Jason Young appointed public defenders

Wake County Public Defender Bryan Collins and Assistant Public Defender Mike Klinkosum have been appointed to handle the case.

Wake County sheriff's deputies arrested Young, 35, Monday in Brevard, where he has been living since the November 2006 death of his wife. He is charged with beating her to death.

Young asked for the public defenders Tuesday, telling Wake County District Judge Jane Gray he could no longer afford the services of Raleigh attorney Roger Smith Jr.

Investigators haven't offered a motive for Michelle Young's death, but search warrants suggest the couple had a "volatile" marriage that included violent arguments and infidelity on his part.

"It's been a long time coming," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said Monday of Young's arrest. "But cases like this, it takes time."

A judge is expected on Thursday to set a date for a hearing on whether Young will face the death penalty. It is standard practice for defendants in capital cases to be assigned two attorneys.