The earliest a hearing would be held to determine whether 18-year-old Deven Young will be tried as an adult or juvenile in the murder of Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart is August.
And Judge Eric Walker said it could be later depending on when evaluations of the suspect are completed.
A Zoom hearing was held in the Young case on Thursday afternoon, May 7. Young resident, attended via Zoom from Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. His parents were also attending via Zoom while sitting in a motor vehicle.
Young has been charged with murder in the July 3, 2025, death of Stewart on Crawford Pond in Union. Stewart and Young were both staying at the same campground on the pond. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta confirmed that the 47-year-old Stewart died of strangulation and blunt force trauma.
Young only spoke once Thursday to say he had not yet talked with his attorneys about the May 7 hearing. He was then placed in a private Zoom room with his attorneys Caitlyn Smith and Jeremy Pratt. The hearing resumed about five minutes later.
Judge Walker approved a request by Assistant Maine Attorney General Lisa Bogue for the state to conduct a forensic evaluation of Young, after which the defense will have its specialist evaluate Young.
This could be used later to determine whether he can be held criminally responsible for the death.
The Attorney General’s Office has asked to have access to Young’s school records from Regional School Unit 22 (which includes Hampden Academy), Northern Light hospital, and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. The defense objected, saying the state has not provided a specific reason why they need the records. Judge Walker said he would review the documents before deciding whether to turn them over the prosecution.
Once those evaluations are complete, a bindover hearing will be held to determine whether he will be tried as an adult or juvenile. The state estimated the report from the forensics evaluation would take about six weeks and the defense’s expert would need about six weeks after that to complete the evaluation and report.
Judge Walker ruled on April 29 that the defendant is “competent to proceed based on the court’s finding that the juvenile has a rational as well as a factual understanding of the proceedings and a sufficient present ability to consult with legal counsel with a reasonable degree of rational understanding.”
Young was arrested when he was 17, and most legal proceedings in his case so far have been under seal and behind closed doors. The hearings are now open.
The judge impounded the competency evaluation of Young, along with more detailed reasons for the ruling.
The Maine Attorney General’s Office is seeking to have the case transferred to adult court, as Young, who lived in Frankfort, turned 18 shortly after Stewart’s death. If Young is tried as an adult and convicted, he would face a minimum of 25 years and up to life in prison. If tried as a juvenile, he could be held in juvenile detention until age 21 — a maximum of three years.
A trial likely would not be held for a year or more.
Young’s name was first released by the court at the request of the Midcoast Villager when the teen made his initial court appearance on the murder charge. At that July 18 hearing, Young entered a denial. The case had been sealed after that hearing until the court determined whether Young is competent to stand trial.
Police records from the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office predating Stewart’s death show a teen who exhibited violent behavior, including assaulting his mother. Those records were released after the Midcoast Villager went to court to obtain them.
Earlier in the investigation, state police reviewed surveillance video from the campground. The footage showed Young going out in his aluminum boat before Stewart. The boat had both a motor and oars. Stewart left at 6 p.m. to go paddleboarding on Crawford Pond. Young later was seen returning to the campground in his boat.
Stewart was reported missing when she had not returned by midnight. The Union Fire Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Maine Warden Service searched for her. Her body was found before dawn. An autopsy by the Maine Medical Examiner’s Office determined her death was a homicide.
Witnesses said that in the two weeks after Stewart’s murder, Young’s behavior did not raise suspicion. He offered to help other campers with loose pets and yard work and made wood crafts that he gave to others.
Young approached investigators and said he had information about the case. He went out on Crawford Pond in a boat with investigators and a game warden, leading them to the opposite end of 100-Acre Island from where Stewart’s body was found. When they returned to the campground, police continued interviewing him.
Investigators left the campground but returned later that night and went directly to the Youngs’ camper. Police interviewed them for two hours before arresting him.
He was taken to Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.
