Erick Younger, 19 [FOUND DECEASED] Richmond, VA

[Grande]

Missing-person case nets arrest
Wednesday, Apr 02, 2008 - 11:34 PM

Richmond police have arrested a man in connection with a missing-person investigation in which they suspect foul play.

Police arrested Willie Cooley, 48, of Louisa County on a burglary charge this afternoon. Cooley is a person of interest in the disappearance of Erick Younger, 19, Richmond police said.

Police responded to the 1600 block of Spotsylvania Street in the city's East End after a homeowner reported that Younger, her boyfriend, was missing. Police found signs of a violent and bloody struggle at the address, but Younger was not there.

As part of the investigation, police recovered a silver Ford Taurus.

Anyone who may have seen the car yesterday or has information touching on the investigation should call the Richmond Police Tip Line at 514-TIPS or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-04-02-0224.html

[Grande]

Authorities say foul play may have role in teen's disappearance
From NBC12

http://i25.tinypic.com/10z1emg.jpg

Richmond police have been searching for Erick Younger, 19, since Wednesday morning and believe his disappearance may be the result of foul play.

It all started with a woman's call to police that her boyfriend was missing. Officers responded to an apartment in Mosby Court in Richmond's East End and found definite signs of a struggle - and blood.

Police later arrested Willie Cooley, 48, and charged him with burglary. Cooley spent the evening being interviewed as a person of interest in connection with Younger's disappearance.

There's still no sign of the missing man as police continue their investigation today. Authorities have also siezed a silver Ford Taurus with the license plate number JYK-4923.

Anyone with information is asked to call 514-TIPS.

http://www.nbc12.com/news/state/17257289.html

[Grande]

Police continue hunt for missing man
Friday, Apr 04, 2008 - 06:34 AM

Richmond police today are continuing their hunt for a man they say is missing and may have been a victim of foul play.

Police on Wednesday arrested Willie Cooley, 48, of Louisa County on a burglary charge and described him as a person of interest in the disappearance of 19-year-old Erick Younger.

Richmond police responded to the 1600 block of Spotsylvania Street in the city's East End late Wednesday morning after a woman reported that Younger, her boyfriend, was missing. Police found signs of a violent and bloody struggle at the address, but Younger was not there.

As of this morning, Younger had yet to be found. Police said Younger is 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighs 155 pounds and was last seen wearing a black hoodie with gold trim.

Anyone with information on Younger's disappearance can the Richmond Police Tips Line at (804) 514-TIPS or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-04-04-0225.html

[Faith]

Happening Now: Crime Scene in Mosby Court (CBS 6 Richmond)
Source: Yahoo
02.04.2008 - 18:15
Category: Blog
There appears to be an active crime scene in Mosby Court. CBS 6's Sandra Jones is on Spotsylvania Street where officers have roped off an apartment unit and they are in full presence. The Richmond Housing Authority is also at the scene.

http://us.uclue.de/2264966.html

I can't find any updates.

[Nut44x4]

Yes.......seems that was the last update.

Here is the recap

http://www.wtvr.com/Global/story.asp?S=8106792

Update: Have You Seen This Man

Posted: April 2, 2008 12:11 PM EST

Updated: April 4, 2008 05:50 PM EST

Update 10:30pm:

Richmond Police have released more information regarding today's suspicious situation in Mosby Court:

Richmond Police is conducting a critical missing person investigation.

Earlier today, Richmond Police responded to the 1600 block of Spotsylvania Street after a homeowner reported her boyfriend missing. Police found signs of a violent struggle and no signs of Erick Younger, 19.

Foul play is suspected in the disappearance of Mr. Younger.

As part of the investigation, Richmond Police seized a silver Ford Taurus, license plate JYK-4923.

This afternoon, police arrested Willie Cooley, 48, of Louisa, for burglary. He also is a person of interest in this missing person investigation.

Anyone who may have seen the car traveling in the past 12 hours or has any other information related to the investigation is asked to call the Richmond Police Tip Line at 514-TIPS or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000.

Update 6:30pm:

Just into our newsroom... Richmond Police say they've made an arrest in connection with the suspicious situation ongoing at Mosby Court.

Police arrested 48-year-old Willie Cooley and charged him with burglary of the apartment in the 1600 block of Spotsylvania Street.

Police have issued a critical and endangered alert for 19-year-old Eric Younger. If you have seen Younger or know where he might be call Richmond Police immediately.



Update 5:00pm

A neighbor tells CBS 6' Sandra Jones that she saw a man putting something white into the trunk of a car this morning. He saw her, and then went back into the apartment.

She also says a woman and her children live in that apartment that was searched today.

Again, police are just calling this a suspicious situation.

Update 4:00pm

Police officers and the forensics unit are beginning to clear the scene at Mosby Court. Residents are asked to stay in their home while the investigation takes place.

As of right now, they aren't saying whether a crime has been committed, but neighbors have their own theory. Sandra Jones spoke to one neighbor who gives details about what they saw this morning. See her full report tonight at 5pm.

Posted 11:30am

There appears to be an active crime scene in Mosby Court.

CBS 6's Sandra Jones is on Spotsylvania Street where officers have roped off an apartment unit and they are in full presence. The Richmond Housing Authority is also at the scene.

Look for live reports during our Noon newscast and updates here on WTVR.com

[Faith]

Vigil planned for missing Richmond man

Saturday, Apr 12, 2008 - 01:54 PM




A vigil is planned Tuesday at 7 p.m. for 19-year-old Erick Younger, who disappeared this month. Authorities suspect foul play in the missing-person investigation.

Police arrested Willie Cooley, 48, of Louisa County on a burglary charge April 3. Cooley is a person of interest in Younger's disappearance Richmond police said.

The vigil will be held on Spotsylvania Street at the intersection with Accommodation Street in Richmond's East End, said Alicia Rasin, founder of Citizens Against Crime.

"I'm asking everybody to pray that he be found," Rasin said of Younger. "I'm going to keep praying that this young man is living."

Police had responded to the 1600 block of Spotsylvania Street after a homeowner reported that Younger, her boyfriend, was missing. Police found signs of a violent and bloody struggle at the address, but Younger was not there.

As part of the investigation, police recovered a silver Ford Taurus.

http://www.inrich.com (http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-04-12-0240.html)

[Nut44x4]

Vigil held for teen who disappeared after robbery
From NBC12 News
Friends and family of a missing Richmond teenager gathered last night to pray for his safe return home.

Erick Younger, 19, disappeared nearly two weeks ago after a burglary at a Mosby Court apartment. His mother says she's trying to hold onto the hope that her son will come home, but that her hope is fading.

The past two weeks have taken a toll on Marise Shelton.

"It's just hard," Younger's mother said, "I'm not sleeping, I can't eat. I'm trying to work, but even that's hard."

Relatives, friends and family reached out to Shelton Tuesday night and prayed for her 19-year-old son. many worse t-shirts bearing his picture.

"I just don't feel good about the situation," Shelton said. "In my heart, as a mom, I don't think he's here anymore."

The day Younger was reported missing by his girlfriend, investigators found blood and signs of a struggle inside a Mosby Court apartment.

Police later arrested Willie Cooley and named him a person of interest in the crime.

As authorities continue to search for Younger, relatives hope to spark new leads in the case by getting a flyer out to as many Richmond communities as possible.

Cooley remains in police custody on a breaking and entering charge. He's expected back in court next week.

Richmond police say this is still a missing person's case and don't have new information to release.

Anyone with information is asked to call Richmond Police.

http://www.nbc12.com/news/state/17805294.html

[Faith]

I pray Eric comes home safe. His poor mom. :1222423:

[Nut44x4]

Body found believed to be missing Richmond teen
From NBC12 News
Police say they believe they have found the body of missing teen, Erick Younger, 19, in Louisa County, near Route 522. Officials say the body has been positively identified as Younger.
He disappeared two weeks ago after a burglary at a Mosby Court apartment. He was reported missing April 2nd from the 1600 block of Spotsylvania Street. Police say they found signs of foul play and a missing person report for Younger was filed.

According to police, at the time of the disappearance, Willie Cooley, 48, of Louisa, was charged with burglary as a result of the initial investigation.

Richmond Police with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office will be seeking an indictment for murder for Cooley.

Cooley is currently being held without bond.

http://www.nbc12.com/news/state/17826164.html

[Roamer]

My condolences to his family. :1222423:

RIP, Erick :1222423:

[KittyMom]

:1222423:

May there be justice for Erick and his loved ones.

[Roamer]

Apparently they have a suspect in custody, and his charges will probably be increased now that they've found Erick's body.

[packy]

My condolences to Erick's family and friends. :1222423:

[Grande]

My thoughts are with Erick's friends and family :1222423:

[Grande]

Richmond teen's body found in field in Louisa
Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 - 01:20 AM Updated: 01:58 AM
By DAVID RESS AND ED KELLEHER
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS

Richmond detectives found the body of a missing 19-year-old city man in a Louisa County field yesterday.

They'll be seeking a murder indictment against a county man in connection with the young man's death.

Richmond officers, joined by deputies from the Louisa Sheriff's Office and a search-and-rescue team, recovered the body of Erick Younger off U.S. 522 near Gum Spring.

Younger was reported missing April 2 from the home he shared with his girlfriend in the 1600 block of Spotsylvania Street.

Police said they found signs of foul play at the home.

Their initial investigation led to the arrest of Wiley Cooley, 48, of Louisa on a burglary charge. Police and Richmond prosecutors said they will seek a murder indictment against Cooley, who was being held without bond.

Younger, who worked at a McDonald's restaurant on Laburnum Avenue, had a 2-year-old daughter, said Alicia Rasin, a family representative.

Other survivors include his mother, Marsie Shelton; his father, Anthony Younger; a brother and a stepbrother.

Younger had attended Henrico High School and was a member of New Canaan International Church.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-04-17-0175.html

[Nut44x4]

Richmond Times - Dispatch (Virginia)

May 12, 2008 Monday

Applying logic helps find victim in slaying: City police had bloody bedding, a strange call, but had to track a body

May 12--It's much easier to say it's murder when you have a body.

But at first, all the Richmond police had last month was the blood-soaked mattress and bedding where 19-year-old Erick Younger had been sleeping in the East End house he shared with his girlfriend, court records show. The young woman had found the terrifying sight when she returned from a brief errand, and called police.

There was a bizarre call from an acquaintance of hers -- Willie Cooley --to the young woman, telling her to bring him the bloody sheet and pillow bedding and Younger's clothing so he could wash them, the records show.

There was the woman's report that things were missing from her place, and a neighbor who reported seeing a man loading items from the home into the trunk of his car.

And, when police arrested Cooley at the place he'd told the woman to meet him, they found bloodstains in the trunk, the records show.

But no body.

Richmond Detective Andre Boswell, just back from shoulder surgery and working his first case since his return, knew he needed to find Younger's body while Cooley was sitting in jail on a burglary charge.

No one in Richmond knew too much about Cooley, though.

Patiently working his way through driving and court records, Boswell learned the 48-year-old Cooley was originally from Louisa County.

Delving into land records at the Louisa County courthouse and working closely with Louisa Sheriff's Office investigators, he compiled a list of Cooley's family and friends in the area.

When it was time to call in the specially trained search dogs, Boswell's colleagues all suggested he start with Cooley's parents.

No, Boswell replied. It wasn't likely Cooley would leave a body in a place so easily tied to himself.

But Cooley needed a place where people wouldn't think it too odd to see him.

A place like, say, an ex-wife's.

She lived in Louisa, near U.S. 522 and the community of Gum Spring, Boswell had learned.

That's where we start, Boswell said.

And, in a field next to her place, that's where they found Younger's body, a bit more than two weeks after his disappearance.

It was the first place they tried.

"It was great, basic detective work," said Learned Barry, deputy commonwealth's attorney.

Younger left behind a 2-year-old daughter. He worked at a McDonald's on Laburnum Avenue.

With the discovery of his body, prosecutors indicted Cooley on a murder charge. He'll likely be tried this summer.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:790036130&start=2

[Nut44x4]

Man guilty in teenager's death

Police believe 19-year-old was bludgeoned in bed of his killer's former girlfriend

Wednesday, Sep 17, 2008 - 12:08 AM Updated: 02:13 AM

A Richmond judge convicted a man of second-degree murder yesterday in the bludgeoning death of a man whose body was wrapped in bed sheets and left in the woods of Louisa County.

"The evidence of your guilt is overwhelming," Richmond Circuit Judge Bradley B. Cavedo told Willie Cooley, 47. But Cavedo added that evidence points to an accomplice in the killing, and only Cooley has been charged in the crime.

"I think the commonwealth has work to do," the judge said.

Prosecutors said 19-year-old Erick Younger was struck at least seven times in the head with a 2½-foot-long metal piece of reinforcing bar. He likely was killed as he slept in the bed of Cooley's former girlfriend of five years.

The former girlfriend, Judy Phillips, testified Monday that Younger was in her bed when she left her apartment on Spotswood Street in Richmond's East End to take her two children to school April 2.

She said she returned home and saw Cooley run from her building. She found blood in the apartment, but Younger was gone. Cooley told her in a phone conversation to bring him Younger's clothes and a bloody pillow and sheets, she testified.

Police later apprehended Cooley in Richmond and found Younger's blood in the trunk of his car. About two weeks later, police discovered Younger's body in woods near Cooley's ex-wife's house in Louisa.

A few feet away were cleaning supplies, a mop and the bloody metal bar believed to be the murder weapon. Prosecutors say Cooley tried to clean up the blood at the apartment but didn't finish because he knew Phillips would be gone only about 20 minutes.

During testimony yesterday, a Richmond sheriff's deputy recounted a conversation he had with Cooley at the Richmond City Jail on the day after Younger's body was found. According to the deputy, Cooley told him that he and another man had gotten into a fight and that he "offed him." Cooley denied making the statement.

Defense attorney Kevin M. Shork questioned whether Cooley had time to kill Younger, clean up and then drag the body from the apartment, all in a span of 20 minutes.

A neighbor testified for the defense that she saw a man in a T-shirt and jeans -- a different outfit from the one authorities believe Cooley was wearing -- outside the apartment pushing down on the trunk of a car. She said the man saw her and ran up to the apartment, where she then saw someone else's hand push open a screen door from inside.

Responding to the judge's comment that authorities still had work to do, Richmond prosecutor Michael E. Hollomon said that he and investigators will be talking further about the case. "Based on what one witness said, there may have been an accomplice," Hollomon said.

Younger's family was pleased with the verdict.

"I am thrilled that the truth finally came out," said the victim's grandfather, Freddie Robertson Jr. "It gives me a little more faith in the justice system."

Richmond Detective Andre Boswell was lead investigator in the case.

Sentencing was set for Nov. 10 in Richmond Circuit Court. Cooley faces up to 40 years in prison.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-09-17-0137.html