Bio

Julius Ricardo Young was born on February 17, 1949, in Oklahoma. He grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the youngest of four children in his family. His mother, Alene Young, described him as a caring and religious child. Julius attended local schools and later became an ordained minister. He was active in his church and participated in various community activities.

Young's childhood and youth were shaped by his family's dynamics. He had a close relationship with his mother, who was a strong influence in his life. However, he also faced hardships, including the loss of loved ones to illness, which had a significant emotional impact on him. He had a brother who passed away from sickle cell anemia and another son who suffered from the same condition.

Julius had a complex personality. He was known to be mild-mannered, but there were indications of mood swings and a temper, particularly when drinking alcohol. His relationships with women were often tumultuous. At one point, he was in a romantic relationship with Joyslon Edwards, the mother of Joyland Morgan, who would later become a critical figure in his life.

In the years preceding the tragic events of 1993, Young and Edwards had a rocky relationship. Edwards ultimately decided to end the relationship because it was affecting her relationship with her children, specifically her daughter Joyland and grandson Kewan. Despite the challenges in his personal life, Young maintained a role as a community minister and sought to provide support to others.

Murder Story

Julius Ricardo Young committed a series of brutal murders on October 1, 1993. His victims were Joyland Morgan, a 20-year-old woman, and her 6-year-old son Kewan, who lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The murders followed a reported conflict between Young and Joyland's mother, Joyslon Edwards, who had recently ended their romantic relationship. She had told Young that she wanted to cool their relationship and demanded that he return the key to her apartment, which he did not do.

Two days later, police discovered the bodies of Joyland and Kewan in their apartment. The investigation revealed that both victims had suffered extensive injuries. Joyland had defensive wounds on her hands and arms, indicating she had fought back against her attacker. She had received at least 13 blows to her face and head, resulting in severe trauma. Kewan was found in his bed, having also sustained fatal head injuries.

According to testimonies, the front door of the apartment was secured with two locks and a security chain. An intruder had used a key to unlock both locks and break through the security chain. After the murders, a piece of the broken chain was found missing from the scene. Furthermore, Joyslon Edwards saw a baseball bat in Young's vehicle the night before the murders, but it was absent the following day when police investigated.

During the search of Young's residence, police found shoes with bloodstains and a freshly laundered shirt that tested positive for blood. DNA testing linked the blood to both Joyland and Kewan Morgan. Additionally, Young tried to claim that the blood found was not human but, rather, fish blood.

Young was arrested, tried, and convicted of two counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death in 1995. His appeals were exhausted over the following years. On January 14, 2010, Young was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma. He maintained his innocence until his last moments, claiming that the legal process had failed him and that he did not commit the murders.