From NC WANTED Staff

Posted: Aug 1, 2008
Updated: Aug 1, 2008

DETAILS IN THE ALLEGATIONS — Michelle Young's brutal murder in 2006 made national headlines. NC WANTED has been following the case and will profile her unsolved murder Saturday at 10:35 p.m. on Fox 50.

_____________________________________________________________

Earlier Reports:

Valentine's day is for lovers, gift cards and surprises. 

On February 14, 2008, it was also for search warrants.

NC WANTED confirmed that the Wake County Sheriff's Office along with the SBI served search warrants on Thursday, February 14 at the homes of Jason Young's mother, Pat Young, in Brevard, and also his sister, Heather McCracken, in Etowah.

Reports indicate Jason Young has been living with his sister, Heather McCracken since the murder of his wife, Michelle Young.

No warrants have been returned to the Wake County courthouse at this time, and sources indicated the warrants have been sealed.

The entire Young family has been tight-lipped about Michelle’s murder and Jason’s status as a suspect.

Michelle Young was found bludgeoned to death in her Raleigh home on November 3, 2006.

The case garnered national media attention, but no arrests have been made.

Jason Young was named a suspect on November 7, 2006 in a Non-Testimonial Identification Order signed by Judge Donald Stephens of Wake County. 

The Wake County Sheriff's Office maintains that Jason Young has not  been cooperative in the investigation, and will not speak with them about the murder of his wife, Michelle Young.

Soon after the murder in Raleigh, Jason Young packed up and moved to the mountains to live with his sister, Heather McCracken, and has avoided answering questions from authorities.

Heather McCracken's home and property were searched on February 14, 2008.

Jason Young's mother, Pat Young, told NC WANTED, "He is doing what he's been told to do, and that is all you need to know."

On Valentine's day, authorities also searched the home and property of Pat Young.

From Prior Reports

Sources tell NC WANTED Jason Young's family hired Dr. Maurice Godwin, a self-described trial strategist who works primarily for defense attorneys.  From one of Godwin's websites:  "Dr. Godwin also can assist attorneys in developing trial strategies, which will diminish the testimony of the opposition’s profiling expert."

Hiring Godwin may signal a new strategy by Jason Young's family to prepare for possible murder charges and a subsequent trial.

On Tuesday, December 18, 2007, NC WANTED contacted Godwin by phone to confirm his involvement.  NC WANTED also observed Godwin had posted the NC WANTED logo and link on his website.  NC WANTED has no affiliation or working relationship with Dr. Godwin.  NC WANTED requested Godwin remove the logo and link from his website, which appears to have occurred.

When asked if he had been hired by the Young family, Dr. Godwin responded, "Where did you get that information? I'd rather not comment on that. I work primarily with defense attorneys and I do crime scene reconstruction mainly. I determine if any evidence has been missed and work-up a behavioral profile. And I do evidence interpretation."

When asked a second time if he had been hired by the Young family, Dr. Godwin added, "If this case ever breaks, it's going to become a nationwide case, a trial and stuff, you know what I mean? So I can't comment on that."

He went on to say, "But if you want to talk about the successes I had in the Michelle Bullard case or why Wake County (Sheriff's Office) or Raleigh Police let a guy run around killing people for 17 months and never linked the crimes, well, that would be fine. But it would be unethical for me at this stage to comment on anything to do with the Michelle Young case."

NC WANTED was unable to determine exactly when Dr. Godwin had been hired.   Some blog posts on popular crime websites have discussed Godwin's involvement as far back as summer of 2007.

NOTE:  After this story was first posted, Dr. Godwin contacted NC WANTED to clarify he is a Criminal Forensic Investigator and Criminal Psychologist.  NC WANTED checked his websites and observed numerous titles and claims of expertise in a wide range of areas.

To hear NC WANTED's exclusive interview with Dr. Godwin, click on the audio link in the gray sidebar section next to this article.

Recently, investigators working on the Michelle Young murder case were granted a new warrant to return to the home of Jason and Michelle Young on Birchleaf Drive in Raleigh. The home has been on the real estate market for months and remains vacant and unsold.

The inventory list in the recent warrant reveals that investigators seized several boards from the back deck along with a bucket of wood stain. The warrant also details the need to conduct more measurements to establish relative size based on the original photos taken by CCBI in November of 2006, shortly after the murder occurred.

To this day, investigators with the Wake County Sheriff's Office maintain that Jason Young has refused to cooperate with the investigation and will not speak with them about the murder of his wife, Michelle.

According to court documents, Jason Young was named a suspect in a Non-Testimonial Identification Order (Adult Suspect) signed by Judge Donald W. Stephens on November 7, 2006. The court order compelled Mr. Young to submit samples of his DNA, fingerprints and access to photograph any defensive wounds on his body.

Shortly after the murder of his wife, Jason Young was reported to have moved to the western North Carolina mountains to live with his sister, Heather McCracken of 132 Timberlane Drive in Etowah, NC, which is listed on the most recent warrant returned by the Wake County Sheriff's Office.

If you have information on this case, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.

From Previous NC WANTED and WRAL.COM Reports

WAKE COUNTY:  SBI Field and Lab Agents joined the Wake County Sheriff's Office on November 20, 2007 to search the vacant home of Jason and Michelle Young at 5108 Birchleaf Drive in Raleigh.

The NC WANTED staff has put together a quick summary to give you the latest information.

Prior to November 20, 2007 -

* Soon after his wife's murder on November 3, 2006, Jason Young packed up and moved to the mountains to live with his sister.

* Mr. Young was named a suspect on a court order dated November 7, 2006 and was compelled to provide physical samples, including DNA, fingerprints, and access to capture photos of any injuries to his body. 

* Beyond what the suspect was compelled to do in the court order, investigators maintain that Mr. Young has remained uncooperative with the investigation and will not talk with them about the murder of his wife, Michelle Young.

* The Youngs' house on 5108 Birchleaf Drive in Raleigh was placed on the real estate market and had been sitting vacant and unsold for months. 

* Interested house shoppers had been touring the Youngs' home, but not buying it. 

On November 20, 2007 -

* Investigators with the Wake County Sheriff's Office were granted a new warrant citing needs to retrieve more evidence from the vacant Young home. 

* Investigators returned to the Young home and spent much of the day taking photographs and measurements, and identifying details that may place the killer and possible accomplices at the scene of the crime.

* The Youngs' former neighbors were seen emerging from their homes, curious to catch a glimpse of the renewed search activity at the vacant Young home.

* Items that were seized included boards from the home's deck and a bucket of deck stain.

* SBI Field and Lab Agents were involved in the search along with Wake County Sheriff's Office investigators.

* In the new search warrant, one section reads, "As a standard practice, the City County Bureau of Identification photographs a crime scene showing the conditions that existed when it was secured."   It goes on to read, "In the bathroom photographs, one sees numerous red footprints.  While the photographs vividly detail the bathroom's condition, no photos were taken that depict a scale of measurement that could be used in a later analysis."

 WAKE COUNTY:  On Saturday Night, November 17, 2007, NC WANTED aired its exclusive interview with Pat Young, mother of Jason Young, as she expressed anger about her son, Jason Lynn Young, being named a suspect.

Web visitors can view the entire episode online now.  Just click the video link in the gray sidebar next to this article.

Also, web visitors can listen to the exclusive interview with Pat Young,  mother of Jason Young.  Just click the audio link in the gray sidebar next to this article.

Ms. Young recently took time to answer our questions, including "Why isn't Jason talking to investigators?," "What has Jason told you about the murder?," and  "If Jason didn't do it, who did?"

Ms. Young told NC WANTED,  "I have a big concern.  Your website says Jason is a suspect.  I want to know where you got that information."   After major portions of the "NTO" were read aloud to Ms. Young, she replied, "I think you're going to find something very different in the days to come.  If the person is found who did this, I hope you'll be as quick to apologize."

In a court order titled "Nontestimonial Identification Order (Adult Suspect)" also known as an "NTO," investigators state "reasonable grounds to suspect" Jason Lynn Young murdered his wife. 

The Order further reads, "The grounds to believe an offense has been committed, to suspect you committed it, and to believe that this Order will be of material aid in confirming or negating the suspicion..."

This court order compelled Jason Young to submit fingerprints, foot impressions, photographs of body (injuries to body), blood, hair, pubic hair, saliva/cheek, swabbing and trace evidence.  The Wake County Sheriff's Office will not discuss what the analysis of the samples revealed.  Nor are they ruling out Jason Young as a suspect.

The document was signed by Judge Donald W. Stephens on November 7, 2006, just four days after the murder of Jason Young's wife, Michelle Young.   This four-page court order can be viewed on this website in the gray sidebar under the documents section.

 Jason Young's murdered wife, Michelle Young, joins the tragic trilogy of murdered pregnant mothers in our area.

Just over a year ago, she was five months pregnant when she was bludgeoned in her own home in Wake County's Enchanted Oaks Subdivision.

NC WANTED can be seen Saturday Nights after WRAL's 10 O'Clock News on FOX50, and after WRAL'S 11 O'Clock News on WILM-TV in Wilmington.

If you have information on this case, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.

Extended Archive of WRAL.COM Reports Since 2006

Progress Energy Reward Announcement

Progress Energy is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to a conviction in the death of an employee who authorities say was beaten to death in her home last November.

A senior financial specialist in Progress Energy's tax department since 2003, Michelle Young, 29, was found dead facedown in her bedroom on Nov. 3, 2006. She was five months pregnant. Her 2-year-old daughter was found next to her, unharmed.

"While no amount of money can equate a life that was so tragically lost, in Michelle's case, we're doing what we can, hopefully, to be the motivation that someone perhaps needs to come forward and do the right thing," Progress Energy spokesman Mike Hughes said.

According to an autopsy report, Young was beaten numerous times and suffered a fractured skull. Several of her teeth were knocked out, and her jaw was broken. She also had bruises on both hands and a cut on her left thumb, the report said.

Wake County sheriff's investigators spent at least two weeks at Young's home collecting evidence and examining the crime scene, have conducted more than 100 interviews and have followed up on leads in at least three states.

Authorities have not named any suspects in the case, but have said they do not think the homicide was a random act.

"There may be somebody that's a little reluctant of telling us something," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said Wednesday about Progress Energy's reward. "Maybe this money will inspire them to do so. I think it's a good idea."

Young was last seen alive the night before her death when she had apparently been visiting with friends until about 10:30 p.m.

Her husband, Jason Young, was out of town on business when his wife's body was found, authorities said.

Investigators have been tightlipped about the case, but search warrants released in early December offer some information. They show that authorities seized evidence from the Young residence belonging to Jason Young and that Jason Young had been uncooperative with law-enforcement authorities.

Jason Young talked with investigators the day his wife's body was found and later gave fingerprints under a court order, but Harrison said he has refused to speak with investigators.

Progress Energy said it will post a flier advertising the reward and phone numbers in various locations around Raleigh.

 
Six Months Later, Case Still Unsolved

Michelle Young was devoted to her family and supportive of her friends and coworkers, and in the busyness of life, she would make a conscious choice to make time for those who needed her.

But her first love was being a mom, Young's own mother recalled.

"Michelle loved spending time with (her daughter) Cassidy and lit up just talking about her," Linda Fisher said.

Six months ago, Young, a senior financial consultant for Progress Energy, was found dead inside her south Raleigh home. Five-months pregnant, the 29-year-old was laying facedown on her stomach in her bedroom. Her 2-year-old daughter, Cassidy, was unharmed at her side.

The case remains unsolved as investigators pore over evidence and continue to interview witnesses. People close to the case don't want any piece of evidence overlooked, but they also want an arrest.

"Bring someone else in. Bring in the FBI. I don't know. It's just taking too long," said Marie Stranad, who lived near Young in the Enchanted Oaks subdivision. "That woman went through a horrible, horrible ordeal."

According to an autopsy report, Young died from blunt force trauma to the head after being hit at least 10 times. Several of her teeth were knocked out, her jaw was broken, and she had bruises on both hands. She also had injuries to her neck that showed her killer also tried to strangle her.

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison has said the case is complex and that investigators don't want to rush to judgment. He has said, however, that progress is being made.

"It's a case that we're just taking our time (with) and making sure," he said.

Authorities have said they do not believe Young's slaying was a random act, but they have not said whether they have suspects in the case.

Young was last seen alive at about 10:30 p.m. the night before her body was found. Authorities said she had been entertaining some friends at her home.

Her husband, Jason Young, who was out of town at the time, has appeared to be a focus of the case, but Wake County sheriff's investigators have not called him a suspect.

"The sheriff's department has been very careful, as I understand it, in keeping an open mind and not narrowing it and coming up with one suspect," Wake County Assistant District Attorney Becky Holt told WRAL in her first interview about the case.

Young talked with investigators the day his wife's body was found and later gave fingerprints under a court order, but Harrison said he has generally been uncooperative with law-enforcement authorities.

"Why hasn't he talked to us? I can't give you that answer, because he won't talk to us," Harrison said. "If he talked to us, would it help this case? Absolutely."

Authorities have said very little publicly about the case, but search warrants show that there might have been problems in the Youngs' marriage and that Jason Young might have been having a relationship with a Florida woman prior to his wife's death.

Investigators seized computer disks, photographs, cellular phones, computers, financial records, insurance papers and Jason Young's Ford Explorer, among other items.

But a piece of evidence that was missed were tests to determine whether Young was sexually assaulted.

According to the autopsy report, the North Carolina medical examiner never performed any, which means investigators cannot rule out sexual assault as a motive for the crime.

North Carolina medical examiner John Butts said such tests are only performed when there is obvious evidence at the scene or on the victim's body of sexual assault or when law enforcement officers request it.

"Collection of such (rape) kits is not routine for female homicide victims, unless they fall into these categories," Butts said.

Investigators would not comment on how, if at all, that could affect the case.

Friends and family, meanwhile, continue to hold out for resolution and for their loved one's killer to be brought to justice.

"We hope that if anybody knows anything, however small, they will come forward with information," said Jennifer Powers, a longtime friend of Michelle's who spoke to her two days before her death.

"We had so much fun growing up together, and I was really looking forward to growing old together," she said.

Items Moved From Michelle Young's House

Seven months after a pregnant mother was found dead in her home, relatives are clearing the place out.

Mattresses, children's toys and furniture were on the front lawn of Michelle Young's house Saturday. Her husband's relatives said they were moving some things out.

Young was found beaten to death in her Wake County house last November. Her 2-year-old daughter, Cassidy, was found unharmed nearby.

 Therapist Ordered to Disclose Records

In a rare legal move, a therapist has been ordered to disclose records from therapy sessions she had with a slain Wake County mother leading up to her death.

According to the order, issued last Friday by Wake County Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens, Kimball Jane Sargent has information relevant to the homicide investigation of Michelle Young.

The Wake County District Attorney's Office said Sargent and her attorney have complied with the order and are fully cooperating with investigators.

Young, 29, was beaten to death inside her home near Raleigh. Her sister found her body inside her home on Nov. 3.

Stephens issued the order Feb. 16 after Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Holt petitioned him to require Sargent to appear before the court.

Under North Carolina law, the state can ask a therapist to turn over records and answer questions about therapy sessions if "the disclosure is necessary to a proper administration of justice."

"We have someone who died a violent death, and it appears she sought counseling shortly before that time," Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby said. "The closeness in time to her death heightened our interest and we thought it would perhaps provide insights."

Stephens questioned Sargent in his chambers and decided that what she knows is important to the case.

"We felt like we could leave no stone unturned, and this is something that might provide us some insights into who the perpetrator was," Willoughby said.

Investigators have spent part of their investigation focusing on Young's husband, Jason Young, but have not called him a suspect in the case.

Sargent said she cannot talk about the case, but said she counsels people in a variety of matters, including family matters.

Part of her practice also involves contracts with companies where she provides counseling for employees through workplace programs. Michelle Young was a senior financial specialist at Progress Energy in Raleigh.

Sources close to the case suspect Michelle Young might have talked to Sargent about problems in her marriage.

Psychologist Michael Teague, who is not involved in the Young case, says confidentiality is paramount for therapists. He says, however, there are rare exceptions.

"I would imagine that the client would have wanted this to come out given the subsequent set of events," Teague said. "I think in this case, it is appropriate when you see a situation like this."

Autopsy Reveals Fracture

Michelle Young was beaten numerous times and suffered a fractured skull when she was killed in early November, according to the autopsy report, which was released Monday.

Young, 29, was found beaten to death in her Wake County home on Nov. 3 with her 2-year-old daughter unharmed by her side. Young was five months pregnant at the time of her death.

The autopsy report shows she died from blunt force trauma to the head after being hit at least 10 times, but it also suggests her killer tried to strangle her before beating her to death. She had injuries to her neck consistent with manual strangulation, the report said.

Several of Young's teeth were knocked out in the attack, and her jaw was broken, according to the autopsy. She also had bruises on both hands and a cut on her left thumb, the report said.

"You've got to think she suffered with the type of injuries described here. It's just a brutal murder," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said. "You never get accustomed to (murder scenes) no matter how long you do it, but the first thoughts in my mind, did the little girl see this happened?"

Despite the appearance of defensive wounds on her hands and the fact a hair was found in her hand, authorities haven't said what they have learned from the autopsy that might help their investigation.

"There was a struggle, and let me just stop at that," Harrison said.

Authorities have investigated her husband, Jason Young, in the case, but they haven't named him as a suspect.

According to search warrants, Jason Young had a relationship with a woman in Florida for several months before his wife's death. The Youngs also had financial difficulties, and Michelle Young had a sizable life insurance policy, according to search warrants.

Jason Young said he was out of town on a business trip at the time of his wife's death. Authorities said he had refused to cooperate with the investigation.

He and his daughter have moved to western North Carolina to be closer to his family.

Deputies Examine Husband's Laptop

Wake County sheriff’s deputies are scouring a laptop computer seized from the car of Jason Young, husband of a Wake County mother killed last month, WRAL learned Saturday.

A search warrant asking permission to examine the computer indicates they are looking for financial records, correspondence with insurance companies and other evidence that might help them find the person who beat the pregnant mother to death in her home.

Michelle Young, 29, was found dead in the couple’s home on Nov. 3. A preliminary autopsy report indicated that she died from blunt force trauma.

In describing what deputies sought with the warrant, Investigator B.T. David said it was a Dell Latitude laptop and "evidence that may aid in the identification of a possible suspect and the motivation for this homicide to include: digital evidence, diskettes, CD ROM, material relating to data used to commit the above offense, 'cookie' data files, Internet browser logs ... financial records, e-mails, instant messages" and several other kinds of computer files.

Deputies had seized the computer from Jason Young's Ford Explorer when he returned to Raleigh after his wife's body was discovered. This warrant is for the data on the machine's hard drive.

Earlier in the investigation, deputies seized two computer hard drives from the house and a cell phone from Jason Young’s car.

Jason Young talked with investigators the day his wife's body was found and later gave fingerprints under a court order, but Investigators have not named him as a suspect.

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison has said that Young has refused to speak with investigators.

"Attempts have been made to have Jason Young assist in this investigation. He has refused to cooperate with the Wake County Sheriff's Office," David's warrant says.

Husband Stays Out of Sight During Investigation

Where is Jason Young? That's the question a lot of people are asking in light of the release of search warrants Thursday that seem to put more focus on him in his wife's death.

On Friday, WRAL traveled 300 miles west to the town of Brevard to try to answer this question.

Young's pregnant wife, Michelle Young, was found beaten to death in their Raleigh home on Nov. 3 with their 2-year-old daughter unharmed by her side. Almost immediately, Jason Young hired an attorney and refused to speak to investigators.

Authorities have not called him a suspect, but search warrants released Thursday shed new light on his activities leading up to his wife's death. They indicate that in the three months prior to her death, he was in almost daily contact by phone and e-mail with a woman named Michelle Money. Money was in Michelle Young's sorority at North Carolina State University and reportedly was a close friend of the couple's.

Sources close to the case have put Jason and his daughter, Cassidy, at his sister and brother-in-law's home near Brevard. On Friday, white Christmas lights draped the house and wrapped around a white metal Christmas tree. Two brown dogs alternately poked around on the grassy hill in front of the resident and then stretched out on the porch.

Children got off of a school bus, laughing and carrying heavy book bags, and headed toward their homes, passing the house without a glance.

When WRAL reporter Amanda Lamb first approached the house, Heather, Jason Young's sister, greeted her. She opened the door, confirmed she was Jason's sister, and said politely that she had no comment.

She wouldn't tell Lamb if Jason Young was there and wouldn't talk about Thursday's developments. She said the family was grieving and they wanted to be left alone.

Finally, she closed the door without taking a business card. When she got into her car and left, Lamb noticed the blinds in the home moving as if someone was watching her in the street.

When Joe, Jason's brother-in-law, later came home from work, a bag of Christmas wrapping paper in hand, Lamb asked him if Jason was there. He said that as far as he knew, Jason had returned to Raleigh.

As Heather and Joe's family prepared for Christmas, Linda Fisher, Michelle Young's mother, told WRAL that her daughter loved Christmas -- that she loved everything about it, especially decorating.

Where is Jason Young? Who knows for sure, but Michelle Young's car is parked in Joe and Heather's garage.

Dark Spots Found In Husband's SUV

Authorities found two spots of what appears to be blood in a vehicle belonging to the husband of a woman found dead in her Wake County home two months ago.

The search of a Ford Explorer driven by Jason Young revealed one drop on the back seat and another on the rear exterior driver's side door, according to a search warrant released Friday.

Wake County authorities released the Explorer to Young on Thursday, two months after seizing it in their investigation.

Michelle Young was found beaten to death Nov. 3 in the couple’s home south of Raleigh. She was pregnant at the time, and the couple's 2-year-old daughter was found unharmed near her mother's body.

There was no word on whether the spots have been tested.

Investigators are not calling Jason Young a suspect, but he was one person ordered to turn over fingerprints shortly after the slaying.

Other search warrants had said Jason Young was having a relationship with a woman in Florida and that he wasn't cooperating with investigators.