Wrongful death lawsuit filed in Molly Young case

CARBONDALE, IL (KFVS) - As the family of Molly Young awaits word from the special prosecutor assigned to the southern Illinois woman's death investigation, they are now taking legal matters into their own hands.

Larry Young, Molly's father, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Richard Minton.

Molly Young died in the early morning hours of March 24, 2012.

She was found with a gunshot wound to the head, lying on the floor next to her ex-boyfriend's bed in his apartment in Carbondale.

That former boyfriend, Richie Minton, was a Carbondale police dispatcher at the time.

Months later, a coroner's jury could not determine the manner of Molly's death.

Molly's family believes she was murdered.

The suit alleges Minton called Molly sometime around 3 a.m. pretending to be drunk and in trouble to lure her to his apartment. It also alleges Minton wiped the .45 caliber weapon clear of any fingerprints after the shooting and that Minton took off his clothes, took a shower and washed his clothes after the shooting.

The suit accuses Minton of waiting three to four hours to call authorities. After the shooting, Minton refused to give the authorities a statement of what occurred and hired an attorney. The suit alleges Minton made a 911 call and said Molly overdosed, had blood from her nose despite the gunshot wound to the head. The suit also alleges Minton placed a pill bottle near Molly's body and that Molly had no gunpowder residue on her hand.

The Jackson County State's Attorney did not find enough evidence to file murder charges, or any other charges in the case.

In August of 2013, State's Attorney Michael Carr announced that a special prosecutor had been appointed in the Molly Young death investigation.

The special prosecutor assigned to the case told Heartland News at the beginning of the year that a decision would likely be made in this case by late February or early March.

To this date, no decision has been made.

"We want to get all the truth and hold Richie Minton accountable since he is the only named suspect and is still refusing to cooperate with the current investigation," Larry Young said. "With the help of our lawyer and our justice system the truth will prevail."

The lawsuit seeks $1 million.

Richie Minton has not been charged with any crime.

An attempt to reach Minton on Tuesday for comment was unsuccessful.

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