Slain woman's husband, sister to share custody of child

Raleigh, N.C. — The husband and sister of a slain Wake County woman will share custody of her young daughter under an agreement reached Friday.

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

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Custody of Young child to be shared

Michelle Young's mother, Linda Fisher, of Sayville, N.Y., filed for custody in December, saying her son-in-law has not provided a stable living environment for his now-4-year-old daughter since his wife's death and that he relies primarily on family members to care for her.

Under the child custody consent order filed late Friday afternoon, Linda Fisher's daughter, Meredith Fisher, who lives in Wake County, will have primary custody of the child after an initial five-month transition period, which ends at noon on Aug. 1.

During the transition period, Cassidy will remain in her father's custody with the exception of six visitations with her aunt totaling 37 days.

Jason Young will then have visitation every other weekend, certain times during the holidays, birthdays and summers.

After his wife's death, Jason Young and Cassidy moved to western North Carolina, where his family lives. He told Wake County sheriff's investigators that he was out of town on business when his wife was killed.

Authorities have not made an arrest in the case, but Detective Richard Spivey, the lead investigator on the case, recently stated in an affidavit that he believes Jason Young killed his wife.

In December, a judge ruled in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Linda Fisher that Jason Young was responsible for his wife'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.

Neither party could be reached for comment Friday afternoon.