Caroline Young

Cases that involve the deaths of children are the most difficult to research and put together due to the emotional level. They are especially difficult when there are clearly signs that things could have been different if someone had acted upon their knowledge. This case is just such a case.

Caroline Young lived in Hayward California located in Alameda County. In 1993 she had custody of her daughter Vanessa Torres' two children, six year old Darin and four year old Dai-Zshia. Reports are shady as to when she received custody of them. While all indicate that she had cared for the children for many years, some made it appears that she had gotten them each separately as infants but that may not be the facts. It was clear that Vanessa had been deemed unfit to care for the children and had spent some time in jail on drug charges and those relating to prostitution. However by 1993 Vanessa was not in jail and it was indicated that she too lived with Caroline and her children.

At some point it seems Caroline filed for child support from at least Darin's father. Caroline would later say this was the worse thing she could have done but it is also entirely possible that the state may have done it for her if she had received any government assistance. At any rate Darin's father, Barrington Bruce was found living in Virginia and working as a Marine recruiter. Once again information is a little sketchy. Some reports say that Barrington knew about Darin, that he and Vanessa split and he had lost contact and some indicate that he was looking for his son. Other reports claim that until the state of California told him he owed $12,000 in back child support he had no idea he had a child. Regardless of whether Barrington knew of Darin once the issue of child support came up he decided to file for custody of his young son. While he was living across the country, he was married and his wife had recently given birth to their first child.

When Barrington filed for custody of Darin Caroline was infuriated. She made comments about doing whatever it took to prevent the kids from not only being separated from each other, but from her. She even told a friend “I will kill the kids and take them with me to hell.” No one seemed to take her seriously and so no one reported anything. But, Barrington did win custody of Darin in the courts.

On June 18, 1993 Barrington was in California and was planning to pick his son up and take him back to Virginia. Once again just how things progressed seemed to be in question but the most noted version is that on that morning Caroline had cut Darin's throat, murdering him. It was said that she sat down and had at least one cigarette when Vanessa walked into the room to find her covered in blood and see her son. Vanessa went to call the police and when she did so Caroline got up and went after her granddaughter, Dai-Zshia, also cutting her throat (some say her throat was not cut but she was stabbed). Caroline then stabbed herself in the stomach up to a dozen times before authorities would arrive. She would survive.

Before committing the murder Caroline had written a note, “I am a very angery and vengeful person. An unhappy spirit now on a rampage to get even with all that hurt me and mine.” The note itself indicated premeditation. She was charged with the murders of her two grandchildren.

At her trial defense attorney's argued that Caroline should be found not guilty by reason of insanity but if they must convict her at most she should be convicted of second degree murder. While I disagree with their assessment, they argued that first degree murder was not an acceptable charge as it was not premeditated. I believe her previous comments and the note she had written argued against this. The jury convicted Caroline for first degree murder in the death of Darin and second degree in the murder of his sister, Dai-Zshia. I always try to tell you how long it took the jury to deliberate when possible. In this case I originally read that the jury deliberated for just under three hours. But, I also saw a report that they took one and a half days. I could argue that one was for her conviction and one was the penalty phase where, after Vanessa made a “last minute” appeal for mercy to save her mother's life, the jury returned with a death sentence on October 27, 1995. I just cannot say with certainty how long they took for each phase.

It was the alleged he was the first woman given the death penalty in Alameda County. The last time a woman died by execution in California was in 1962 when Elizabeth Ann Duncan was put to death. Stay tuned as I should have a blog on her sometime today or tomorrow. But in the end it would not matter. Caroline Young died in prison on September 6, 2005 at the age of sixty-one of kidney failure.