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Arizona neo-Nazi sentenced to 3.5 years in connection to the killing of his gay roommate

Cory Young sentenced
MCSO via ABC15 Arizona

Cory Young pleaded guilty to hindering a police investigation into the death of Jake Kelly in 2023.

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A judge in Arizona sentenced a man to 3.5 years in jail for his connection to the 2023 killing of his gay housemate, local ABC affiliate KNXV and the Arizona Republic report.

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Cory Young, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree hindering prosecution in November for his role in killing Jake Kelly, 49, on August 27, 2023, and was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison on Tuesday. Young's wife, Shannon Marie Higgins, 38, also pleaded guilty to the same count and was sentenced to three years on probation last month. The two were housemates with Kelly at a home in north Phoenix. A third person, Angele Mulloonly, is charged with one count of second-degree murder and is awaiting trial.

Young and Higgins told police they returned home with Kelly on August 28, 2023, only to later discover him beaten and unresponsive on the driveway. Neither called the police or emergency services. Young and Higgins instead took him inside the home, stripped him naked, and placed him in a bathtub, authorities say. They took him to the hospital the next day. He was in a coma and died 11 days after the attack.

All three denied assaulting Kelly when interviewed by police.

According to court documents, however, their stories were contradicted by text messages between Higgins and Mullooly and by a text message sent by Mullooly with a photo showing a beaten and bloodied Kelly and admitting he was responsible for the attack.

“He couldn't speak because his throat had been stomped on,” Kelly’s mother Jan told the court, according to KNXV. “The plastic surgeon called me and told me that Jake’s jaw was pulverized.”

Investigators said they found virtual connections between Young and white supremacist and neo-Nazi sympathizers. His chest is reportedly colored with white supremacist tattoos. Young also has multiple convictions in Arizona and California, including assault, and has spent over a decade behind bars.

Young’s lawyer blamed Kelly’s family for fanning the flames of notoriety against his client, telling the court that “mischaracterization articulated by the surviving member of Mr. Jake Kelly's family” has resulted in “sensationalism” and “falsified stories” about Young.

When he had the chance to apologize to Kelly’s family, Young deferred.

“I agree with everything my lawyer said, your Honor,” Young replied when allowed to speak before sentencing.

“He tried to get along with everyone,” Kelly's mother told the Arizona Republic. “He was just a nice guy. And people loved him.”

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