Maine teen agrees to be tried as adult in killing of Sunny Stewart

The Boston Globe · Paul Heintz · 2026-11-06 16:33 UTC

Deven Young had been charged as a juvenile in the killing of Sunshine Stewart.

In a surprise turn, the teenager charged in the killing of Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart on a Maine pond in July 2025 agreed Friday to be tried as an adult.

Deven Young, who was 17 at the time of Stewart’s death, was initially charged as a juvenile. The Maine Attorney General’s Office, which is trying the case, had been seeking a bind-over hearing to determine whether he could be tried as an adult. That proceeding was repeatedly delayed and was not expected to take place until early 2027.

But at a hearing Friday in a Rockland court, Young waived his right to the bind-over hearing, allowing charges to be brought in adult court.

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