NEW CASTLE — A 13-year old Lawrence County boy, accused of killing his father's pregnant fiancee, has been granted a new hearing.
The Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled that Jordan Brown did not have to acknowledge guilt by expressing remorse for the killing of Kenzie Houk and her unborn son in order to have his case transferred to juvenile court.
Jordan was 11 in February 2009 when state police charged him with fatally shooting Houk in the home he and his father shared with her and her two daughters.
Under Pennsylvania law, juveniles accused of homicide are automatically prosecuted as adults.
Since then, Jordan's attorneys have sought to have his case transferred to the juvenile justice system. Last year, Lawrence County Judge Dominick Motto ruled Jordan's case should remain in the adult criminal court, but allowed defense attorneys David Acker and Dennis Elisco to appeal that decision to Superior Court.
The Superior Court panel's ruling issued March 11 orders that Jordan have another hearing to determine whether he is to be prosecuted as an adult or a child.
(Reporter Nancy Lowry will have full details in Monday's edition of the New Castle News.)
