Jordan Brown became the youngest prisoner convicted without the right to early release. This US citizen was born on August 12, 1997. At the time of his criminal prosecution, he was 11 years old.
Jordan Brown: Life Sentence
On February 20, 2009, this citizen shot and killed a father’s bride with her unborn child. The District Attorney has filed the initial charge in an adult court, as this rule was envisaged in Pennsylvania for murder defendants regardless of age. Subsequently, the prosecutor general supported this decision. Jordan Brown spent more than 3 years in a colony for people under the age of 18. At this time, a Pennsylvania court examined the materials of the murder. The verdict was passed on April 13, 2012. 13-year-old boy Jordan Brown was sentenced to prison until the end of his days without the right to early release. Lawyers for the culprit say the sentence was too harsh.
The story of Jordan Brown
As follows from the production materials, the guilty shot from a youthful model of a 20-gauge shotgun. Father gave him weapons for Christmas. The victim - Kenzie M. Hawke - was shot in the back of the head. At that moment, she was sleeping in the Browns house in Western Pennsylvania. As a result of the shot, she died immediately. Hawk was pregnant and was due to give birth soon. It was also not possible to save the child. A case was opened against a minor killer. Jordan Brown was arrested, charged with two counts. After the murder, he got on the bus with his eldest daughter Hawke and headed for school. At that time, he was in 5th grade. Police discovered shotgun shells as the bus followed to school, where Jordan Brown studied with his half-sister. The youngest daughter, Hawke, having discovered the body of her mother, said this to the gardener who worked at home. He, in turn, called the police.
Court
The process lasted for two years. The key issue of the proceedings was not proof of guilt, but the choice of the procedure for considering the materials. Authorized persons have long decided whether to judge Brown as an adult or as a minor. The court nevertheless ruled that there should be no discounts on age in this case, since that is the only way to choose the appropriate punishment. So Jordan Brown became the youngest prisoner convicted to the end of his days. According to Judge Motto, if a different form of consideration of materials were chosen, rehabilitation of the offender would be unlikely until the age of 21.
Doctor's opinion
Judge Motto's decision was based, inter alia, on the conclusion of a psychiatrist. The document said that Jordan Brown sought to reduce the degree of deed. The psychiatrist also noted that there was no reason to believe that the killing was provoked by Hawke herself. The pregnant woman, according to the doctor, became a defenseless victim of execution. The psychiatrist also added that he has no reason to believe that Jordan Brown will be rehabilitated by the age of 21 (by the time he leaves the jurisdiction of the juvenile). In addition, the doctor’s opinion indicated the presence of personality problems of the convict. As stated in the document, the infant killer did not notice the negative aspects of his character.
Appeal of the first decision
Judge Motto, the chairman of the Lawrence County Court, initially ruled that Brown would be convicted as an adult. This decision was appealed by the Amnesty International human rights organization. Its representatives referred to a violation of international law. In addition, a complaint against the decision was filed by Brown's lawyers. Following a ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that amended legislation at that time, Judge Motto overturned his original act. By a new decision, he decided that the procedure would go on as for minors.
Hearing
Another issue that was resolved during the trial concerned how the meetings would be held - publicly or closed. In his act, Judge Hodge decided that the meetings would be closed and would not be covered in the media. The Pennsylvania High Court dismissed appeals from local print media asking for a change in Hodge’s ruling and open hearings to the public. These newspapers decided not to continue to appeal. After that, Judge Hodge was sent an instruction that the meeting should be held as soon as possible. Along with this, it was decided that Jordan Brown would not be released while he was waiting for the hearing.
Sentence
After three days of hearing witness testimony, Judge Hodge decided on April 13, 2012, that Jordan Brown was guilty of first-degree murder of Kenzie Hawke, 26, and her unborn child. Under Pennsylvania law, juvenile offenders cannot be detained after they reach 21 years of age. The culprit can be determined in a medical rehabilitation center until August 2018.
Additionally
Brown's lawyers tried to prove that his confession was self-incriminating. The whole charge was based on the testimony of the defendant. During interrogation, Jordan Brown told all the details without hesitation. At the end of the meeting, however, he recanted his confession. Nevertheless, the court had enough evidence gathered and established facts to plead guilty. Throughout the hearing, Brown remained silent.
Public opinion
First of all, it should be said that the USA is one of the states whose government refused to ratify the Convention of the Organization of the United Nations on the rights of the child, adopted by many countries. This, in turn, means that the court issued a completely legal decision. In the state of Pennsylvania, life imprisonment sentenced about 450 minors. The observance of the rights of criminal convicted persons is monitored by representatives of the Sentencing Project. They published a statement that the United States is the only state in the world where a minor can get a life sentence without the right to pardon. According to representatives of the organization, two conclusions follow from this: either children in America are more prone to violence than in other countries, or in the United States the most severe punishments.
Jordan Brown's father was shocked for a long time and could not believe what had happened. The media did not cover the issue of their relationship in the family. However, many believe that a teenager cannot commit a more heinous crime. From the materials it follows that the murder was committed deliberately. Jordan's father resigned himself to the verdict.