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'You Threw Her Out Like Trash,' Mom Clutches Daughter's Ashes As She Confronts Man Who Dismembered Her
Jared Chance reportedly refused a plea deal that could have reduced his sentence in exchange for revealing where the rest of Ashley Young's body was.
The mother of a murdered woman held her daughter's cremated remains and called her convicted killer a “coward” on Thursday while venting at the man's sentencing.
Ashley Young, 31, was found dismembered in the apartment of Jared Chance, 30, after, police said neighbors complained of a “strange smell.” Chance was arrested in December 2018, PEOPLE.com reported. He was convicted of second-degree murder, mutilation, and evidence tampering on Sept. 30.
“You do not deserve to breathe,” Ashley's mother, Kristine, told Chance in court last week, as she clutched her daughter's ashes. The man was reportedly friends with her daughter, who had been visiting him at the time of her disappearance.
When police arrived at Chance’s apartment, they found a bloody torso in his basement. Ashley's head, hands and feet were never recovered, PEOPLE.com reported.
“You threw her out like trash,” Kristine cried. “Jared Chance, I hate you ... I want to rip you limb from limb and discard you like trash, like you did to Ashley. I do not know what Ashley saw in you that was worth saving.”
At times, the dead woman’s mother reportedly broke into screaming fits, as she unloaded on Chance.
“You will never tell me where she is because you like to torment people, you like to hurt them, you enjoy it,” Kristine said to him in court, MLive.com reported.
Kristine's father also became emotional when it was his turn to address the court.
“May you rot in hell,’’ he told his daughter’s convicted killer, WZZM 13 reported. “You lived your life as a coward — you will die as a coward.’’
At the time of Ashley's murder, investigators were unable to immediately identify her, due to the condition of the body.
"Officers arrived at the scene and were able to slightly open up the bag and see that inside of it was a human body,'' Grand Rapids Police detective Erika Fannon previously said, according to a separate WZZM 13 report.
At the time, authorities also found other body parts on the property that “belonged to the torso located in the basement.'' It took some time for the remains to be positively identified.
Chance was sentenced to 100 to 200 years in prison for Ashley's killing and dismemberment, according to WZZM 13. He reportedly turned down a plea deal that would have given him a chance at parole, in exchange for telling authorities where the rest of the body was.
Judge Mark Trusock called the murder "reprehensible and heinous.’’
“This is, without question, the worst case that I have ever been involved in,’’ the Kent County Circuit Court judge said. "You sir, are a very evil individual. You are clearly a monster without any conscience.''
Chance reportedly didn’t speak during the family's statements at his latest court appearance.
