Jordan Brown was aged only 11 when he was suspected of the murder of his pregnant stepmother Kenzie Houk. According to evidence, the child used a kid-sized shotgun to kill her at their home outside Pittsburgh.
According to prosecution, the murder of Houk and her unborn child was premeditated.
What made the case memorable, apart from the cruelty of the act, is the fact that court will try Brown as an adult, unless evidence proving his innocence is presented.
The case stirred up controversy and heated debates. Many are horrified by the murder and many others believe that the rights of the boy are being violated by this decision. If he gets sentenced, Brown faces life sentence without parole. The death penalty for underage offenders was abolished in 2005. Still, Brown could receive a very severe punishment for the allegedly committed crimes.
In case Brown is tried as a juvenile criminal, his detention cannot continue past his 21st birthday.
The court is faced with a complex decision to make. Should Brown, who allegedly shot Houk in the back of the head, receive the treatment that adult suspects get? Court listened to both the prosecution and the defense. The final decision concerning his trial could take up to several months.
Human rights organizations from many countries have already come to oppose the eventual trial that Brown faces. One of the main arguments is that juvenile offenders never receive a life sentence, regardless of the country they reside in.
According to Amnesty International, the court consideration is shocking, especially in a country that claims to be a human rights pioneer.
What makes the issue complicated is the gravity of the offense. On one hand, Brown is said to be capable of committing other forms of crime in the future. On the other hand, the boy is still to experience puberty and growth. His brain is still to develop and Brown will continue changing as an individual. The changes that he is about to experience make human rights
groups believe that he could be a different person in several years.
The troubling news is that Pennsylvania has recently included 450 juvenile offenders to the list of people who are expecting trial. Brown is not alone and many other underage individuals could receive trials as adults if everything remains unchanged.
The mother of the victim, Deborah Houk, was interviewed as saying that Brown deserved the harshest punishment. The fact that he was 11-year old when he shot his stepmother did not vindicate Brown, Deborah Houk said.
Court is facing a truly difficult task. Whichever option is selected, controversy and disapproval will follow. Only time will tell what the future of Brown will be.
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