An Eastern Washington man admitted he was a drug dealer, but denied he was a murderer.
A Snohomish County Superior Court jury agreed Wednesday when it acquitted Matthew Steven Young, 21, of first-degree murder — a charge that could have put him behind bars for at least 25 years.
Young and his attorney, Pete Mazzone of Everett, hugged jubilantly, and members of the Young family let out a cry of relief when the clerk read the verdict.
The jury deliberated about nine hours after a nearly three-week trial before reaching a unanimous decision in Judge George Bowden’s courtroom.
Young was charged in the shooting death of Shawn Tuohy, 23, of Darrington, who died in the parking lot of a restaurant early on July 21 after Young shot him once in the head.
The jury did not agree with deputy prosecutor Helene Blume that Young was an accomplice in a robbery attempt of Tuohy, who had come to Island Crossing near Arlington to buy drugs from Young; his father, Daniel Lawrence Young, 46; and Bryce William Howe, 19. All three are residents of Newport, northeast of Spokane.
The three came to the Arlington area to meet Tuohy and sell him a powerful painkiller for about $1,100, according to testimony.
The prosecution’s case hinged on convincing the jury that the three plotted to rob Tuohy, with Howe coming out of the bushes with a wrench intending to knock Tuohy out. Howe was the only one of the three Tuohy didn’t know.
When he failed to knock out Tuohy, Howe ran away while Tuohy got his pistol and fired two shots at the fleeing man.
Mazzone argued that Young had no choice but to shoot Tuohy, who was shooting at a close friend. He also argued that the robbery was Howe’s idea, not his client’s.
"I think it’s the right verdict," Mazzone said, adding that he believed Young had a right to use deadly force to save his friend.
Blume was disappointed.
"The jury wasn’t able to hear certain evidence," she said. "If they had heard all the evidence, the decision might have been different."
Howe pleaded guilty earlier to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against both the Youngs.
The first-degree murder case against Daniel Young is still pending, Blume said.
Matthew Young’s grandfather, Larry Young, and several other relatives attended the trial.
"I feel just fantastic," Larry Young said. "I knew there was a lot the jury never heard, so I knew there wasn’t a robbery planned. It’s just tragic Shawn had to die. It was just a chain of events that rolled downhill, and it shouldn’t have."
Tuohy’s grandmother, Gloria Godwin of Darrington, said her grandson had been living with her and helping her take care of his grandfather. She said Matthew Young spending decades in prison wouldn’t bring her grandson back, but she hopes this changes his life.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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