PHOENIX — A Valley man has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection to the 2023 murder of his roommate, Jake Kelly.
Cory Young was sentenced to three and a half years in prison with 184 days credit for pre-sentencing time served. He pleaded guilty in November 2024.
Kelly, 49, was found with "blunt force trauma" in his own driveway in August 2023 near Bell and Cave Creek roads. He died days later from his injuries.
The first time ABC15 spoke to Jake's mom, Jan, she said her son was gay. She was concerned he may have been a target for that reason.
Three people, including Young, were arrested months after Kelly's death.
Kelly's family said Young and his wife, Shannon, were his roommates, and both were charged with hindering prosecution. A third person, Angel Mullooly, is the only one charged with Jake's murder.
After the arrest of the Youngs and Mullooly, court documents revealed messages and calls made the night Kelly was attacked. Those same documents also say the Youngs allegedly carried Kelly from the driveway of their home inside to a bathtub, before leaving him on a couch left without medical care for nearly 16 hours.
Kelly's mother spoke in court, sharing a photo of her son while he was alive, and a graphic image of him inside the hospital after undergoing multiple surgeries.
"He couldn't speak because his throat had been stomped on," said Jan. "The plastic surgeon called me and told me that Jake's jaw was pulverized."
The prosecutor stated in court that one of the photos that Jan shared was of the victim after being found beaten inside a bathtub.
"The state understands that this defendant is not charged with the underlying homicide," said the prosecutor, "but the facts did reveal after the beating, they waited a substantial period of time, took Mr. Kelly inside, took pictures of him, and those are two of the pictures on one of the posters board."
"They put him in a bathtub, washed evidence off, they threw those clothes away, along with his phone, I presume," Jan said. She went on to say, "they never called for help."
Young's defense attorney pushed back in court that Young has never been charged with murder, participation in murder, or any attempted cover-up.
"My client is not a medic," said his defense attorney. "My client has no medical knowledge or training."
Young is already a convicted felon, serving over a decade in prison. ABC15 has previously reported sources and experts told our team that his social media publicly shows pictures of his chest covered in tattoos related to white supremacy.
Young's attorney went on to tell the court, "We believe that the mischaracterization articulated by the surviving member of Mr. Jake Kelly's family is in large part due to the sensationalism of the media and their other falsified stories and lack of knowledge and lack of facts..."
He did not apologize in court, or express any condolences for his former roommate.
When the judge asked Young if he had anything to say, he replied, "I agree with everything my lawyer said, your Honor."
Jan still questions why Phoenix police did not do more to investigate if others were connected to her son's murder, saying there was no justice served.
"He was just my heart," said Jan. "He was absolutely the center of me."
Mullooly's murder case is still making its way through the courts.
