ABIGAIL YOUNG AGAIN DENIED PAROLE IN SENTENCE FOR DAUGHTER’S DEATH

  

A Brenham woman serving a 20-year prison sentence in the death of her four-year-old daughter was denied parole last week by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

The board issued the ruling on Friday for Abigail Young, who was convicted in 2010 for Injury to a Child by Omission following the death of Emma Thompson in 2009.  Young’s boyfriend, Lucas Coe, was also convicted and is serving a life sentence for his role in Thompson’s death. 

Amanda Mathews, Young’s sister and Thompson’s aunt, called the denial “a huge win” and thanked the board for continuing to hold Young accountable and ensure Thompson receives justice. 

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Young’s parole request was denied by the board because the offense “has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior, or conscious selection of victim’s vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety.”  The reasoning also stated that Young’s accrued good conduct time “is not an accurate reflection of the offender’s potential for rehabilitation” and that her early release “would endanger the public.”

The state passed Emma’s Law in 2013 to make parole review occur every five years instead of annually for anyone convicted of a felony against a child.  However, since Young has served over half of her sentence, her reviews occur each year. 

Young’s next parole review is scheduled for April 2026.