Young was sentenced to death for the August 31, 1986, shotgun murder of Clarence John Bell at the Jupiter Plantations Condominium during a failed auto theft. Bell, the car's owner, apparently confronted Young and his accomplices with a gun at some point, leading to an exchange of fire. Young argued self defense, though the jury rejected this claim, convicted him, and recommended the death penalty. The trial judge agreed. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the conviction in 1991, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied relief in 1992. He now challenges the validity of his sentence.