'Acted like nothing ever happened': Teen who killed paddleboarder on remote pond and then 'volunteered' to help investigate will go to trial, authorities say

A teen accused of sidesplitting a paddleboarder connected a distant Maine pond earlier trying to mislead police successful their probe volition spell to trial, a justice ruled.

Deven Young was 17 years aged erstwhile helium was arrested successful summertime 2025 and charged with the murder of 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart. Now, District Court Judge Eric Walker has determined that Young is competent to basal trial.

The jurist did not yet regularisation connected whether Young volition beryllium tried arsenic an big oregon juvenile, determination ABC affiliate WMTW reported.

The tribunal "finds that the suspect has not met his load of impervious by a preponderance of the grounds that helium is not competent to proceed," the ruling reads. "The tribunal finds that the suspect is competent to proceed based connected the court's uncovering that the juvenile has a rational, arsenic good arsenic a factual, knowing of the proceedings and a capable contiguous quality to consult with ineligible counsel with a tenable grade of rational understanding."

The Maine Attorney General's Office has sought to effort Young, present 18 years old, arsenic an adult, recognizing that, arsenic Law&Crime's "On the Case" with Chris Stewart antecedently laid out, if helium is charged arsenic a juvenile, helium would apt beryllium released from constabulary custody successful conscionable a fewer years astatine the property of 21.

By state law, if helium were convicted of execution arsenic an adult, helium would look 25 years to beingness successful prison.

On the evening of July 2, 2025, Stewart — who was staying astatine Mic Mac Cove Campground successful Union, Maine — went to paddleboard connected adjacent Crawford Pond. She did not return.

After Stewart's disappearance was reported, responding authorities recovered her assemblage connected an land astatine the halfway of the pond, and they ruled her decease a homicide. Her origin of decease was determined to beryllium strangulation and blunt unit trauma, Maine State Police said in a property release astatine the time.

At the time, Young was connected a household abrogation astatine the aforesaid campground wherever Stewart was staying, authorities said. On the evening of Stewart's disappearance, the teen is believed to person taken his tiny sportfishing vessel retired onto Crawford Pond little than an hr earlier Stewart went paddleboarding.

As investigators continued searching for clues arsenic to what happened to Stewart, Young allegedly inserted himself into the case. According to the proprietor of the campground, Katharine Lunt, the fishy "volunteered" to assistance investigators.

"He said helium had immoderate accusation — and helium took them successful the other absorption of wherever Sunny was found," Lunt told the country TV station.

Authorities felt their fishy was apt successful the area, fixed that the onshore was mostly backstage and rural. And arsenic investigators searched for clues, Young allegedly feigned ignorance and innocence for 2 weeks until helium was arrested connected July 16, 2025.

"The information that this idiosyncratic was successful this campground for 2 weeks is haunting," Lunt said astatine the time. "He was not connected anyone's radar. That full week, helium was offering campers assistance with antithetic tasks they were doing. He acted similar thing ever happened."

"Nobody was looking for a child," she added. "We were looking for an adult."

In January, the Midcoast Villager was capable to get records unsealed relating to erstwhile constabulary calls to Young's location successful Frankfort, Maine. Their details, reported by the paper's Stephen Betts, added a caller magnitude to a lawsuit that the newsman told Law&Crime's "On The Case" was the "most unusual" 1 helium had dealt with successful 44 years.

Sometime astir Jan. 4, 2023, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services told the Waldo County Sheriff's Office that Young had been fixed a achromatic oculus by an adult, according to the report. A lawman responded to Young's schoolhouse to speech to him astir it, but helium was reportedly reserved, not offering up accusation and becoming disruptive.

A redacted sanction successful the study reviewed by the Portland Press Herald warned the serviceman that Young was big, and they were acrophobic helium could get angry.

The lawman went to Young's location that aforesaid day, and different person, whose sanction was besides redacted, reportedly said Young "has atrocious spells if his medicine is not connected board." At immoderate point, the fishy allegedly began swearing and throwing objects. "When helium gets mad, helium conscionable freaks out," the idiosyncratic told authorities.

The serviceman continued to analyse and learned that different idiosyncratic said Young attacked her a fewer months earlier, leaving her with a bloody and bruised face. She reportedly showed authorities a photograph of her injuries and said Young would wounded her if they weren't getting along.

According to the report, the pistillate said Young suffered from ADHD and defiance disorder, and helium had spent clip astatine a psychiatric infirmary successful Bangor, Maine.

Young is expected to look successful tribunal again connected May 7.

Union is simply a tiny municipality of astir 2,300 radical located successful confederate Maine astir 15 miles from the coast.