The Michelle Young murder investigation continues to be a hot topic for those who follow high profile cases.
The murder of the former Wolfpack cheerleader and pregnant mother is known in part for the silence from the victim’s husband, Jason Young.
Young was named a suspect in a Non-Testimonial Identification Order (NTO) dated November 7, 2006, four days after Michelle’s bludgeoned body was found in the couple’s Raleigh home.
As part of the NTO, Young complied as an 'Adult Suspect' providing only what the court order demanded, including fingerprints, foot impressions, DNA samples and access to photograph injuries to his body.
But he chose not to speak with investigators about the murder of his wife. Instead, Young shielded himself behind an attorney and reportedly moved to the North Carolina mountains to live with his sister and be near his mother.
To this day, investigators emphasize that Jason Young will not speak with them about his wife's murder.
His silence has fueled public speculation he may have been involved in killing her.
The Right To Remain Silent vs. Cooperation From The Suspect
The investigation has sparked two debates: the investigative focus on the spouse, and the Constitutional right to remain silent exercised by persons of interest.
“He [Jason] is not talking with investigators because it was apparent he was going to be arrested that night [November 3, 2006]. He obtained a lawyer who said ‘No, you don’t talk. Period.,’” said Pat Young, Jason’s mother, who spoke to NC WANTED from her home in Brevard.
Jason's mother added, “I have talked to defense lawyers here. They’ve all said ‘No, you don’t talk. Period.' And you do what your lawyer says, otherwise, why would you have a lawyer to begin with?’”
Other North Carolina defense attorneys, however, acknowledge the suspicion that comes with a spouse’s silence, and that investigators are following standard procedure when seeking information from people closest to the victim.
“Whenever a spouse is murdered under suspicious circumstances, one of the first people police are going to look at is the other spouse. You have to tell your client that that’s to be expected, that they ought not be defensive about that.” said David Rudolf, a prominent defense attorney who represented Michael Peterson in 2003.
“That’s just the way it works, and partly it’s because in many, many situations, it is the spouse who did the crime,” Rudolf said.
Rudolf's former client, Michael Peterson, refused to cooperate with investigators in the murder of his wife, Kathleen. Peterson now sits in prison, sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
“For police, the assertion of your privilege not to speak with them is tantamount to a confession. They assume the client isn’t talking because he or she has something to hide. And I guess that’s a human assumption, but it’s not always the correct assumption,” Rudolf told NC WANTED.
So, in the Michelle Young case, what does Jason's silence mean for the investigation?
“It does throw up a red flag if a spouse does not want to be cooperative with police. It looks suspicious,” Freda Black told NC WANTED. Black is a candidate for Durham’s District Attorney.
“You would think if your spouse was murdered that the person being questioned would want to cooperate and want to get to the bottom of it,” she said.
Black noted, however, that the Constitution secures a person’s right to remain silent. Once a person is on trial, the prosecution is not allowed to mention that a defendant was uncooperative during an investigation.
Other Cases Involving Uncooperative Suspects
Other investigations where a suspect refused to talk to police have proven that silence does not always equal guilt.
In November 2007, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office reopened the Bonnie Neighbors case, sparked in part by NC WANTED’s investigation into the crime.
Investigators and many in the Benson community had long suspected Bonnie's killer was a local man whose family owned a property near where Bonnie’s body was found.
For over three decades, the man refused to speak to police, submit to a polygraph test or cooperate with the investigation.
But after 35 years, the local man finally cooperated. When the sheriff’s office submitted a semen sample from Bonnie’s dress for DNA testing, they discovered the man was not a match. He was eliminated as a suspect.
The cases of Michelle Young and Bonnie Neighbors are not the only cases involving uncooperative suspects.
In Durham, Janet Abaroa was stabbed to death at her home in 2005. Her husband, Raven Abaroa, has refused to submit to a polygraph and investigators have told NC WANTED that Raven has provided little cooperation with their department. To this day, Raven remains a person of interest in the murder of his wife. He now lives in Utah.
In Henderson, a local businessman has lived and worked for three decades under a cloud of suspicion about his involvement in the 1977 murder of Alice Burgess. He, too, has never submitted to police questioning and has a reputation for being hostile when approached about the case.
The Perspective of Reasonable People
At the end of the day, reasonable people can wonder why any spouse would not assist in an investigation, especially if the spouse is innocent.
Michelle Young’s cheerleading coach, Cathy Buckey, told NC WANTED, “If my wife was murdered, I would want to do everything in the world to help. If you’re not guilty, you help in every single way. You’re there, you’re pounding the pavement, you’re calling all the time. You are there.”
But Jason Young has not been there or anywhere to speak with investigators about the murder of his wife. He has not been ruled out as a suspect in her murder.
Sheriff Donnie Harrison told NC WANTED his detectives need Jason Young to help them fill in basic details about Michelle’s activities leading up to her murder, her daily habits, anyone she was associating with, etc.
They also want him to explain his activities around the time his wife was killed.
“We do not know because he has refused to talk to us,” Harrison said from his office in downtown Raleigh.
Until Jason Young starts talking to investigators, the speculation about his involvement likely will not go away. But if he is guilty, he could be calculating that silence and speculation are better than sitting on death row.
If you have any information on this case or crimes in North Carolina, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.
