A judge in Maine has ruled that teenager Deven Young is competent to stand trial for the 2025 murder of paddleboarder Sunshine Stewart. The decision came after Young, now 18, was accused of killing the 48-year-old on Crawford Pond and misleading investigators. The ruling did not address whether he will be tried as an adult or juvenile.
District Court Judge Eric Walker determined that Deven Young possesses a rational understanding of the proceedings and the ability to consult with counsel. The court found that Young 'has not met his burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence that he is not competent to proceed,' according to the ruling. Young was 17 at the time of his arrest in summer 2025 for the strangulation and blunt force trauma death of Sunshine Stewart on July 2, 2025, at Crawford Pond in Union, Maine. Stewart had been paddleboarding from Mic Mac Cove Campground when she disappeared; her body was later found on a central island, and authorities ruled the death a homicide, Maine State Police said at the time. Young, vacationing at the same campground, allegedly took his fishing boat onto the pond shortly before Stewart and then volunteered misleading information to investigators, directing them away from the discovery site, campground owner Katharine Lunt told local media. He remained at the campground acting normally for two weeks until his arrest on July 16, 2025. Lunt described the situation as 'haunting,' noting, 'He was not on anyone's radar' and 'Nobody was looking for a child.' The Maine Attorney General's Office seeks to try Young as an adult, which could mean 25 years to life if convicted of murder, compared to release by age 21 as a juvenile. Unsealed records from 2023 revealed prior incidents at Young's Frankfort home, including reports of violence, ADHD, defiance disorder, and psychiatric treatment. Young is expected to appear in court again on May 7.