Blanket is evidence PA boy planned to kill.

[panamania79 2]

PITTSBURGH – An 11-year-old boy apparently covered his shotgun with a blanket to keep it hidden when he left his bedroom, went downstairs and fatally shot his father's pregnant girlfriend in the head as she slept, a prosecutor said Monday.

The blue blanket, which has a quarter-sized hole that appeared to be singed from a shotgun blast, supports a claim that the crime was premeditated, Lawrence County District Attorney John Bongivengo said.

Police found the blanket in the farmhouse where the boy, Jordan Brown, lived with his father; the father's girlfriend, Kenzie Marie Houk; and her two daughters, ages 7 and 4. Houk was killed Friday morning while Brown's father was at work and the two girls were in the home, authorities believe.

"The operating theory is that he covered the gun with the blanket to hide it when he came downstairs" from his bedroom to shoot Houk, who was in a first-floor bedroom, Bongivengo said. "It wasn't used to muffle (the shot) or anything, the blanket wasn't thick enough for that."

Brown got the youth-sized shotgun as a Christmas present, and used it to win a turkey shoot on Valentine's Day.

After shooting Houk, the boy ran to get on a school bus with the 7-year-old, who saw him toss something from his pocket on the ground, Bongivengo said. Police later found a spent 20-gauge shotgun shell at that spot.

The girl later implicated the boy in the killing, saying she saw him with what she believed to be a shotgun and heard a loud bang, Bongivengo has said.

Brown is charged as an adult with criminal homicide. In Pennsylvania, there is no criminal homicide charge in juvenile court.

"Because the juvenile system only has jurisdiction until he's 21, the last thing I want is a 21-year-old who's going to be out on the streets and willing to kill you," Bongivengo said.

Houk's family told police the boy had threatened her and her 7-year-old daughter in the weeks before the shooting, Bongivengo said. Houk's family has told The Associated Press the boy may have been jealous of Houk and her children.

"If this person were 18, we'd be looking at pursuing the death penalty," Bongivengo said.

Defense attorney Dennis Elisco has said he plans to ask a judge to move the case to juvenile court and to have the boy released on bail to his father. Brown is being held at the Lawrence County Jail, where jail officials said they don't have adequate accommodations for someone that young. He is being kept separate from the jail's approximately 300 adult inmates.

Elisco didn't return calls for comment Monday. He has said the boy hasn't confessed to the shooting and he doubts the physical evidence will support police's claim that the boy killed Houk with one shot to the back of her head.

The Associated Press could not immediately locate relatives of the boy and his father for comment Monday.

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[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

So the boy covered the shot gun with a blanket and went downstairs to shoot the pregnant girlfriend of his father in the back of the head while she slept. But the older sister saw him with the gun? Then he puts the gun back into his room and dumps the blanket in the barn with a shot gun hole in it? Was there blood and brains on the blanket too? Then the boy goes to school like nothing happened and gets picked up and is all confused and isolated from his friends in family in county jail and still has not confessed to the murder. I don't know. It sounds fishy and doesn't add up to me. I don't think he did it.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So the boy covered the shot gun with a blanket and went downstairs to shoot the pregnant girlfriend of his father in the back of the head while she slept. But the older sister saw him with the gun? Then he puts the gun back into his room and dumps the blanket in the barn with a shot gun hole in it? Was there blood and brains on the blanket too? Then the boy goes to school like nothing happened and gets picked up and is all confused and isolated from his friends in family in county jail and still has not confessed to the murder. I don't know. It sounds fishy and doesn't add up to me. I don't think he did it.

Interesting points. Even if he is guilty, it will be insane to try him as an adult. He's an 11 yr. old boy!

[Jasman0717 9]

This is all so strange

[Heracles 417]

So the boy covered the shot gun with a blanket and went downstairs to shoot the pregnant girlfriend of his father in the back of the head while she slept. But the older sister saw him with the gun? Then he puts the gun back into his room and dumps the blanket in the barn with a shot gun hole in it? Was there blood and brains on the blanket too? Then the boy goes to school like nothing happened and gets picked up and is all confused and isolated from his friends in family in county jail and still has not confessed to the murder. I don't know. It sounds fishy and doesn't add up to me. I don't think he did it.

Interesting points. Even if he is guilty, it will be insane to try him as an adult. He's an 11 yr. old boy!

What is interesting is how the Californian courts ruled against preventing minors from having access to extreme horror and violence. Something that is the norm in most other civilized western nations. Certainly common sense backed by research.

Mark my words, the United States legal system will be the downfall of this country.

Edited February 24, 2009 by Aficionado

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You don't need to experience violent movies and video games to be a pyschopath. The damaged psychology is already there - its not "created" by watching TV.

What is interesting is how this article doesn't mention that at all as a motivator (or indeed what the kids issues, if any, were) - or how a ruling in a CA court (the one in SF about video game sales with mature content I assume) relates to a premedidated murder in PA.

Edited February 24, 2009 by Paul Daniels

[Heracles 417]

You don't need to experience violent movies and video games to be a pyschopath. The damaged psychology is already there - its not "created" by watching TV.

What is interesting is how this article doesn't mention that at all as a motivator (or indeed what the kids issues, if any, were) - or how a ruling in a CA court (the one in SF about video game sales with mature content I assume) relates to a premedidated murder in PA.

Whether you personally accept it or not the link is there. As is the research to back it up. So either the rest of the developed world, including your mother country, who restricts violence from minors is wrong. Or the general attitude here against restricting #######, because it is 'unconstitutional', is wrong. I am certain you cannot get an unrestricted version on DVD in the UK.

There is clearly a range of reasons why such incidents are more prevalent in the US than the UK, Canada or Australia. Something you seem to deny. Or is this going to be one of those it's the media's fault.

Yes thank you captain obvious for pointing the article does not study the kids background or the laws.

Edited February 24, 2009 by Aficionado

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

There's actually no direct evidence that violence in movies or video games creates pyschopathic pyschology - in most of the cases where the media has been blamed for influencing people's behaviour to commit murder there were other factors were at work - such as violent abuse in the home. That was the case in the Jamie Bulger case and that of the Columbine killers. The deviant psychology was already there - and those people sought out violent material to feed their psychoses.

Again - there's no evidence that the kid in this case was inspired by Grand Theft Auto, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or anything of that nature. It is being suggested that he may have had resentment issues within the family, but as others have said - the story as described sounds rather fishy.

Edited February 24, 2009 by Paul Daniels

[Heracles 417]

There's actually no direct evidence that violence in movies or video games creates pyschopathic pyschology - in most of the cases where the media has been blamed for influencing people's behaviour to commit murder there were other factors were at work - such as violent abuse in the home. That was the case in the Jamie Bulger case and that of the Columbine killers. The deviant psychology was already there - and those people sought it out to feed their psychoses.

Again - there's no evidence that the kid in this case was inspired by Grand Theft Auto, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or anything of that nature. It is being suggested that he may have had resentment issues within the family, but as others have said - the story as described sounds rather fishy.

Psychopaths are obviously a different kettle of fish. Exposure to violence especially at a young age has been linked and proven to desensitize kids view of it. Therefore, some kids are growing up and feel that violence and murder is an acceptable means of communication. You want proof? refer to OP. In our entire human history, kids have never ever had such easy on-demand access to violence. I posted an article a while back about how the latest generation are simply unsympathetic, egotistical and self-centered.

This particular incident is also not isolated and neither is it restricted to kids. There have been many many cases posted in OT involving kids. Just the other day I noticed on the nightly news that someone was shot and killed over road rage. Homicide rates are through the roof when compared to other western nations. It is certainly not the availability of guns that is the cause. It kills me that you cannot see a difference in culture and attitude towards crime and murder when compared to that of your own mother country. That you cannot see why countries like the United Kingdom and Australia restrict junk from polluting the society and the minds of kids who are quite vulnerable.

I am not going to argue with you as I know we will not agree but like anything in life, someone is right and someone is wrong. So either the rest of the developed world who has appropriate restrictions is wrong. Or the United States with the anything goes system is wrong.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

There's actually no direct evidence that violence in movies or video games creates pyschopathic pyschology - in most of the cases where the media has been blamed for influencing people's behaviour to commit murder there were other factors were at work - such as violent abuse in the home. That was the case in the Jamie Bulger case and that of the Columbine killers. The deviant psychology was already there - and those people sought it out to feed their psychoses.

Again - there's no evidence that the kid in this case was inspired by Grand Theft Auto, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or anything of that nature. It is being suggested that he may have had resentment issues within the family, but as others have said - the story as described sounds rather fishy.

Psychopaths are obviously a different kettle of fish. Exposure to violence especially at a young age has been linked and proven to desensitize kids view of it. Therefore, some kids are growing up and feel that violence and murder is an acceptable means of communication. You want proof? refer to OP. In our entire human history, kids have never ever had such easy on-demand access to violence. I posted an article a while back about how the latest generation are simply unsympathetic, egotistical and self-centered.

This particular incident is also not isolated and neither is it restricted to kids. There have been many many cases posted in OT involving kids. Just the other day I noticed on the nightly news that someone was shot and killed over road rage. Homicide rates are through the roof when compared to other western nations. It is certainly not the availability of guns that is the cause. It kills me that you cannot see a difference in culture and attitude towards crime and murder when compared to that of your own mother country. That you cannot see why countries like the United Kingdom and Australia restrict junk from polluting the society and the minds of kids who are quite vulnerable.

I am not going to argue with you as I know we will not agree but like anything in life, someone is right and someone is wrong. So either the rest of the developed world who has appropriate restrictions is wrong. Or the United States with the anything goes system is wrong.

Again - no evidence of any kind to suggest that THIS kid and THIS murder were inspired by or the result of media consumption. All that's been provided is speculation that he resented his stepmother. More than that - we don't and can't know.

What you're doing here is using this case to further your own agenda about the evils of violence in the media. In particular the idea that its "the media" which is the root cause of criminal behaviour is pretty bizarre - certainly in regard to things like road rage.

Road rage isn't something that's peculiar to this country, nor does "the media" adequately explain the phenomenon. Contrary to popular belief - the UK film ratings system isn't much more effective than this country US in keeping underage people out of theatres or renting movies with content that their parents might deem "inappropriate". Strangely - there's a good deal of road rage in the UK too...

Film censors use bizarre reasoning to determine what content merits a particular age classification - why must headbutts be edited out of films like The Matrix or Spiderman 2 to avoid "mature" age ratings?

But I'm no expert on this of course - perhaps the powers that be employ some sort of mathematical formula to quantify an increase in the crime rate as a result of there being one too many Ninja stars thrown in a martial arts movie.

Edited February 24, 2009 by Paul Daniels

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

So the boy covered the shot gun with a blanket and went downstairs to shoot the pregnant girlfriend of his father in the back of the head while she slept. But the older sister saw him with the gun? Then he puts the gun back into his room and dumps the blanket in the barn with a shot gun hole in it? Was there blood and brains on the blanket too? Then the boy goes to school like nothing happened and gets picked up and is all confused and isolated from his friends in family in county jail and still has not confessed to the murder. I don't know. It sounds fishy and doesn't add up to me. I don't think he did it.

Interesting points. Even if he is guilty, it will be insane to try him as an adult. He's an 11 yr. old boy!

In one article it said in the state of PA they can try a person as an adult by the age of 10 yrs. old. In another article I read he is being charged with two homicides. They are counting the fetus. I am surprised nobody on VJ has picked up on that and debated the ethics of it yet.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Why would anyone do that?

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

[Caladan 19]

You don't need to experience violent movies and video games to be a pyschopath. The damaged psychology is already there - its not "created" by watching TV.

What is interesting is how this article doesn't mention that at all as a motivator (or indeed what the kids issues, if any, were) - or how a ruling in a CA court (the one in SF about video game sales with mature content I assume) relates to a premedidated murder in PA.

Whether you personally accept it or not the link is there. As is the research to back it up. So either the rest of the developed world, including your mother country, who restricts violence from minors is wrong. Or the general attitude here against restricting #######, because it is 'unconstitutional', is wrong. I am certain you cannot get an unrestricted version on DVD in the UK.

There is clearly a range of reasons why such incidents are more prevalent in the US than the UK, Canada or Australia. Something you seem to deny. Or is this going to be one of those it's the media's fault.

Yes thank you captain obvious for pointing the article does not study the kids background or the laws.

The evidence isn't there, actually. Researchers haven't found a link between playing video games or television and increased violence in anything like the popular perception would have you believe. (And, of course, there's nothing about whether this kid was playing video games, so you might as well be blaming Twinkies...)

I wonder why this kid is being tried as an adult. His crime is horrible, but what's the point of the age distinction in the law if it doesn't apply to an eleven-year-old?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

That does seem strange.