Adult trial set for boy in slaying of woman, fetus

PITTSBURGH - A boy who was 11 when he was accused of killing his father's pregnant fiancee with a shotgun blast to the back of her head as she lay in bed will be tried as an adult in the death of both the woman and the fetus, a Lawrence County Court judge ruled yesterday.

Jordan Brown, now 12, is charged with criminal homicide in the death of Kenzie Marie Houk, 26, in their farmhouse in New Galilee, in Western Pennsylvania, on Feb. 20, 2009. Houk was 81/2 months pregnant.

The boy could be convicted of anything from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder under Pennsylvania's homicide law. Prosecutors have said they will seek a conviction on first-degree murder charges, for which he could face up to life in prison if convicted.

Cynthia Orr, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, said she had never heard of someone as young as Brown charged with fetal homicide. Brown's attorneys are expected to appeal. - AP