BY BETTY ADAMS
Staff Writer
The roommate of an Augusta man who died of stab wounds to the chest last June was arrested Thursday night in Key West, Fla., on a charge of murder.
Michael Lee Thomas Young, 40, was picked up by officers of the Key West Police Department on a warrant from Maine. Young’s sudden arrest marked the first time that authorities have publicly identified him as a suspect or referred to the fatal stabbing as a homicide.
“He was found hiding in a shower at the Poinciana Trailer Park,” said Alyson Crean, public information officer for the Key West police, in a prepared statement.
Young is accused of killing David Cox, 46, an Army veteran, in the Green Street apartment they shared on June 11. Young and Cox had lived in the apartment building for two years, and neighbors interviewed after the stabbing painted a picture of a turbulent same-sex relationship between the two men.
Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine State Police, said Friday that Young was indicted a few weeks ago by a grand jury in Kennebec County. The indictment remained sealed on Friday.
Crean said detectives were notified by Maine State Police at about 10 a.m. Thursday that Young might be there and arrested him about 6 p.m. the same day.
“Our detectives are pretty quick at turning things around,” she said. Crean said it was joint effort involving the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and U.S. marshals.
McCausland said travel arrangements were being made for a state police detective and an Augusta detective to extradite Young back to Maine.
He said that Young probably would have to appear in a Florida courtroom first. Once back in Maine, Young will be arraigned in Kennebec County Superior Court.
Investigators previously refused to classify Cox’s death as a crime even after an autopsy revealed he died of a stab wound to the chest.
Young called 911 early that Saturday morning to report Cox’s death and was described as cooperative when interviewed by police.
One neighbor said at the time that he frequently heard them arguing, most recently the night before Cox’s body was found.
Augusta police arrested Young two days after Cox’s death on two outstanding warrants charging failure to pay fines on convictions for unlawful possession of scheduled drugs and operating without a license. He had a court hearing, arranged a payment plan for the fines and was released.
Authorities said Cox moved to the state about two years before his death. He served in the Army from 1986 to 1988 and received an honorable discharge.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
badams@centralmaine.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
