Cape Coral man found guilty in 2013 murder of wife

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A Cape Coral man is guilty for second-degree murder after admitting to gunning down his wife in their front yard in 2013, a jury decided Thursday.

The jurors’ announcement came after Michel Young’s attorneys say testosterone injections turned him into an aggressive man while witnesses argued over whether Michael Young was insane.

It took the jury 25 minutes to deliberate.

Young claimed on Wednesday that he had no control over his mind or body when he killed his wife, Sally Young, on Dec. 14, 2013. But Young apologized to his wife, state prosecutors said Thursday.

An expert in drugs and their effects on the brain suggested to the court Thursday that Young’s testosterone levels could have adversely impacted his brain functions. But the accused murderer’s health records did not extend to the night of his wife’s murder.

Those records, dated between June 19 and Oct. 28, 2013, show Young had slightly elevated testosterone levels in late October. Those reports do not mention increased aggression, irritability or anger issues in Young, but note that his prescription was lessened.

Still, the drug expert said on Thursday that he could hypothesize the effects of testosterone on Young the night his wife was killed. He said the testosterone levels looked toxic and were above normal.

“It was really in the toxic level, above upper limit of normal,” he said.

The expert continued his testimony, saying Young was insane, didn’t know he was killing his wife and was unaware that his actions were wrong.

But state prosecutors argued that Young was not insane. They called a clinical psychiatrist ad physician to the stand.

The clinical psychiatrist had examined Young after the murder and said Thursday that the accused murder did not have a mental disorder. On the evening he killed his wife, Young knew what he was doing and that it was wrong, the psychiatrist said.

“He knew what he was doing and the consequences,” he said.

But the defense pointed out the the clinical psychiatrist did not study the effects of drugs on the brain and noted Young’s history of depression.

The state’s second witness, a licensed physician who also examined Young post-murder, said he did not believe the testosterone treatments had been effective. The doctor called Young a narcissist who had suffered injuries to his sense of worth.

“Mr. Young was not insane by statutory criteria on December 14 of 2013,” he said.

The state also included a statement from Young’s son who said the accused murderer was nicer and calmer after receiving testosterone treatments.

Young’s sentence hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 19 at 11 a.m. He faces life in prison for the murder of his wife.