A Maine teenager accused of fatally attacking a woman who was paddleboarding on a secluded pond , and subsequently attempting to mislead investigators , has been ordered to stand trial as an adult, according to reports.
Deven Young, currently 19 years of age, was 17 at the time of 48-year-old Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart’s death. He faces a charge of murder in connection with the case. During a status conference held at Knox County Superior Court on Friday, a judge confirmed that Young will be prosecuted as an adult after he voluntarily waived his right to a bind-over hearing , a proceeding in which the court would have reviewed the available evidence and issued a determination , according to regional ABC affiliate WMTW.
The development represents a notable victory for the Maine Attorney General’s Office, as prosecutors had expressed from an early stage in the proceedings their intention to pursue adult charges against Young.
On July 2, 2025, Stewart was residing at Mic Mac Cove Campground in Union, Maine. Young was present at the same location during a family vacation at the time.
That evening, Stewart ventured out onto the adjacent Crawford Pond for a paddleboarding excursion. She never returned.
After she was reported missing, responding authorities discovered her body on an island situated at the center of the pond. Her death was ruled a homicide, with the official cause determined to be strangulation and blunt force trauma, as confirmed by the Maine State Police in a press release issued at the time.
For nearly two weeks following the discovery of Stewart’s body, investigators worked diligently to gather evidence. According to Katharine Lunt, the owner of the campground, Young actively inserted himself into the investigation by offering to assist authorities.
“He said he had some information,” Lunt told the local television station, “and he took them in the opposite direction of where Sunny was found.”
Law enforcement officials believe that on the evening of Stewart’s disappearance, the defendant had taken his small fishing boat out onto the pond less than one hour before she began paddleboarding. Authorities had suspected the perpetrator was present in the immediate area, given that the surrounding land was predominantly private and rural in nature. However, as Lunt noted, “[n]obody was looking for a child.”
She further stated: “The fact that this individual was in this campground for two weeks is haunting. … He was not on anyone’s radar. That whole week, he was offering campers help with different tasks they were doing. He acted like nothing ever happened.”
The decision to try Young as an adult carries considerable legal weight. Had he been charged as a juvenile, he would likely have been released from custody upon reaching the age of 21. By contrast, under Maine state law, a conviction for murder as an adult carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
According to WMTW, Young will be held without bail at the Knox County Jail. The matter is expected to be presented before a grand jury, with an additional status conference scheduled for January.
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