Investigators want access to Jason Young's e-mail

Raleigh, N.C. — Authorities want access to another e-mail account registered to a former Wake County man whose wife was found dead in their home more than two years ago.

A new search warrant returned Wednesday morning asked for all text communications, e-mail activity, searches and other online activities related to a Yahoo! e-mail account belonging to Jason Young.

His wife, Michelle Young, was found beaten to death inside the couple's bedroom on Nov. 3, 2006. The 29-year-old was five months' pregnant with her second child.

The latest warrant comes less than a month after detectives asked to search a computer that Jason Young used for work.

According to affidavits attached to the warrant, investigators found a number of Internet searches for terms such as "head trauma knockout" and "anatomy of a knockout" on another computer that belonged to him.

It also describes Yahoo! e-mail exchanges he had with his sister about the case, as well as with a Florida woman with whom investigators say he was having an extramarital relationship.

Authorities have not called Jason Young a suspect, but a series of search warrants in the case indicate he is the focus of their investigation.

He told investigators he was out of town on business when his wife died, but has generally been uncooperative with investigators. He spoke to them once and, under a court order, gave DNA samples.

In October, Michelle Young's mother, Linda Fisher, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jason Young, claiming he was responsible for his wife's slaying.

Jason Young failed to meet a Dec. 2 deadline for contesting the claim, and Fisher's attorneys say that by not responding, he is essentially admitting to the allegations.

They will ask a Wake County District Court judge in the coming weeks to declare him his wife's slayer, they said.

How that could affect the criminal investigation, if at all, is unclear.

His attorney, Roger Smith Jr., has declined to comment, as have the Wake County District Attorney's Office and the Wake County Sheriff's Office.

Jason Young has moved with his daughter to Western North Carolina, where his family lives.