ABIGAIL YOUNG AGAIN DENIED PAROLE BY STATE BOARD

  

A Brenham woman serving a 20 year prison sentence in the death of her four-year-old daughter has again been denied parole.

This (Thursday) afternoon, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied the early release of Abigail Young, who in 2010 was found guilty of Injury to a Child by Omission in the violent death of Emma Thompson.  Young’s boyfriend, Lucas Coe, was also found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

Thompson, according to medical examiners, was beaten and sexually assaulted, suffering 80 contusions, a fractured skull, a brain hemorrhage, and a vaginal tear.  Autopsy reports indicated that before she died, she was hit in the abdomen by an “unknown object”, causing blunt force trauma that led to her death.

Amanda Mathews, Young’s sister and Thompson’s aunt, said she is thankful for the board’s decision, but there is still work to be done to ensure justice prevails.

 

In 2013, Emma’s Law was passed, preventing annual parole review for anyone convicted of a felony against a child, instead making review occur every five years.  However, Young has become eligible for yearly reviews upon completing half of her sentence.  Mathews said she, along with members of Thompson’s paternal family and other supporters, will attempt to have the law reworded to prevent annual review when Texas legislature meets next year.

Online records from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) show that the parole board had until July to make a decision on Young’s parole.  According to the TDCJ, her next parole review will come June 1, 2021.