Marie Houk, a pregnant mother, was found dead by her four-year-old daughter. The killer appears to be the son of her boyfriend who will reportedly face adult murder charges — despite the fact that Jordon Brown is 11 years old. He reportedly went to school after killing Houk in a farmhouse in western Pennsylvania.
The child was charged with one count each of criminal homicide and homicide of an unborn child. In Pennsylvania, anyone over the age of 10 accused of murder or homicide is charged as an adult and can face life in prison.
The boy and his father are living in the farmhouse in Wampum, Pa. 
He appears to have used a youth model 20-gauge shotgun — a gun designed to be used by young children. There are a considerable number of options for kiddie guns. Some sites prefer to call them “small statured shooters.” In states like South Dakota, the trend has been to lower the age to as low as 10 for hunters. Children as low as eight have received gun permits, as discussed in here and here in the United States and England. Some ministers have called on parents substituting video games for gun lessons as a wholesome alternatives.
The idea of treating an 11-year-old as an adult in such case is unfathomable but not uncommon. It remains one of the continuing points of conflict with other Western nations. The Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that states cannot execute murderers under the age of 18 over the objections of many conservative leaders.
What is fascinating is the desire to continue to treat children as adults despite recent research showing that human brains do not fully function until in their late teens. Specifically areas of the brain used to judge risk and make judgments are affected.
raflaw: “What good for society will result from trying an 11 year old as if he was 18 years old? Can’t we possibly save an 11 year old with treatment and counseling? If we try him as an adult, aren’t we giving up on this child?”
I got a Remington 870 12 gage for my 11th birthday. That didn’t mean I had unfettered access to it and ammunition. Then again I was also taught that you never point the barrel towards anything you’re not prepared to destroy.
In cases like these I think the supervising parents are just as culpable for manslaughter as the child; and as such should stand trial together.
Buddha,
By the way, your avatar is now “jade-like color” enough for my old, tired eyes.
FFLEO,
Thanks for the clarification. I was indeed wondering if it was really you.
Buddha said:
“P.S. What’s up with the nick change?”
______________________________________
FFN does *not* equal FFLEO, if that was your question. FFN is someone who posted sometime after I had first posted on this blawg.
Thanks
FF . . . N?
Unfortunately it is a truism of technology that when you have something engineered by humans another human can find a way around it. And often will just for the hell of it. We are a curious bunch of space monkeys. Hackers anyone?
P.S. What’s up with the nick change?
Gun locks were brought up in this thread, and I can’t help but share this video: http://video.security.org/gunlock_alert/gunlock-zev.wmv A must-watch for anyone who thinks gun locks are effective.
Would you give a 10 or 11 year old a broadsword? A pike? A drivers license? A stick of dynamite? A bottle of rat poison? How did guns get excluded from the list of other dangerous things we don’t let children have. It’s just madness. It’s illogical in any context.
Wow!
When are people going to realize that guns and children do not mix well. I am sick and tired of reading about Children killing with any kind of guns, especially guns designed for youngsters. What makes this one even worse is the idea that an 11 year old should be tried as an adult. What good for society will result from trying an 11 year old as if he was 18 years old? Can’t we possibly save an 11 year old with treatment and counseling? If we try him as an adult, aren’t we giving up on this child?
roycommi:
“Some people are just born defective and need to be weeded out.”
***************
How’d you translate that so fast from the original German?
Some people are just born defective and need to be weeded out. its a shame it took the death of the mother and unborn child for that to happen.
BigFella:
“Thanks for updating with the mug shot, JT, that really hits home how wrong everything is about this incident, and it begs one to consider, could this not have been prevented?”
****************
I am sadly struck by the thought that the photo of the child in this blog entry would seamlessly fit in the entry just below it.
Buddha:
You can whip it!
Jack B:
Wiki has some interesting parallels between Charles Whitman and our buddy “letil.” The article says:
“Whitman’s father had an extensive gun collection and taught all of his sons how to shoot, clean and maintain guns. From an early age, Charles had been exposed to guns and never had any recorded incident of misuse or abuse of gun use.”
I advise your staying away from towers when in Texas and away from “letil” at all times.
mespo,
“not every member of a species evolves at the same rate.”
I’m thinking some have starting moving backward.
The irony of the band Devo gets better every day.
letil:
“We would handle them but even at the age of 10 I knew you never loaded them when you were in the field hunting.
Not only that but when I was 12 and we took our firearms training classes, 30 of us stored our guns and shells in our school lockers until the training after school.”
**********
Well you and your buds certainly were winners. When not hunting in the field without ammo, you whiled away your time storing guns and ammo within inches of your classmates and any inconvenient firefighter who might happen by to fight a school fire. This is the essence of social upward mobility, and I applaud you and your merry band. May I ask are you now incarcerated, or has the parole board finally relented?
And I will take you up on your suggestion to spend more time with my kids. Realizing that thought like this exists in the world strengthens my resolve to teach them that not every member of a species evolves at the same rate.
Hi letil,
You seem to be knowledgeable on this subject. I’m wondering, could you tell me what Charles Whitman’s favorite game was? Clue, perhaps?
What was Howard Unruh‘s favorite movie?
Was Brenda Ann Spencer’s favorite video game Pong?
Europe’s Liberal Politicians Don’t Pay Their Taxes, Either
The European Union’s internal audit office investigated cheating on expenses by members of the European Parliament and found it is widespread among the liberal factions.
The internal audit office wrote a 92-page report to that effect, but kept it secret. Now the report has been leaked and the Telegraph has the details:
Matthew Elliott, the chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “Having acquired the report, we felt it was right to publish it so taxpayers across the EU could see the widespread evidence of corruption, dodgy dealing and poor financial controls in the European Parliament. The liberal factions of the parliament were found to have been cheating at the rate of 5 to 1 of the conservative members.
Nearly 80 per cent of transactions that should have been subject to VAT displayed no evidence of either VAT payment or exemption.
In his report, Mr Galvin found that “overpayments” of parliamentary allowances were common, but strangely more common among the liberal members, whose allowances are dished out by the same liberal government agencies.
It does seem, though, that the world’s liberal political class, including ours, is becoming increasingly contemptuous of the rule of law.
For over 200 years parents kept their firearms either in closets, behind doors, in a glass enclosed unlocked gun case or anywhere else in the open in the house. Just in the last 25 years have the NUTS started trouble.
Coincidentally that is the same time sick hollywood movies glorifying murder and sick games glorifying murder have been out.
Maybe losers like the hanger on’s here should spend more time with their kids than posting insane ramblings trying to impress 4 wacko liberals.
What a bunch of losers here.
As a kid, my dad kept his firearms in my bedroom on an unlocked gun rack. When I had friends over they would want to see the guns. We would handle them but even at the age of 10 I knew you never loaded them when you were in the field hunting.
Not only that but when I was 12 and we took our firearms training classes, 30 of us stored our guns and shells in our school lockers until the training after school.
you see back then we didn’t have LOSERS like you bunch of whiners that have basked in the glow of sick hollywood movies and sick video games.
You Turley two percenters ARE LOSERS.
Buddha, yeah, something as simple as a trigger lock, or a locked cabinet or closet, and a big dose of common sense on the part of a parent. Also a parent that might be “tuned in” enough to their child to maybe recognize some problematic behaviors, ahead of time.
As a person who has been trained in the use of firearms, and seen the results, first hand, of firearms used against humans, firearms are something I do not take for granted. The problem with firearms, is those citizens who not only take their second amendment rights for granted, but they allow their passion about those rights to color their judgment, and they seem to take it for granted that every man, woman or child who has access to firearms will exercise, safe, responsible handling and use of firearms.