Post by Melissa on Feb 5, 2011 14:08:45 GMT -5
www.digitaljournal.com/article/303155
13-year-old is youngest in the world to face life without parole
By Andrew Moran.
Pittsburgh - Jordan Brown, a 13-year-old Pennsylvania resident, allegedly shot and killed a pregnant woman when he was 11, and is the world's youngest person to face life in prison without parole.
In February 2009, Jordan Brown was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk and her unborn son with a shotgun in their home. Brown, who was 11 at the time, was charged as an adult for killing his father’s fiancé and their child.
Last week, a three judge panel of the Superior Court in the state of Pennsylvania listened to both the prosecution and the defense. The judges heard as to whether or not Brown, who is now 13, should or should not be charged as an adult.
Furthermore, Brown’s defense attorneys are looking to move the case into the juvenile court system, reports the Beaver County Times. If found guilty, Brown would be held in custody until the age of 21, but a similar attempt was made last year and was denied by a county judge.
One of the reasons why he was denied was because according to Senior Deputy Attorney General Anthony Krastek, Brown would not admit to his wrongdoing and, therefore, was not a candidate for rehabilitation.
“My daughter is not coming back,” said the mother of Houk, reports ABC News. “My two little girls lost a mother, and a brother they waited on, so what gives you the right to think that he can walk away? He knew what he was doing. He killed my baby.”
The Raw Story notes that the Sentencing Project, an organization based out of Washington that helps bring fairness and accountability to the criminal justice system, stated that the United States is the only country that has juveniles serving life sentences without parole.
“That leads to only two conclusions: either kids in the US are far more violent than those in the rest of the world, or the US has developed uniquely harsh sentences,” said the organization in an interview with the London Guardian.
Brown’s father agreed with the organization and said his son was too young to understand what he did and the repercussions of his devastating actions: “Try to explain to a 12-year-old what the rest of your life means. It's incomprehensible for him."
Amnesty International issued a news release stating that Brown’s trial could “violate international law” because it is “inconsistent with international human rights obligations.”
13-year-old is youngest in the world to face life without parole
By Andrew Moran.
Pittsburgh - Jordan Brown, a 13-year-old Pennsylvania resident, allegedly shot and killed a pregnant woman when he was 11, and is the world's youngest person to face life in prison without parole.
In February 2009, Jordan Brown was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk and her unborn son with a shotgun in their home. Brown, who was 11 at the time, was charged as an adult for killing his father’s fiancé and their child.
Last week, a three judge panel of the Superior Court in the state of Pennsylvania listened to both the prosecution and the defense. The judges heard as to whether or not Brown, who is now 13, should or should not be charged as an adult.
Furthermore, Brown’s defense attorneys are looking to move the case into the juvenile court system, reports the Beaver County Times. If found guilty, Brown would be held in custody until the age of 21, but a similar attempt was made last year and was denied by a county judge.
One of the reasons why he was denied was because according to Senior Deputy Attorney General Anthony Krastek, Brown would not admit to his wrongdoing and, therefore, was not a candidate for rehabilitation.
“My daughter is not coming back,” said the mother of Houk, reports ABC News. “My two little girls lost a mother, and a brother they waited on, so what gives you the right to think that he can walk away? He knew what he was doing. He killed my baby.”
The Raw Story notes that the Sentencing Project, an organization based out of Washington that helps bring fairness and accountability to the criminal justice system, stated that the United States is the only country that has juveniles serving life sentences without parole.
“That leads to only two conclusions: either kids in the US are far more violent than those in the rest of the world, or the US has developed uniquely harsh sentences,” said the organization in an interview with the London Guardian.
Brown’s father agreed with the organization and said his son was too young to understand what he did and the repercussions of his devastating actions: “Try to explain to a 12-year-old what the rest of your life means. It's incomprehensible for him."
Amnesty International issued a news release stating that Brown’s trial could “violate international law” because it is “inconsistent with international human rights obligations.”