Victim had 'substantial' insurance

Records show Michelle Young and her husband had financial problems

RALEIGH -- Wake County sheriff's investigators looking for the killer of Michelle Young zeroed in on her husband after learning that the couple was having financial problems and that he was the beneficiary of a "substantial" life insurance policy on her, according to documents made public Thursday.

Investigators say Jason Young has not spoken with them since his wife, Michelle, 29, was found beaten to death Nov. 3 in the couple's home in the Enchanted Oaks subdivision, south of Raleigh. Documents released in recent weeks indicate that investigators have focused on Jason Young almost from the beginning.

The latest was a copy of a court order from Nov. 7 requiring Jason Young to provide footprints and fingerprints, photographs and samples of blood, saliva and hair. Investigators wanted to compare the materials with footprints, skin cell evidence and other DNA evidence collected at the house.

According to the court order released Thursday, investigators think the killer might have been injured during a struggle just before Michelle Young died. They wanted to examine Jason Young quickly because any injuries "may heal or become undetectable with passage of time," according to the order.

The court order includes a sworn statement by Wake Sheriff's Deputy D. Scott Booth that says "there are reasonable grounds to suspect" Jason Young because of the couple's financial difficulties and the life insurance policy. The statement also says that Michelle Young, who was four months pregnant, planned to cut back her hours at Progress Energy, where she worked as a financial analyst.

The Youngs owned two homes in Wake County. In 2005, the couple bought the 2,876-square-foot home where Michelle Young was found dead. The couple bought the home for $379,000, according to county tax records. The couple also owned a condominium, valued at $148,907, on Arete Way in Raleigh, tax records show.

Jason Young is thought to be staying with the couple's young daughter at his mother's house in Brevard. His attorney, Roger Smith of Raleigh, was unavailable for comment Thursday afternoon.

Much of the sheriff's investigation made public so far points toward Jason Young.

According to a search warrant made public last week, Wake County sheriff's Maj. R.L. Johnson reported seeing what appeared to be blood on a white 2004 Ford Explorer registered to Jason Young. Johnson testified to a magistrate that there appeared to be a blood droplet on the seat behind the driver's seat and a dark spot consistent with a blood droplet on the exterior of the driver's side door.

Last month, search warrants disclosed that Jason Young had been engaged in a relationship with a married woman in Florida, having almost daily contact with her in the three months before his wife's slaying.

Phyllis Stephens, a Wake County sheriff's spokeswoman, said Jason Young has not spoken with investigators.

"The status is the same," Stephens said. "We asked for his assistance, and he has not complied."

(News researcher Paulette Stiles contributed to this report.)