Masked Killer Stalks Florida Family; Husband Slain

Masked Killer Stalks Florida Family; Husband Slain

The pre-dawn quiet of a Largo, Florida neighborhood was shattered on December 15, 1991, by a brutal home invasion that left a family reeling and a community in fear. A woman, bleeding profusely and suffering from severe head wounds, pounded on her neighbor’s door, collapsing moments later. Her husband was found dead inside their home, the victim of a violent, unprovoked attack.

A Night of Terror Unfolds

The evening began innocently enough for Keith and Anita Young, a newlywed couple seeking a rare night out. They left their home around 7:30 PM on December 14th, entrusting their three younger children to Anita’s 12-year-old son, Jason. Keith, still on edge from an attempted break-in earlier that year where phone lines were cut, meticulously reminded Jason of emergency procedures, emphasizing the importance of calling 911 if necessary. The intruder from the earlier incident was never caught, leaving a lingering sense of unease.

Meanwhile, Keith and Anita enjoyed a quiet dinner, grateful for the stolen moments together. Their pasts, however, were fraught with tension. Anita was navigating a difficult custody situation with her ex-husband, Luther Bass, who lived in Idaho. Keith was embroiled in a bitter dispute with his ex-wife, Linda, over holiday custody arrangements, a conflict that had already led to harassment of Anita.

The Attack

Hours later, around 3:00 AM, Jason was jolted awake by a loud noise. He soon realized two figures were struggling in the hallway outside his room. His eyes adjusted to the dim light, revealing his stepfather, Keith, and a large man wearing a black ski mask. Blood spattered the walls. Anita emerged from the master bedroom, armed with a baseball bat, and struck the intruder, but he was undeterred. Keith yelled for Anita to get the gun, and as she retrieved it, the masked assailant violently threw Keith back into the master bedroom.

Anita appeared in the hallway, gun in hand, as the intruder fled out the front door. Jason, remembering his stepfather’s instructions, rushed to the kitchen phone to call 911. To his horror, the line was dead. Anita, visibly injured with a gash on her neck, told Jason to go to Keith while she sought help. Jason found his stepfather on the bed, struggling to breathe. He held Keith’s hand as his stepfather took his last breaths.

The Investigation Begins

Detective Mike Short of the Largo Police Department arrived at the scene to a chilling tableau. Blood smeared the walls and floors, indicating a violent struggle throughout the house. The baseball bat lay near the front door, but no weapon was immediately apparent. The phone lines leading to the house were deliberately cut, a detail that raised suspicions of premeditation beyond a simple robbery gone wrong.

Anita, rushed to the hospital in critical condition, managed to provide a brief statement before undergoing surgery. She described waking to a man with an axe and a knife, a man she didn’t recognize. Crucially, she recalled the earlier attempted break-in where the phone lines were also cut, a coincidence Detective Short couldn’t ignore.

Interviews with neighbors and the Youngs’ children provided initial insights. Jason described the intruder as possibly having dark skin, though he admitted the darkness and fear made a clear identification impossible. The couple’s younger children, remarkably, slept through the entire ordeal.

Suspects Emerge

The investigation quickly turned to the ex-spouses. Keith’s ex-wife, Linda, lived locally and had recently consulted a lawyer about changing their custody agreement. Detective Short interviewed Linda and her new husband, Steve, who claimed they were home asleep with the children. Their alibis were weak, making them persons of interest.

Anita’s ex-husband, Luther Bass, living in Idaho, was also investigated. Luther claimed he was on a solo hunting trip all weekend. While his alibi was detailed, it lacked corroboration. The distance between Idaho and Florida made direct involvement seem unlikely, but the possibility of him hiring someone was considered.

A Crucial Break and a New Lead

A significant break came when a groundskeeper at a nearby golf course discovered a blood-stained ski mask and glove in the grass. These items were sent for forensic testing. Simultaneously, a college student living a block away reported seeing a white man with short dark hair jogging past Keith and Anita’s home around the time of the attack, heading towards the golf course. This contradicted Jason’s initial description of a dark-skinned assailant, raising questions about whether Jason was mistaken, or if multiple individuals were involved.

Further complicating the investigation was a horrific crime that occurred just four days later in Northport, Florida, about 85 miles away. A man and three children were murdered in their home by two ski-masked men who had also cut the phone lines. While the similarities were striking, the victims had no apparent connection to the Youngs, and the method of killing differed (shooting versus stabbing). Detective Short remained focused on the possibility that Keith Young was killed by someone he knew, with Luther Bass, despite his alibi and distance, remaining a prime suspect, especially as Anita herself identified him as a potential threat due to ongoing custody disputes.

The investigation into the brutal murder of Keith Young was ongoing, with lingering questions about the masked intruder’s identity and motive. The discovery of the ski mask and glove, coupled with the conflicting witness descriptions, presented a complex puzzle for Detective Short and his team.

Source: Florida family terrorized by a masked intruder (YouTube)