within minutes due to a lack of oxygen, Lawrence County Coroner Russell Noga said.


Where to begin? First, let me note that according to the article (read the rest of it here), the kid's lawyer says he thinks the kid may be innocent. The details of this story will play out in Pennsylvania.

But even as I'm taken aback by the sheer horror of this tale, I have to admit the first thing that got my attention was that they're charging this kid as an adult. South Florida has had some experience charging children as adults when they're accused of heinous crimes. We all remember Nathaniel Brazill, who shot and killed high school teacher Barry Grunow in Lake Worth in 2000. Brazill, 13 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Then there was Lionel Tate, who was 12 when he was charged as an adult with killing his playmate Tiffany Eunick and 14 when he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Tate eventually had his sentenced overturned and was released, only to head back to prison for robbing a pizza delivery guy in 2005.

Now comes Jordan Brown, who's 11 and will be facing murder charges as though he were an adult at the time of the shooting.

Is this right? If a preteen who commits murder can be tried as an adult, why bother ever trying juveniles as children? What is the point of juvenile justice if we're just going to treat them as adults in the end?

(By the way, I'm not answering these questions: I'm just asking them. I'd love to hear your answers).

Update: I should have seen this earlier, but the prosecutor in the case says he has no choice under Pennsylvania law but to charge Jordan as an adult.

POSTED IN: Rafael Olmeda (92)

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He took 2 lives. Children are not stupid and know what they are doing. He should be charged as an adult. If he recieves a slap on the wrist for a double homicide what do you think will happen when he's 18 or 21. Gee I can kill someone and not have to pay for it.. He deserves to be tried as an adult

A terrible tragedy for everyone concerned. Children should not have access to guns. It is too easy to kill without having to realise the consequences. The poor kid was jealous, unhappy, and nobody to care for his feelings and cherish him - getting up and going to school on his own, etc. Boys that age - I have one - can be unappealing to other adults, behave badly, get stupid ideas, be terribly hurt by something small - and killing is unfortunately a large part of the culture all around us - tv, computer games, children's games, etc. They need constant telling what is right and wrong to feel, and they still come running to their mothers for hugs and comfort - if such is available to them. What if it is not? He may have been very upset at his home situation and fantasied about doing this terrible deed -but to a kid of his age pulling the trigger on a gun is NOT the same as bashing someone to death and watching someone suffer. It truly is not. We can all loose a sense of proportion if we have no one to talk to - children more so! His shooting wasmore fantasy stuff - that happens instantly once you pull the trigger. Unfortunately you cannot go back on it - God bless him, because who else is to going to love and care for him.

This boy knew exactly what he was doing. This kind of behavior cannot be overlooked. It's very similar to the boy in Arizona that shot his father and friend. He mad an adult decission and now deserves to pay adult conquences. Lock him up. Ask yourself this, if he's capable of doing this...what else is he capable of????

What type of father gives an 11 year old all day access to a gun? I have a ten year old and my son is not permitted to be involved with any type of weapon. I think it's the parents fault. Every child goes thru temper tantrums of some sort, could you imagine if they all had guns. There wouldn't be any parents left.

I mean he took two lives and he does deserve to be punished, but not as an adult, this why we have a juvenile justice sysytem they are juveniles and I think he should go thru that system, Would you charge and adult as a juvenile, for a petty crime???? i do not think so, so why are we doing it to our children? we do not know what has been going on in that house, and I will not be the one to judge him, God will do that, all I can do is pray for him and hope he think about what he did and repent because he can not take it back. Rather than say he should die or get life all i can do is love him and pray.

Why is it if this 11 year old boy had sex with a 18 year old man or women he would be considered a minor and the adults would be in jail but if he kills someone he is an adult ?

How can he make a adult decision to kill someone but not when it comes to sex ?

I'm not saying that any 11 year old should be having sex with any adult. I'm just saying that it doesn't make sense how the system works.

He is a minor and this should be treated in the juvenile court system. He is to young to be thrown away for the next 70 years of his life.

This kid totally needs to be tried as an adult. His father should also be tried for the death. Does he not own a gun cabinet? Who gives an 11 year old access to guns anytime they want? This poor woman and the baby are now dead because poor little Johnny was upset. Is killing the woman the answer? What kind of household does he live in where killing is the answer.

Look how well things worked out for Lionel Tate. If this kid is to have any chance at all to avoid an entire life of crime, they need to get him out of the adult system. That doesn't mean there will no consequences for his actions but he will get another chance in 10 years or so. There are adults that spend less time than that in jail for murder. Let's, at least, put him where he has a chance at redemption.

If we had a real justice system any child who committed a felony should be tried as an adult. Then maybe we wouldn't have all these juveniles laughing when they get arrested and out of the detention center the next day.

Guns and kids are always a combination for danger.

Here in AZ, it was big news for months that a 9 year old shot and killed his father and another man. The boy was charged as an adult but the case has been "resolved" with a plea bargain.

I don't know if or how that kid could be rehabilitated, but I do know that the father had trained the kid on how to use the rifle. And the father was very harsh with the boy in general.

Guns and kids just don't mix.

The answer is to kill the killers. If it goes to trial and is found guilty, they should execute him that day and have his father pay for the cost of killing him. Make an example of it and don't stop with this kid ... kill the killers and scare the public into living right.

Don't you people realize this is MADNESS??? Our so called law makers are doing nothing but contradicting themselves with these laws they pass concerning our kids!! Also, our supreme court justices are so highly educated but yet they don't know the difference between a minor and an adult?? What is the definition of a juvenile? What is the definition of a minor? What is the definition of a child? Somebody please tell me! Does a kid magically turn into an adult after or during a crime he or she committs?? Why isn't our new president doing anything to stop this madness?? Why do we insist on vengence and destroy as the answer to our problems? That is not the answer especially when it comes to our children!!! Our lawmakers don't realize how rediculous they look trying to pretend they actually care about our kids when in reality THEY DON'T!!!

I love how everyone always! Always! Overlooks other influences of the attributing disaster! Hell it seems like more and more young kids are killing there parents, friends, and so on! Then again there is never a full indepth investigation of why? Never! Maybe the finacee abused him, totally using the boys father has a buffer zone between him and her. You never know! These days now where no one really disicplines there children for fear of being prosecuted by them, for literally a slap on the wrist. When you throw that in there with other psycholoigcal problems not to mention how the media now is simply controllling every aspect of our own lives, its almost impossobile for children now to even understand what essentially is right or wrong! It is! So whose fault was it? Yes, a 11 year old boy knows what live and death is. I believe he essiential doesnt know the difference between right and wrong, reality and fantasy. For some of us who where intially born before the access of the internet, mainstream video games, and the break of of all morality, we have to be thankful, I hope to God that this will not be a continuos trend in the future children, if so were gonna have alot of problems as a country.

My heart bleeds for this child and his family. How could something like this happen? What he did was inexcusable but there are two sides to every story. Obviously this child had serious issues so why was this gun not locked up? Was he a troubled youth? Had he ever received any type of counseling?
In my heart of hearts I do not think he should be tried as an adult. He is 11 and will have to live with the consequence of his actions for the rest of his life. Our society today is broken...so many children are products of their environment...when we took religion and discipline out of the schools it seems the respect and fear of authority is all but gone. So so sad. I pray for this child and his family as well as the victims. May God watch over them all!

I worked with seriously disturbed youth in a public school setting and sadly, he knew what he was doing. Long incarceration will not rehabilitate this young man; he is a danger to others as well as to himself. My prayers go out to him-when he threatened them earlier, he should have been listened to and taken seriously. That was his cry for attention and help.

This is crazy!! It said he was arrested and charged! Some of you people already have him tried and convicted!! Wake up this is a child we are talking about!! He's 11 years old!!

My common to the 11 years Jordan Brown who shot and kill his father fiance. Firstly, we only read the story and not know the detail, as you reader know that one hand can not clap, agree or disagree? Therefore, every time we hear about a murder case or any serious case that that involving children or an adult, no different, we must understand the detail inside the story before we jump into a conclusion and judge someone, we don't live in there house, we don't live in their shoe, how do we know if there isn't a deep painful detail about this person have to go through every day? Of course we have to think about the victim, but we must understand the reason why Jordan Brown did what he did, what push him to the edge? If he always been the violence kid? How's he doing in school and how did he treat his friend and the people around him. Does he have any medical/mental problem or history of violence? Is this his first offense? How many time does he been in trouble with the law? Did his father fiance (soon to be wife) abuse him or have any violence issue toward him? Did she mentally or physically or verbally abuse him? There are more question to ask to find out the truth about what happen, kids come in all form, some are mellow, some or active, and some are mean and some are nice, and of course some are temper, but there are always a reason why they get so up set and did what they did, kid and an adult are far away from judgement, we should never judge any one if we don't completely understand who they are or what kind of life they live in. I have to said that we have to give this Jordan Brown a chance to explain him self and give him a chance to change, to be correct in the institution not in prison if he ever convicted for his crime, putting a kid in prison is a way to destroy him now and forever, prison is no place for children, they need to be educated and learn, treating him like a criminal at a young age will mentally/physically destroy him for life, he will grow up with violent mind, and what type of future do you all think he will have after he get out of prison? How society will treat him? If we treat a young kid like a criminal, I guarantee you that he will grow up to be a criminal and that's the end of it, everyone make mistake, some are small and some big, we should give them a chance to be educated and to prove to us that they will change and they will make a different, make them feel like they belong in the community, give them respect even though they once did something wrong, don't treat them like they're animal, this will push them away to commit crime again, give them hope and so them there is a future for them if they change. Jordan Brown is a little kid, he's only 11 years old, we need to take time to understand his motive and give him a chance to live and to be educated. I don't believe in punish children like an adult, children are way too far from an adult, nothing compare to, children aways children, although they once did a bad thing, but guess what? Who put them there in that situation? If the parent take their time to understand their kid and to give them the love that they need, do you all think that they will turn out to be an animal and start killing people? It's the parent false for what their children did, and what the society put them through, children are innocent, they don't come into this world to kill, they come here to be love to comfort and to learn and to be productive to the soceity and make a different in their life. Why do you all think sex-offender end up to be one? Sex-offender when through the painful life and of course they been through the sexual abuse at young age. Let me give you all an example: If you grow a good seed in a good soil, the seed will grow into a plan and grow sweet fruits. How ever, if you grow a good seed into a bad soil, the good seed will grow into a bitter plan and grow bitter fruits. Do you reader know what I am trying to tell you? Don't judge anyone before you really know that person well enough, judge yourself first, to see if you are good enough to judge any one. We all make mistake and that's why we're here to learn to improve, if God want us to be perfect, he will make us a perfect person. Thank you for reading my post. God bless:)

I think he is a little boy and at this age he didn't understand the permanence of death or his actions, apparently there is deeper issues with this child which means they need to be addressed rather then looked over. He will be abused in the adult justice system, he is just a baby. Where is mercy?

I think he is a little boy and at this age he didn't understand the permanence of death or his actions, apparently there is deeper issues with this child which means they need to be addressed rather then looked over. He will be abused in the adult justice system, he is just a baby. Where is mercy?

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