After Jason Young was indicted for the murder of his pregnant wife Michelle, it was time to let a jury decide what had really happened in the early morning hours of November 3rd, 2006. He’d already been held responsible for Michelle’s death in a civil case and had even given up custody of his 2 year old daughter Cassidy to avoid answering questions about Michelle’s death under oath. Would he choose to testify in his own defense in a criminal trial?
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth...
After Jason Young was indicted for the murder of his pregnant wife Michelle, it was time to let a jury decide what had really happened in the early morning hours of November 3rd, 2006. He’d already been held responsible for Michelle’s death in a civil case and had even given up custody of his 2 year old daughter Cassidy to avoid answering questions about Michelle’s death under oath. Would he choose to testify in his own defense in a criminal trial?
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact! Discover how you can easily step into this role and make a profound difference in someone's life.
This is Season 4, Episode 25. Our book this week, like last, is “Murder on Birchleaf Drive: The True Story of the Michelle Young Murder Case”. The host of Murder Shelf Book Club Podcast, my friend Jill McCracken, is joining us again with more fascinating takes on this case. So let’s dive into our story at the intersection of faith and true crime!
This week's Scripture passage is Matthew 24:42-44 AMP “So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming. But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him."
I love it when the Bible gets so practical to acknowledge the real issues we face in this world and uses them to illustrate eternal truths. We can all understand the idea that we have to take common sense security precautions against thieves because they don’t advertise when and where they are going to strike. We also do not and cannot know the exact moment of Christ’s return. Regardless of what some preacher or cult leader might try to tell you, no one knows when Jesus is coming back so we have always have to be ready for it to happen.
Applying this lesson of always being ready to today’s episode brings me to the prosecutors responsible for getting justice for Michelle. I couldn’t find any solid research on how often defendants on trial for murder chose to testify in their own defense. But the mere fact that Jason COULD choose to do that seems to me to mean you have to prepare for trial as though he is going to do just that.
Here’s another way to look at it. I’m almost certain that my house isn’t going to burn down today. In fact, I’m pretty sure based on the fact that I only know one person whose house has actually burned down that mine probably won’t. Ever. Yet I still have fire insurance on my house. Why would I do that if I didn’t think I’d ever need it? Because I know that if I’m wrong and I do have a house fire, my losses would be so catastrophic that I won’t take that risk.
The prosecutors should have looked at their preparation for Jason’s trial the same way. Even if they were 99.9% sure that he would not testify, the consequences of being unprepared if he did could be catastrophic. And it’s Michelle’s family that would’ve paid the price, not the prosecutors.
That’s why I share these stories. Even if you think that something will never happen to you, or that a serious safety issue couldn’t possibly exist at your church or your workplace, you need to be ready if it does. I hope that listening to the podcast, reading my books, and looking into my soon to be available church safety training resources make you as prepared as you can be.
If you liked this episode, be sure to check out some earlier ones. I’ve had so many amazing guests and you won’t want to miss their insights. You can also help someone else begin their journey as a different kind of PI - a person of impact, when you share the episode, and when you subscribe, give me a five star rating and a nice review. In case you missed it, you can listen to part 1 here.
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If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
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