Teen Accused of Killing Paddleboarder Then Offering to Help Police Search Will Be Tried as an Adult

A teenager accused of killing a 48-year-old woman while she was paddleboarding on a quiet Maine pond will face trial as an adult. The case has drawn widespread attention not only because of the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death, but also because investigators say the suspect remained at the campground afterward and appeared willing to help with the search, even allegedly directing investigators away from the place where her body was discovered.

The victim was Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart, 48, who was staying at Mic Mac Cove Campground in Union, Maine, in July 2025. On the evening of July 2, Stewart headed out onto nearby Crawford Pond for a paddleboarding trip but never returned. When she was reported missing, authorities began searching the area. Her body was eventually discovered on an island in the middle of the pond. Maine State Police later confirmed that her death was a homicide, with an autopsy determining that she died from strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Investigators eventually arrested Deven Young, who was 17 at the time and was vacationing with his family at the same campground. Authorities believe Young took a small fishing boat onto Crawford Pond less than an hour before Stewart went paddleboarding that evening. According to campground owner Katharine Lunt, Young later approached investigators and volunteered information that he claimed could help them locate the missing woman. However, Lunt said he directed them toward the opposite side of the pond from where Stewart’s body was ultimately found. She also recalled that he continued offering assistance to other campers during the days that followed, seemingly behaving as though nothing unusual had happened.

Young remained at the campground for nearly two weeks after Stewart’s body was discovered. On July 16, 2025, investigators returned and arrested him in connection with the killing. He was subsequently charged with murder. The case raised difficult questions about how the investigation unfolded, particularly because the suspect was still a teenager at the time. Prosecutors argued that he should face the adult criminal justice system rather than juvenile proceedings, where he could potentially have been released from custody at age 21.

The legal process took months, including proceedings to determine whether Young was competent to stand trial. In May 2026, a judge ruled that he was competent to proceed with the case, although the question of whether he would be tried as an adult remained unresolved at that time. That changed on November 6, 2026, when Young, now 19, appeared in Knox County Superior Court. According to reports, his attorneys agreed to waive a bind-over hearing, and the judge confirmed that he would be tried as an adult. The decision means that if he is convicted of murder, he could face a prison sentence ranging from 25 years to life under Maine law.

Young is expected to remain in custody without bail at the Knox County Jail. The case is now set to proceed before a grand jury, with another court status conference scheduled for January. For Stewart’s family and friends, the legal development represents another step toward a trial that may finally provide answers about what happened on Crawford Pond that summer evening. Those who knew Stewart remembered her as an adventurous, independent woman who loved the outdoors and had worked as a fisherman, boat captain, carpenter and bartender. She was also described as a loyal friend whose humor and warmth left a lasting impression on the people around her. Despite the latest court decision, the murder charge remains an allegation, and Young has not been convicted.

Source: https://lawandcrime.com/crime/teen-who-allegedly-killed-paddleboarder-and-then-volunteered-to-help-investigators-while-misleading-them-will-be-tried-as-an-adult/