Prosecutors seek to try 17-year-old as an adult in Maine paddleboarder's death

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Prosecutors successful Maine said Monday they volition question to effort a 17-year-old charged with execution successful the decease of a paddleboarder arsenic an adult.

The assemblage of Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart, 48, of St. George, was recovered earlier this period connected Crawford Pond successful Union, astir 80 miles (130 kilometers) northbound of Portland successful a portion of the authorities beloved by summertime campers and quality lovers. Stewart went missing portion paddleboarding earlier her killing, and her decease sent shockwaves done the section community.

Police charged Deven Young, of Frankfort, Maine, with execution successful the decease of Stewart past week. He has been held astatine a younker detention installation successful the Portland country and is owed successful tribunal for a presumption league connected Aug. 22.

The Office of the Maine Attorney General is moving to hindrance Young implicit truthful helium tin beryllium tried arsenic an adult, said Danna Hayes, a spokesperson for the office. A justice volition request to regularisation connected the request.

The question to effort Young arsenic an big has been impounded by tribunal and is not publically available, Hayes said.

“Although the tribunal allowed america to merchandise the sanction of the defendant, each of the different documents stay impounded, truthful we bash not person further accusation we tin stock astatine this time,” Hayes said.

Young made a little archetypal tribunal quality connected Friday successful which helium entered a denial to the charge. His attorney, Jeremy Pratt, declined to remark Monday. If convicted of execution arsenic an adult, Young faces a situation condemnation of 25 years to life.

A aesculapian examiner determined Stewart’s origin of decease was strangulation and blunt unit trauma, constabulary person said.

Authorities person not revealed a motive. Court documents released astir the lawsuit incorporate small detail, and Maine State Police person declined to remark beyond announcing the apprehension past week. They've said the probe into Stewart's decease is inactive active.

Stewart lived astir 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond successful the Tenants Harbor vicinity successful St. George.

Friends of Stewart person described her arsenic a fiercely autarkic adventurer who was profoundly dedicated to her friends. Over the years, she worked arsenic a fisherman, vessel captain, carpenter and bartender, among different jobs, friends said.

“She was conscionable a fantastic friend, a truly loyal, fantastic friend,” said a lifelong friend, Bethany Leach Parmley of Washington, Maine. “She was conscionable truthful amusive and comic and you couldn't assistance but person a bully clip astir her.”

The pond, successful the 2,400-resident municipality of Union, is astir 600 acres (243 hectares) and does not person nationalist access. It is disposable for a assortment of uses, including boating and fishing. The 100 Acre Island sphere successful the halfway of the pond is simply a wooded land reachable by canoe, kayak oregon paddleboard from a adjacent campground.