Raising Killer Kids

All the facts remain uncollected, but at the funeral of pregnant Kenzie Marie Houk, it was widely believed that her fiancé’s 11-year-old son shot her to death with a hunting rifle he had gotten as a gift for Christmas. Police in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania have young Jordan Brown behind bars and have charged him with two counts of first degree murder in the February 20, 2009 deaths of Houk and her unborn baby. In Pennsylvania, like the vast majority of states, it is legal to charge a child over 10 years old as an adult and to seek a sentence of life without parole. If convicted, the child serves his time in with the adult male prison population.

The Lawrence County District Attorney has held televised press conferences. His theory is that jealousy over the new baby, and desire for his father’s attention, drove Jordan to commit this “callous, cold and calculating” crime. Members of Houk’s family claim that the boy, back in December, said he wanted to “pop” Houk in the head, which is exactly where she was shot. With Jordan as the reasonable suspect, he has been remanded to callous, cold and calculating adult prison.

There is scant precedent for raising children with rapists and murderers, but there is some. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, ten children in the U.S. between the ages of 9 and 12 were convicted of murder in 2007, compared with 542 teens aged 13 to 16, and 1,966 teens aged 17 to 19. A few states do not allow life sentences without parole for preteens, ten states have no minimum-age limits, and all the others fall somewhere in between. Currently, 3 convicted preteens (who are now teenagers) are serving out their sentences among the general prison population, one in New York and two in Florida.

Jordan’s situation gives Christian ethics a strenuous workout. Old Testament law would instruct an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Fortunately, Jordan is still waiting for his 12 year molars, so strict adherence may not prove too difficult. On the other hand, the temptation to forget the sanctity of Kenzie Marie Houk’s life, and the life of her unborn child, in favor of fiercely defending the childlike innocence and potential rehabilitation of Jordan Brown should give us pause as well. Her family’s pain is very real.

And then there are the questions. Who gives an obviously angry 11-year-old a hunting rifle for Christmas? Was the gun locked away safely? Was the father really neglecting the son in favor of the girlfriend, breeding jealousy and discontent inside his son? Was there abuse of any kind going on in the home? After Jordan made the shocking comments in December, did the adults involved intervene and seek help for the child? Does an 11-year-old boy truly understand the consequences of his actions and/or should parents be held responsible for the choices their children make? What should punishment look like? In addition to losing his freedom for the rest of his natural life, do the potential atrocities a young boy could experience at the hands of adult criminals constitute excessive penalty?

And the unavoidable query: How does a child become a killer?

In theory, Christians are interjectors of love and truth into a crazy world. We represent the Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, so merely shaking our heads in disbelief is not enough when presented with tragedy of this magnitude. But what is true and how do we rightly love?

Perhaps God’s command for us to “act justly and to love mercy” can help. JUSTICE and MERCY, two words that can seem incongruent in our culture, yet represent the very heart of our Savior. Advocating for revisions in the U.S. justice system that provide adequately for child offenders is entirely appropriate and necessary, because one thing in the midst of this unclear situation is perfectly clear: An 11-year-old boy does not, under any circumstances, belong in an adult prison among full grown male convicts. Regardless of whether Jordan is a good kid who made a terrible mistake, or a troubled one who will continue to make terrible mistakes, his pre-teen future in a maximum security prison must offend both our sense of mercy and justice.

Yes, we recognize the need to protect the community at large. Yes, we mourn the loss of Kenzie Marie Houk and her baby and fully comprehend the value of both their lives. But grace also insists that we shield Jordan Brown, and other children like him, from realities 11-year-olds shouldn’t even know exist.

The questions warrant ongoing discussion. Jordan warrants more.