The Tragic Case of Innocence Lost: Jordan Browns Traumatic Childhood

[00:00:00] The case featured in this episode has been researched using police records, court documents, witness statements, and the news. Listener discretion is advised. All parties mentioned are innocent until proven guilty, and all opinions are my own.

[00:00:34] Hey everyone, my name is Nikki Young and this is Serial Napper, the true crime podcast for naps. I'm back with another true crime story to lull you to sleep, or perhaps to give you nightmares.

[00:00:46] On a cold February morning in 2009, a quiet rural town in Pennsylvania was rocked by a horrific crime. A 26-year-old woman, Kenzie Marie Hauck, was found shot in her own home.

[00:01:00] Kenzie, eight months pregnant with her unborn child, had been murdered in cold blood, but the case that followed would raise more questions than answers.

[00:01:09] Kenzie, eight months pregnant with her husband, the police quickly turned their attention to an unlikely suspect. Eleven-year-old Jordan Brown, the young son of Kenzie's fiancé, Chris.

[00:01:20] In the absence of any solid evidence, the investigation seemed to hinge on one thing.

[00:01:25] The testimony of Kenzie's then seven-year-old daughter, Janessa, who told police that she saw Jordan moving his guns on the morning of the murder.

[00:01:35] Kenzie's mother supported this theory by suggesting that Jordan had been threatening to hurt her for months and was jealous of the new baby.

[00:01:43] So, was Jordan the jealous child that Kenzie's family painted him to be capable of murder?

[00:01:50] Or was he the victim of a justice system eager to pin blame on someone, anyone, when the real killer was still out there?

[00:01:58] In the years that followed, Jordan's case became a tangled web of courtroom battles and the fight to unravel the truth.

[00:02:07] Who killed Kenzie Hauck?

[00:02:09] Jordan Brown's case would spark a national conversation about juvenile justice, about the capacity of children to commit such a crime, and about the flaws in an investigation that seemed to prioritize one theory over all others, even when there was other viable suspects.

[00:02:29] But one question remained.

[00:02:32] Would justice for Kenzie ever truly be served?

[00:02:35] So, dim the lights, put your phone down, and listen to the chilling details of a case that turned a young boy's life upside down, and the extraordinary journey that led to his ultimate exoneration.

[00:02:49] So let's jump right in.

[00:02:51] The date was February 20th, 2009, a cold and crisp morning in a small town in Pennsylvania.

[00:02:59] The blended Brown family lived in a two-story rented home in a rural area surrounded by farmland and woods.

[00:03:06] There was Chris Brown, his eight-month pregnant fiancé, Kenzie Hauck, Chris's 11-year-old son, Jordan, and Kenzie's two daughters, 7-year-old Janessa and 4-year-old Adeline.

[00:03:20] While they had both started their families in different relationships, Chris and Kenzie had known each other since they were teenagers, and they almost seemed destined to make it back to one another eventually.

[00:03:32] Now, they were really excited to blend their families together and add an addition, a little boy that they had already named Christopher, who was about to be born the following month.

[00:03:44] On this morning in particular, Chris was running late for work, and despite Kenzie's pleas for him to just stay home and spend the day together, he had to go.

[00:03:56] They had a large family, which was about to become a little larger, and the bills, they had to be paid.

[00:04:02] So that snowy morning, like so many others, Chris left for work at around 6.45 a.m.

[00:04:10] Little did he know, it would be the last time he would ever see his fiancé alive.

[00:04:16] Kenzie stayed sleeping in bed that morning in a bedroom located on the main floor.

[00:04:20] The kids' rooms were all located upstairs, but after the baby was going to be born, Jordan was going to be moving into the main floor bedroom, and his dad and Kenzie would take his room upstairs, which was attached to the nursery.

[00:04:35] His clothing had already been moved into that closet.

[00:04:38] So when he woke up for school that morning, the fifth grader went downstairs to grab his clothing for the day, went to the bathroom, and got dressed.

[00:04:47] Then he sat on the couch alongside his little stepsister, Janessa, and they watched some cartoons before going to school.

[00:04:55] Four-year-old Adeline was still soundly asleep in her room upstairs.

[00:05:00] Soon after, Kenzie called to the two kids from her bedroom that it was time to head to the bus.

[00:05:06] They needed to leave right now, or they would miss it.

[00:05:10] A minute or two later, Jordan and Janessa got on the bus, and they went off to school for the day.

[00:05:16] About 45 minutes later, six tree trimmers arrived on the property to do some work.

[00:05:21] They were going to be collecting firewood that they had cut down from the woods surrounding the home just the day prior.

[00:05:28] About 10 minutes into working, one of the tree trimmers noticed that little Adeline was standing in the doorway of the home, crying.

[00:05:36] When he approached her to see what was wrong, she told him that her mother was dead.

[00:05:42] While consoling Adeline and without entering the house, they called 911 from a cell phone.

[00:05:48] When police arrived on the scene, they found Kenzie lying on the left side of the bed,

[00:05:52] with a large pool of blood up by her head and soaking into the sheets.

[00:05:57] While one of the officers attempted to perform life-saving measures,

[00:06:01] Kenzie's phone rang, and another officer answered it.

[00:06:05] It was the school nurse.

[00:06:08] Jordan was in her office because he wasn't feeling well.

[00:06:11] He had a stomach ache.

[00:06:13] Of course, he wasn't going to be able to come home at that moment,

[00:06:16] so the officer asked that they keep him there at the school until they could make arrangements.

[00:06:22] Kenzie Houck had been shot in the back of the head.

[00:06:25] When the coroner's office arrived on scene,

[00:06:28] they pronounced both Kenzie and her unborn baby Christopher deceased,

[00:06:32] which is incredibly sad because the baby was nearly fully developed

[00:06:38] to the point where he likely could have survived outside of the womb if only she had been found sooner.

[00:06:44] It was an unusual crime scene.

[00:06:47] All of the doors to the house were unlocked, and the front door had blood on its frame.

[00:06:53] In the bedroom, the TV was still left on.

[00:06:56] There was an armoire in the corner of the room,

[00:06:59] and when opened, there was a locked gun safe which contained two handguns and ammunition.

[00:07:06] On the top shelf, there were two boxes of shotgun shells.

[00:07:10] One officer noticed a blue blanket on the floor near the front door,

[00:07:14] and he seized it because it had a hole in it,

[00:07:17] which he believed could have been due to a shotgun blast.

[00:07:21] But when it was later tested, there was no gunshot residue or blood found on it.

[00:07:27] Investigators called Chris at work to let him know that both his fiancée

[00:07:31] and his unborn baby were now gone.

[00:07:34] They had been murdered.

[00:07:36] It was devastating news, and unfortunately, just the beginning for Chris Brown.

[00:07:42] Because victims like Kenzie are often killed by their domestic partner,

[00:07:47] police swab Chris's hands for gunshot residue,

[00:07:50] and the test comes back negative, meaning they can rule him out as a suspect at that point.

[00:07:56] Officers go to Mohawk Elementary School to speak to both Janessa and Jordan.

[00:08:01] Jordan was still sleeping off his tummy ache in the nurse's office when they arrived,

[00:08:05] so they spoke to Janessa first, who was terrified to see the police because

[00:08:11] she thought that she was in some kind of trouble.

[00:08:14] Without giving her any details about what they had found at the home,

[00:08:18] they interviewed her about what had happened that morning before she left for school.

[00:08:22] But at that time, officers said she didn't really say anything that might be helpful in the investigation.

[00:08:28] It was a pretty routine morning, according to Janessa.

[00:08:33] When they were finished, they interviewed Jordan, who was now awake.

[00:08:38] Again, without bringing up Kenzie's death, they asked him who was in the home that morning,

[00:08:43] and he said it was his mom because he called Kenzie his mom,

[00:08:47] his two stepsisters, and then himself.

[00:08:49] His dad had already left for work.

[00:08:52] Officers asked if he had seen anyone else around the home or the property that morning,

[00:08:57] and Jordan said that his mom's green van was parked in the driveway,

[00:09:02] but there was also a black large pickup truck parked by the back, by the garage.

[00:09:08] Could this be the killer?

[00:09:10] They pressed him for more information.

[00:09:13] Did he see who the driver was?

[00:09:15] Was the truck running?

[00:09:17] Unfortunately, Jordan didn't see or notice anything else.

[00:09:20] But when they spoke with Chris Brown later,

[00:09:23] they learned that Kenzie had an ex-boyfriend who had a history of making threats of violence against her.

[00:09:29] In fact, Kenzie and several of her family members all had a permanent protection order against him.

[00:09:35] And it just so happened that he drove a black truck.

[00:09:40] So obviously now, the police, they needed to speak to him.

[00:09:44] The ex-boyfriend's name is Adam Harvey.

[00:09:46] The order of protection was as a result of an incident that happened about a year prior,

[00:09:52] when he called Kenzie's mother and threatened to, quote,

[00:09:55] take her whole family out.

[00:09:58] Police learned that he was very angry with Kenzie, and there was a reason.

[00:10:03] Kenzie had been trying to get him to pay child support for four-year-old Adeline.

[00:10:08] He refused to without having a paternity test first,

[00:10:12] even though Kenzie said that she was sure the child was his.

[00:10:16] When he took the paternity test,

[00:10:18] he learned that Adeline was in fact not his biological child,

[00:10:23] and at that point, he was enraged.

[00:10:26] Officers were able to track Adam down about two blocks from his parents' home,

[00:10:31] where he had been staying.

[00:10:33] He was driving his black Ford truck when they pulled him over,

[00:10:36] and asked him,

[00:10:37] do you come down to the station to answer some questions?

[00:10:41] At that time, the officer noted that there was a light coat of snow on the hood and roof of his truck.

[00:10:47] Apparently, this detail was important,

[00:10:50] because to the officer,

[00:10:52] it indicated that he must not have driven very far,

[00:10:55] because the snow was still intact sitting on top of the vehicle.

[00:10:59] To the police,

[00:11:01] this meant that he couldn't have driven almost 24 miles to the Brown home that morning and then back,

[00:11:06] because the snow would have fallen off or melted away.

[00:11:11] Now, I don't know what kind of science they used to determine this,

[00:11:14] if this was just their opinion,

[00:11:16] but apparently it was a reason that they would use to rule Adam out as a murder suspect.

[00:11:22] Back at the police station,

[00:11:24] Adam also provided an alibi.

[00:11:26] He said he had been sleeping in the basement of his parents' home at the time of the murder.

[00:11:31] He went to bed at 10pm the evening prior,

[00:11:34] and he was still asleep at the time that Kenzie had been shot.

[00:11:39] His parents would confirm this,

[00:11:41] saying that if he had left home that morning,

[00:11:44] they would have seen him come upstairs.

[00:11:47] Adam claimed that he also had no idea where Kenzie was even living at the time.

[00:11:52] His hands were tested for gunshot residue,

[00:11:54] and the test came back negative.

[00:11:56] At that point, within the first day,

[00:11:59] he was ruled out by police as a suspect.

[00:12:02] Now, in the early morning hours of February 21st,

[00:12:06] back at the Brown home,

[00:12:08] where the air was filled with grief,

[00:12:10] there was a knock on the door.

[00:12:12] It was the police,

[00:12:14] and they weren't there to just ask questions.

[00:12:17] They had a warrant.

[00:12:20] It's time for a quick break and a word from tonight's sponsors.

[00:12:24] Hang on, I'll be back before you know it.

[00:12:29] Now back to our story.

[00:12:32] Jordan Brown was still a child, only 11 years old.

[00:12:36] And yet, in that moment,

[00:12:38] his life would change forever.

[00:12:41] Just 18 hours earlier,

[00:12:43] Chris Brown had lost Kenzie Houck,

[00:12:45] the woman he loved,

[00:12:46] and their unborn child.

[00:12:48] And now, with no explanation,

[00:12:51] he was also losing his son.

[00:12:54] No warnings,

[00:12:55] no answers,

[00:12:57] just the sudden, unthinkable reality.

[00:13:00] Jordan Brown was being arrested for murder.

[00:13:02] But how could this have happened?

[00:13:04] How could the boy,

[00:13:06] who had just lost a mother figure

[00:13:07] and his unborn little brother,

[00:13:09] be accused of taking their lives?

[00:13:12] The questions were endless.

[00:13:13] And for Jordan,

[00:13:15] the nightmare was only beginning.

[00:13:17] Earlier in the day,

[00:13:19] investigators had found six long guns in Jordan's room,

[00:13:23] partially covered by an orange blanket.

[00:13:26] It was well known that Jordan and his father, Chris,

[00:13:29] both enjoyed shooting guns recreationally on the property.

[00:13:32] And this was very common for young boys to do this in that area.

[00:13:37] These were legally owned weapons.

[00:13:39] So at first,

[00:13:40] police didn't pay too much attention to them.

[00:13:43] However,

[00:13:43] when they looked at the 20-gauge shotgun,

[00:13:46] the officers said that they believed it smelled like it had been fired recently.

[00:13:50] Now, something to note here,

[00:13:52] that is just their personal experience

[00:13:54] based upon their own use of guns.

[00:13:57] Both would acknowledge that they're obviously not experts on the subject.

[00:14:02] Still, this observance became more important to the police

[00:14:06] when they interviewed Jordan again earlier that night at his grandmother's.

[00:14:10] And he seemingly changed his description of that black truck that he had seen.

[00:14:15] Now, in the second interview,

[00:14:17] he gave more details that he had not previously given.

[00:14:21] This time, he said that

[00:14:22] he did actually see a person inside the truck

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[00:16:08] Ducking down out of view.

[00:16:10] When asked why he didn't mention this detail previously,

[00:16:14] Jordan said that

[00:16:15] when he had first glanced at the truck,

[00:16:17] he didn't see anything.

[00:16:18] Now again,

[00:16:19] this is an 11-year-old child.

[00:16:22] Maybe he remembered more details later.

[00:16:24] Maybe he was telling the officers

[00:16:26] what he felt like they had wanted to hear.

[00:16:28] Or maybe he was making it all up completely.

[00:16:31] But the fact that he altered his story,

[00:16:34] this really bothered investigators.

[00:16:37] Then,

[00:16:37] police interviewed his little stepsister,

[00:16:39] Janessa,

[00:16:40] also for a second time.

[00:16:42] And what she would say this time around

[00:16:45] shocked them

[00:16:46] and changed the course of the investigation.

[00:16:49] According to investigators,

[00:16:51] Janessa said that

[00:16:52] she actually saw Jordan moving his guns that morning.

[00:16:55] And that when she was waiting for Jordan

[00:16:57] at the front door

[00:16:58] so that they could leave together

[00:16:59] to get on the school bus,

[00:17:01] she heard a boom

[00:17:02] that sounded like a gunshot.

[00:17:04] There was an autopsy conducted

[00:17:06] and the results of the report

[00:17:08] seemingly matched their theory.

[00:17:10] Kenzie was killed by being shot

[00:17:12] once in the back of the head

[00:17:14] with a shotgun.

[00:17:15] 11-year-old Jordan Brown

[00:17:17] denied touching his guns that morning

[00:17:19] or even going into Kenzie's bedroom again

[00:17:22] after retrieving his clothing.

[00:17:24] And he said he most certainly

[00:17:25] didn't kill her.

[00:17:27] But with Janessa's new statement,

[00:17:30] this was enough to charge Jordan

[00:17:32] with Kenzie's murder.

[00:17:33] Their theory was that

[00:17:35] Jordan had killed his stepmother

[00:17:36] because he was jealous of the new baby

[00:17:39] and they were going to charge him

[00:17:40] as an adult with homicide.

[00:17:43] While awaiting trial,

[00:17:45] Jordan Brown spent three years

[00:17:46] at the Edmund Thomas Adolescent Center,

[00:17:49] a juvenile detention center

[00:17:51] in Erie County, Pennsylvania.

[00:17:53] During this time,

[00:17:55] his father, Chris,

[00:17:56] grappling with the heartbreaking loss

[00:17:58] of his fiancée,

[00:18:00] unborn child,

[00:18:01] and now his only son,

[00:18:02] he visited Jordan

[00:18:04] at every opportunity.

[00:18:06] Despite the overwhelming grief,

[00:18:09] Chris unwaveringly supported his son,

[00:18:13] convinced of his innocence

[00:18:14] and determined to stand by him

[00:18:16] throughout the whole ordeal.

[00:18:18] On the other hand,

[00:18:20] Kenzie's family believed

[00:18:21] that Jordan was responsible

[00:18:23] for her tragic death.

[00:18:24] Her mother, Debbie,

[00:18:26] openly expressed her belief

[00:18:28] that Jordan had harbored anger

[00:18:29] towards Kenzie.

[00:18:31] She recalled instances

[00:18:32] where Jordan had been

[00:18:34] particularly cruel to her daughter,

[00:18:36] especially when his father

[00:18:37] wasn't around,

[00:18:38] and even reported

[00:18:40] that Jordan had made

[00:18:41] threatening remarks

[00:18:42] towards Kenzie in the past.

[00:18:44] Debbie would say,

[00:18:45] It's been at least two months

[00:18:47] that he's made these threats.

[00:18:49] Chris was good about it.

[00:18:51] He tried.

[00:18:52] He told him,

[00:18:53] Don't you ever disrespect her.

[00:18:55] At just 11 years old,

[00:18:57] Jordan's lawyer petitioned

[00:18:59] to have his case

[00:18:59] moved to a juvenile court

[00:19:01] because he was being tried

[00:19:03] as an adult.

[00:19:04] However, initially,

[00:19:05] the petition,

[00:19:06] it was denied.

[00:19:07] The judge who denied

[00:19:08] the petition did so

[00:19:09] because Jordan consistently

[00:19:11] maintained his innocence.

[00:19:12] So the judge felt as if Jordan

[00:19:14] had not taken responsibility

[00:19:16] for his actions

[00:19:17] and therefore was unlikely

[00:19:19] to be rehabilitated

[00:19:20] in the juvenile system.

[00:19:22] Which seems kind of insane,

[00:19:24] doesn't it?

[00:19:25] A defendant is supposed

[00:19:27] to be innocent

[00:19:27] until proven guilty,

[00:19:28] so why would they

[00:19:29] openly admit to something

[00:19:31] that they're saying

[00:19:32] they didn't do?

[00:19:33] The Superior Court agreed,

[00:19:35] so they appealed

[00:19:37] this decision,

[00:19:38] ruling that requiring Jordan

[00:19:40] to accept responsibility

[00:19:41] for the crime

[00:19:42] he is alleged to have committed,

[00:19:44] would have violated

[00:19:45] his Fifth Amendment right

[00:19:46] against compulsory

[00:19:47] self-incrimination.

[00:19:49] Jordan was granted

[00:19:50] a new hearing

[00:19:51] to determine whether

[00:19:52] or not this case

[00:19:53] could be moved

[00:19:54] to a juvenile court.

[00:19:55] And in this second hearing,

[00:19:57] his request was granted.

[00:20:00] Instead of facing

[00:20:01] life in prison,

[00:20:02] he now had the chance

[00:20:04] of getting out

[00:20:05] much earlier.

[00:20:06] When Jordan was 14 years old,

[00:20:08] his case in juvenile court

[00:20:11] finally moved forward.

[00:20:13] The case against Jordan Brown

[00:20:14] was mostly circumstantial.

[00:20:17] Police were never able

[00:20:18] to perform a ballistics test

[00:20:20] to determine if the markings

[00:20:21] matched Jordan's shotgun.

[00:20:23] There was no gunshot residue testing

[00:20:26] done on his hands either.

[00:20:28] Another missed opportunity.

[00:20:30] Police did find

[00:20:31] a 20-gauge shotgun shell casing

[00:20:33] in pristine condition

[00:20:35] in the Brown's driveway.

[00:20:36] However, the family

[00:20:38] was known to shoot guns

[00:20:39] on the property

[00:20:40] all the time,

[00:20:41] so this wasn't really

[00:20:42] a surprise.

[00:20:43] There were several

[00:20:45] other casings found

[00:20:46] all around the property.

[00:20:48] It's important to note here

[00:20:49] that there was no proof

[00:20:51] that the shotgun found

[00:20:52] in Jordan's room

[00:20:53] was the same shotgun

[00:20:54] that killed Kenzie.

[00:20:56] It's just one shotgun

[00:20:58] that could have been used.

[00:21:00] One issue

[00:21:01] that Jordan's defense raised

[00:21:03] was that he left

[00:21:04] for school that morning

[00:21:05] with clean clothing.

[00:21:06] There was no blood

[00:21:08] seen by his peers,

[00:21:10] teachers,

[00:21:10] or the officers

[00:21:11] that would later

[00:21:12] interview him that day.

[00:21:13] He got on the school bus

[00:21:15] with his stepsister,

[00:21:16] and the driver noted

[00:21:17] that he appeared

[00:21:18] to be acting

[00:21:19] perfectly normal.

[00:21:21] Nothing seemed

[00:21:21] to be out of the ordinary.

[00:21:23] There was no blood

[00:21:24] or tissue

[00:21:25] found on Jordan's shotgun

[00:21:27] either.

[00:21:27] The district attorney's office

[00:21:29] brought forward

[00:21:30] Dr. James Smith,

[00:21:32] a forensic pathologist,

[00:21:33] and he testified

[00:21:34] about Kenzie's cause

[00:21:35] of death

[00:21:36] and her injuries.

[00:21:37] Her wounds

[00:21:38] were consistent

[00:21:39] with being shot

[00:21:40] to the back of the neck

[00:21:41] with a shotgun,

[00:21:42] as shotgun pellets

[00:21:43] were found

[00:21:44] in and around the wound.

[00:21:46] Dr. Smith believed

[00:21:47] that it had been inflicted

[00:21:49] as Kenzie was lying

[00:21:50] on her left side

[00:21:51] on the bed.

[00:21:52] There were also signs

[00:21:53] of what is known

[00:21:54] as blowback,

[00:21:55] which causes the skin

[00:21:56] to bulge out

[00:21:57] and rupture

[00:21:58] near the point of entry,

[00:21:59] meaning the shotgun

[00:22:00] was, quote,

[00:22:02] very, very close to

[00:22:04] or maybe even touching

[00:22:05] the back of the neck

[00:22:06] when it was fired,

[00:22:08] but that the angle

[00:22:09] would have minimized

[00:22:10] the amount of blood

[00:22:11] and tissue present.

[00:22:12] So this is how

[00:22:13] the prosecution

[00:22:14] explained Jordan

[00:22:15] not having anything

[00:22:16] on his clothing.

[00:22:17] But to not have

[00:22:19] any blood

[00:22:19] or any tissue

[00:22:20] on Jordan

[00:22:21] or his gun

[00:22:23] after firing

[00:22:23] at such a close range,

[00:22:25] it seems kind of unlikely.

[00:22:27] What the prosecution

[00:22:29] had was

[00:22:29] a young boy

[00:22:30] who had access to guns,

[00:22:32] a short window

[00:22:33] of opportunity

[00:22:33] between the time

[00:22:34] the kids were told

[00:22:35] by Kenzie

[00:22:36] to hurry up

[00:22:37] and get on the bus

[00:22:38] and the time

[00:22:38] that the woodworkers

[00:22:40] arrived at the property.

[00:22:41] And they also had

[00:22:42] Janessa's new statement

[00:22:43] about hearing

[00:22:44] a loud bang

[00:22:45] before she and Jordan

[00:22:47] left for the bus.

[00:22:48] But why didn't she say

[00:22:49] that the first time

[00:22:50] she was interviewed?

[00:22:51] Beyond that,

[00:22:53] there wasn't much else

[00:22:54] in this case.

[00:22:55] Still,

[00:22:56] Jordan Brown,

[00:22:57] now a young teenager,

[00:22:58] was delinquent,

[00:23:00] which is the same

[00:23:01] as being found

[00:23:02] guilty of first-degree murder

[00:23:04] and criminal homicide

[00:23:05] of an unborn child.

[00:23:07] Jordan would spend

[00:23:08] seven years

[00:23:09] in juvenile detention.

[00:23:10] He was released

[00:23:12] on June 13, 2016,

[00:23:14] just months before

[00:23:15] he would turn

[00:23:16] 19 years old.

[00:23:17] He was released

[00:23:18] to the custody

[00:23:19] of his uncle

[00:23:19] and he was put

[00:23:21] on probation

[00:23:21] until he was

[00:23:22] to turn 21 years old.

[00:23:24] But Jordan's story

[00:23:26] does not end here.

[00:23:27] He and his lawyers

[00:23:29] worked to have

[00:23:29] his juvenile conviction

[00:23:31] overturned.

[00:23:32] Yes,

[00:23:33] he was technically

[00:23:34] a free young man

[00:23:35] now able to live his life,

[00:23:37] but at what cost?

[00:23:39] People still looked

[00:23:40] at him like

[00:23:41] he was a cold-blooded

[00:23:42] killer who murdered

[00:23:43] his stepmother

[00:23:44] and unborn baby brother.

[00:23:46] He still had

[00:23:47] a juvenile conviction

[00:23:48] on his record

[00:23:49] that could hurt

[00:23:50] his future prospects.

[00:23:51] And yet,

[00:23:52] he still maintained

[00:23:53] his innocence,

[00:23:54] so he wanted

[00:23:54] a clean record.

[00:23:56] In July 2018,

[00:23:58] the Pennsylvania Supreme Court

[00:24:00] agreed with Jordan

[00:24:01] that his guilt

[00:24:02] had not been proven

[00:24:03] beyond a reasonable doubt

[00:24:05] and he should not

[00:24:06] have been convicted

[00:24:07] based upon the evidence

[00:24:08] that was presented.

[00:24:10] There was no evidence

[00:24:11] that his gun

[00:24:12] had been used

[00:24:13] in the murder

[00:24:14] or that he was

[00:24:15] in any way

[00:24:16] connected to the killing.

[00:24:18] The court concluded

[00:24:19] that the evidence

[00:24:20] presented in this case

[00:24:21] pointing at Jordan

[00:24:22] as the killer

[00:24:23] was equally capable

[00:24:25] of implicating

[00:24:26] an unidentified assailant.

[00:24:28] There was just

[00:24:29] as much evidence

[00:24:30] pointing at him

[00:24:31] as the killer

[00:24:31] as anyone else

[00:24:33] who owned a shotgun

[00:24:34] in the area.

[00:24:35] So his conviction

[00:24:36] was overturned

[00:24:37] and he can never

[00:24:39] be retried

[00:24:39] for the crime.

[00:24:41] Jordan,

[00:24:42] now a young adult,

[00:24:43] was relieved.

[00:24:44] He would say,

[00:24:45] I'm 100%,

[00:24:46] you know,

[00:24:47] a whole clean slate.

[00:24:49] Everything is gone

[00:24:50] and that made me happy.

[00:24:52] Finally,

[00:24:53] the truth finally got out.

[00:24:55] Everything's gone.

[00:24:56] That made me happy

[00:24:57] and then the truth

[00:24:58] finally got out.

[00:25:00] No, I'm not angry.

[00:25:01] I mean,

[00:25:01] I think the whole,

[00:25:02] like,

[00:25:03] what happened

[00:25:03] and the way it happened

[00:25:04] is BS,

[00:25:06] but I'm not,

[00:25:08] can I say that?

[00:25:09] I just want to be successful.

[00:25:11] I just want to graduate college,

[00:25:13] you know,

[00:25:15] get a job

[00:25:15] in my major

[00:25:16] and be successful.

[00:25:18] I'm innocent.

[00:25:18] And that's,

[00:25:19] like,

[00:25:19] the only thing

[00:25:20] I really want people to know.

[00:25:21] For his father,

[00:25:22] who has always supported his son,

[00:25:24] the situation

[00:25:25] is bittersweet.

[00:25:27] Jordan has been exonerated,

[00:25:30] but Chris still tragically lost

[00:25:32] the love of his life

[00:25:34] and his unborn child.

[00:25:35] And their killer,

[00:25:37] at least according to Chris,

[00:25:38] has not yet been found

[00:25:40] and brought to justice.

[00:25:41] Chris would say,

[00:25:43] I still love her.

[00:25:44] I miss her every day.

[00:25:46] I'll be honest with you,

[00:25:47] I suffer from PTSD over this.

[00:25:49] It's kind of a bittersweet feeling,

[00:25:52] you know?

[00:25:52] I'm happy that this part of it

[00:25:54] is over with Jordan,

[00:25:56] you know,

[00:25:56] being wrongfully accused.

[00:25:58] But still,

[00:25:59] that side of it,

[00:26:00] that suffering from the loss

[00:26:02] and not having any answers,

[00:26:04] knowing he was falsely accused

[00:26:06] and the route

[00:26:08] the prosecutor investigators

[00:26:09] took on this,

[00:26:10] the inadequate investigation,

[00:26:12] I think has just ruined us

[00:26:15] from ever having closure

[00:26:16] and the person who did this

[00:26:18] and for the person

[00:26:19] who actually did this

[00:26:20] to pay for it.

[00:26:22] However,

[00:26:23] the victim's family,

[00:26:24] Kenzie's parents in particular,

[00:26:26] who have raised her two daughters,

[00:26:28] they feel like Jordan Brown

[00:26:30] did kill their daughter

[00:26:31] and practically got away with it.

[00:26:34] Now,

[00:26:34] I can't imagine how awful

[00:26:35] this situation must have been for them

[00:26:37] because no matter

[00:26:39] how you look at this,

[00:26:40] there are no winners in this story.

[00:26:42] Last month,

[00:26:44] Jordan Brown filed a lawsuit

[00:26:45] against the officers

[00:26:46] who were involved

[00:26:47] in Kenzie's murder investigation.

[00:26:49] He accused them

[00:26:50] of shoddy and biased police work

[00:26:53] that led to his wrongful conviction.

[00:26:55] While he had his conviction overturned,

[00:26:58] the damage was already done.

[00:27:00] In his suit,

[00:27:02] he sought financial compensation

[00:27:03] and more importantly,

[00:27:05] a chance to clear his name,

[00:27:07] arguing that the flawed investigation

[00:27:10] robbed him

[00:27:11] of seven years

[00:27:11] of his childhood.

[00:27:13] His attorney argued

[00:27:14] that investigators

[00:27:15] rushed to judgment,

[00:27:17] quickly pinning the murder

[00:27:18] on Jordan

[00:27:19] without thoroughly considering

[00:27:21] other possibilities.

[00:27:22] One of the most contentious points

[00:27:24] was the testimony

[00:27:26] from Jordan's stepsister,

[00:27:28] Janessa,

[00:27:29] who was only seven years old

[00:27:30] at the time

[00:27:31] and had been awake

[00:27:32] for 17 hours straight

[00:27:34] when she gave her second account.

[00:27:36] The defense

[00:27:37] for the retired officers,

[00:27:39] however,

[00:27:40] countered that

[00:27:41] they really didn't want

[00:27:42] to have to arrest

[00:27:43] 11-year-old Jordan,

[00:27:44] but the evidence

[00:27:45] had led them to him

[00:27:47] as the only possible suspect.

[00:27:49] In the end,

[00:27:50] the jury sided

[00:27:51] with the four former officers,

[00:27:53] ruling that the police

[00:27:55] did not act with malice

[00:27:56] and had not fabricated evidence

[00:27:58] in their investigation.

[00:28:00] Not the ending

[00:28:01] that Jordan was hoping for,

[00:28:03] but potentially

[00:28:04] another chapter closed

[00:28:05] so that maybe

[00:28:10] Jordan Brown began

[00:28:11] when he was just

[00:28:11] 11 years old

[00:28:12] and it would drag on

[00:28:14] for nearly a decade.

[00:28:16] By the time

[00:28:17] the Pennsylvania Supreme Court

[00:28:18] overturned his conviction,

[00:28:20] Jordan had already spent

[00:28:21] seven years behind bars

[00:28:23] and even more time

[00:28:25] under probation,

[00:28:26] his entire childhood

[00:28:28] slipping away

[00:28:29] in the process.

[00:28:31] A legal system

[00:28:32] that moves too slowly

[00:28:33] and a case filled

[00:28:35] with circumstantial evidence

[00:28:36] robbed him of the years

[00:28:38] that should have been

[00:28:39] spent growing up.

[00:28:40] But again,

[00:28:41] let's be clear here,

[00:28:42] there were no winners.

[00:28:44] Jordan was accused

[00:28:45] of an unthinkable crime

[00:28:47] and treated like

[00:28:48] a violent criminal

[00:28:49] when in reality,

[00:28:50] he was still

[00:28:51] just in the fifth grade.

[00:28:53] Two little girls

[00:28:54] lost their mother.

[00:28:55] A man lost his fiancée,

[00:28:57] their unborn child,

[00:28:59] and years of time

[00:29:00] with his son.

[00:29:01] Kenzie's family

[00:29:02] lost a beloved woman,

[00:29:04] one who was about

[00:29:05] to become a mother

[00:29:06] once again.

[00:29:07] And in the end,

[00:29:09] no one truly got justice.

[00:29:11] No matter how you look at it,

[00:29:13] the truth remains unknown.

[00:29:15] A killer

[00:29:16] is still walking free.

[00:29:18] Who that killer is

[00:29:19] depends entirely

[00:29:21] on who you ask.

[00:29:22] And as the case stands today,

[00:29:25] the answers

[00:29:26] are still

[00:29:26] as murky as ever.

[00:29:29] That's it for me tonight.

[00:29:30] If you want to reach out,

[00:29:32] you can find me

[00:29:33] on Facebook

[00:29:33] at Serial Napper.

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[00:29:42] of my episodes

[00:29:43] in video format

[00:29:44] over on YouTube,

[00:29:45] so go check it out.

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[00:30:05] Serial Napper.

[00:30:07] Until next time,

[00:30:09] sweet dreams,

[00:30:11] stay kind,

[00:30:12] especially in the comments.

[00:30:15] Bye.