Jason Young gets more time to respond to custody complaint

Raleigh, N.C. — Jason Young now has until Feb. 17 to respond to a complaint in which his slain wife's mother is asking a court for custody of the couple's young daughter.

Attorneys for Linda Fisher filed the complaint last month, saying Young has not provided a stable living environment for his 4-year-old daughter, Cassidy, and that he relies primarily on family members to care for her.

Fisher's daughter, Michelle Young, was found beaten to death inside her Wake County home on Nov. 3, 2006. Cassidy, then 2, was found in the same room, unharmed, authorities have said.

Young had 30 days to respond to the custody filing. The extension gives him 30 more days. A hearing is still scheduled for Feb. 4, but it's unclear if that will be postponed.

Young and his attorney, Alice Stubbs, have also filed a motion to dismiss the custody case in Wake County and move it to Transylvania or Henderson counties, in the area where Young now resides with his daughter. That motion has not been heard.

In her lawsuit, Fisher also asks that Young undergo a psychological evaluation, claiming she has concerns about his parenting ability and his mental and emotional state.

Investigators have made no arrests in the case, but Jason Young has been a focus, and one investigator has stated in an affidavit that he believes Young did kill his wife.

Young told Wake County sheriff's investigators that he was out of town on business when his wife was killed.

Last month, a judge ruled in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Fisher that Jason Young was responsible for Michelle Young's death. Young missed a deadline to respond to that lawsuit.

Legal experts say the ruling has nothing to do with guilt or innocence, but it means Young won't be able to collect benefits from his wife's life insurance policy.