Cultural Deficiency, or something more? Killer of Westland teens causes stir at sentencing.

January 24, 2015 in News by RBN Staff

Source: Detroit News

Virgie Kudla addresses Fredrick Young

Virgie Kudla addresses Fredrick Young during his sentencing on Wednesday.
(Photo: David Coates, The Detroit News)

 

Detroit — A convicted killer’s controversial comments stirred up the sentencing hearing Wednesday of two men involved in a high-profile, brutal murder of two Westland teens.

Fredrick Young, 26, of Detroit and Felando Hunter, 24, of Jackson were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives behind bars Wednesday for the killings of Jacob Kudla and Jourdan Bobbish, who had gone into Detroit to buy drugs.

Allowed by the presiding judge to speak before his sentence was announced, Young gave a rambling statement about recent high-profile deaths of African-Americans that drew gasps from many in the courtroom.

Joshua Bobbish, Jourdan’s brother, said Young’s comment were out of place.

“It was pretty ignorant for him to ask forgiveness for murders of others when you have chosen to take someone else’s life,” he said. “In a room full of people who were hurting he was apologizing for the actions of others instead of the actions he took.

“I feel bad for him; obviously, he doesn’t understand what he did to our family.”

Young made his comments minutes after the mothers of Kudla, 18, and Bobbish, 17, spoke about their loss, Young and Hunter were found guilty last month of robbing, torturing, imprisoning and killing Kudla and Bobbish. The courtroom was packed with the teens’ family members.

Virgie Kudla said “not only did (Young) take away my son’s future he took away my future. My future as a mother. He was my only son. He was my only child. … I did everything I thought I was supposed to.”.

She said she and her son, who was an avid hunter and a big sports fan, were looking forward to a trip back to Germany.

Carrie Bobbish said Young and Hunter “have taken away so many milestones” from her son that he will not get to experience including celebrating his 18th birthday and many more.

“Finding the love of his life … seeing his first child born,” Carrie Bobbish said.

“This crime has affected me personally, destroying my sense of inner peace. I stand here today broken inside. I have sorrow in my heart, soul and every fiber of my being today and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life here on earth.

“One act of horrific violence for such senseless reasons has been heartbreaking.”

Witnesses said Kudla and Bobbish went to a house on Algonac near Hoover on the city’s east side on July 22, 2012, looking to buy drugs. Instead, the two were robbed and forced into the trunk of a car.

Their bodies were found July 27, in a field at Lyford and French Road not far from the home in which they were last seen. The teens were forced to kneel before they were shot in the head.

Carrie Bobbish said her son would want her to forgive his killers.

Michael Bobbish questioned how his son’s killers could have marched him and his friend into a field and to their deaths by shooting them in the heads.

He said his son was not afraid to venture into the city even though he warned him to “stay out of Detroit because it wasn’t a good place.”

Young’s attorney, Jeffrey Edison, acknowledged Carrie Bobbish’s message to his client.

“Her words were certainly felt,” Edison said.

Hunter did not make a statement.

Young and Hunter were charged with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, torture, armed robbery, unlawful imprisonment and felony firearm. Young was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. In addition to the life sentences, they also received 50 to 75 years for torture; 50 to 75 years for armed robbery and two years, which will run consecutive to all the charges, for the felony firearm count. Young also received a five-year concurrent sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Hunter has been found guilty in two other murders, including that of Vietnam veteran John Villneff in August 2012, a few weeks after Kudla and Jourdan were murdered.

Oralandar Brand-Williams, The Detroit News 8:01 p.m. EST January 21, 2015 

bwilliams@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2027