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Pasco Man Sentenced To Life In Mother's Slaying

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By TODD LESKANIC | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 23, 2009

Ryan Young

NEW PORT RICHEY - A Pasco County jury this afternoon found Ryan Young guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of his mother.

Young was immediately sentenced to life in prison.

Donna Young, 52, died in her bed April 17, 2007. Investigators arrested her son the following day and charged him with first-degree murder.

Assistant State Attorney Mike Halkitis said Young went to his mother's house about 2 a.m. to kill her. He went into her bedroom as she slept and suffocated her with a pillow.

An associate medical examiner testified that it would have taken at least three minutes for Donna Young to die, although she was probably unconscious after 10 seconds. The official cause of death was asphyxiation.

Halkitis presented the theory that Young killed his mother out of financial desperation and because she didn't accept his homosexuality.

Testimony showed Young had lost his job at Michael's and had been unemployed for months before starting work as a convenience store clerk. His truck had been repossessed and he was forced to move in with a friend because he couldn't afford rent.

In his closing argument this morning, Halkitis said Donna Young had written checks to her son for thousands of dollars in the months leading up to her death. But the last entry in her checkbook showed a negative amount.

"Right before she dies, she has a minus $52," Halkitis said, paging through Donna Young's checkbook. "He has taken everything from poor Donna Young. Daddy Warbucks has no more money, but that doesn't quench his thirst."

Ryan Young had separated from his wife in September 2006 and informed her he was gay a short time later. The couple had been married less than a year. A devout Catholic, Donna Young was disappointed in the end of her son's marriage and his sexual orientation.

Testimony showed that Ryan Young knew he was sole beneficiary of his mother's estate, the main asset of which was her Hathaway Drive house. He also knew a life insurance policy would pay off the house if she died.

Before the housing crash, the 1,100-square-foot house was worth about $160,000. It's now on the market for $126,000, according to testimony from a local Realtor.

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (727) 815-1084 or tleskanic@tampatrib.com.

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