Jordan Brown, a juvenile murderer. Life imprisonment

Jordan Brown became the youngest prisoner convicted without the right to release early. This US citizen was born on August 12, 1997. At the time of his involvement in criminal proceedings, he was 11 years old.

Jordan Brown: life sentence

On February 20, 2009, this citizen shot his father's bride with her unborn child. The District Attorney's Office filed an initial charge in the adult court, as this rule was enacted in Pennsylvania for the accused of murder, regardless of age. Subsequently, this decision was upheld by the Prosecutor General. Jordan Brown spent more than 3 years in the colony for persons under the age of 18. At this time, the Pennsylvania court examined the materials of the murder. The verdict was pronounced on April 13, 2012. 13-year-old boy Jordan Brown was sentenced to stay in prison until the end of his days without the right to release early. The lawyers of the guilty state that the verdict was too harsh.

History of Jordan Brown

As follows from the materials of production, the perpetrator fired from the youthful model of a shotgun of the 20th caliber. His father gave him a gun for Christmas. The victim - Kenzi M. Hawk - was killed by a shot in the back of the head. At that moment she slept at the Browns house in West Pennsylvania. As a result of the shot she died immediately. Hawke was pregnant and was due to give birth soon. The child could not be saved either. A case was initiated against a young killer. Jordan Brown was arrested, charging him with two counts. After the murder, he boarded the bus with his eldest daughter Hawke and headed for school. At that time he studied in the 5th grade. The police found a cartridge from the shotgun as the bus traveled to the school, where Jordan Brown studied with his half-sister. The youngest daughter Hawke, having discovered her mother's body, told the gardener who was working at the house. He, in turn, called the police.

Court

The process lasted for two years. The key issue in the proceedings was not the evidence of guilt, but the choice of the order of consideration of the materials. The plenipotentiaries decided for a long time whether to judge Brown as an adult or as a minor. The court nevertheless ruled that there should not be any discounts on the age in this case, since only in this way it is possible to choose the punishment corresponding to the act. So Jordan Brown became the youngest prisoner, convicted to the end of his days. As Judge Motto stated, if a different form of consideration of the materials were chosen, the rehabilitation of the offender would be unlikely up to 21 years.

Doctor's opinion

Judge Motto's decision was based, among other things, on the conclusion of a psychiatrist. The document says that Jordan Brown sought to reduce the extent of the deed. The psychiatrist also noted that there was no reason to believe that the murder was provoked by Hawke herself. A 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 year 21 (by the time he gets out of the juvenile jurisdiction). In addition, the conclusion of the doctor indicated the existence of personal problems convicted. As it was said in the document, the young killer did not notice the negative sides of his character.

Appealing the first decision

The President of the Lawrence County Court, Judge Motto, originally determined that Brown would be sentenced as an adult. This decision was appealed by the human rights organization Amnesty International. Its representatives referred to a violation of the provisions of international law. In addition, the complaint against the decision was filed by Brown's lawyers. After the ruling of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which changed the then existing legislation, Judge Motto canceled his original act. With a new decision, he decided that the procedure would go as for minors.

Hearing

Another issue that was decided during the proceedings was whether the meetings would be held publicly or closed. In his act, Judge Hodge decided that the meetings would be closed and not covered in the media. The High Court of Pennsylvania rejected an appeal from local print media that asked to change the Hodge decree and open hearings for the public. These newspapers decided not to continue to appeal. After that Judge Hoja was instructed that the meeting should be held as soon as possible. At the same time, it was decided that Jordan Brown would not be released for the period of waiting for the hearing.

Sentence

After three days of hearing the testimony of witnesses, Judge Hodge on April 13, 2012 ruled that Jordan Brown was guilty of killing the first degree of Kenzi Hawk 26 years and her unborn child. Under the law of Pennsylvania, juvenile offenders can not remain in custody after they reach the age of 21. The perpetrator can be identified in a medical rehabilitation center until August 2018.

Additionally

Brown's lawyers tried to prove that his confession was self-incrimination. The entire charge was based on the defendant's testimony. During the interrogation, Jordan Brown told all the details without hesitation. At the end of the meeting, however, he refused his confession. Nevertheless, the court had enough collected evidence and established facts to admit his guilt. During the whole hearing, Brown remained silent.

Opinion of the public

First of all, it should be said that the United States is one of the states whose government refused to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted by many countries. This, in turn, means that the court has made a legitimate decision. In Pennsylvania, life imprisonment was sentenced to about 450 minors. The observance of the rights of convicted criminals 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 receive a life sentence without the right to pardon. According to the representatives of the organization, this leads to two conclusions: either children in America are more prone to violence than in other countries, or in the United States the most severe punishment. Father Jordan Brown long enough in shock and could not believe in what had happened. The media did not provide much information about their relationship in the family. However, many believe that a more monstrous crime a teenager can not commit. It follows from the materials that the murder was committed knowingly. Jordan's father resigned himself to the verdict.