PORTLAND, Maine (Court TV) — A judge said he was frustrated by the pace of a murder case after defense attorneys said they likely wouldn’t be ready for a key hearing until 2027.
“I’m just, I’m getting a little frustrated with this taking so long,” Judge Eric Walker said.
Deven Young is charged with murder in the death of Sunshine Stewart. (Zoom)
Deven Young, now 18, was 17 when he was charged with the murder of Sunshine Stewart, 45, a woman who disappeared while out paddleboarding and was later found dead. Young’s attorneys want their client to be tried as a juvenile, while prosecutors have asked to try him as an adult.
The hearing to determine whether Young’s case will move to adult court has been delayed multiple times since his 2025 arrest. First, prosecutors said they needed their expert to complete a report; now, Young’s attorneys say they have retained their own expert to examine the teenager.
Young’s attorney, Jeremy Pratt, told Walker during a virtual hearing on Tuesday that it took more than a month for the defense to successfully arrange their expert’s visit to Long Creek Youth Development Center, where the defendant is being held. Pratt didn’t specify what caused the delays, but said it wasn’t the expert’s fault.
Pratt said the expert needs three months after the evaluation is complete to compile their report, leading the defense to ask for the bindover hearing to be held sometime after Jan. 18, 2027.
Walker pointed out another complication: The Midcoast courts are being computerized, which will cause delays and shutdowns from mid-November to December. “Has there been any thought or discussion about possibly having this case heard elsewhere — maybe Augusta — if we could get time there rather than having to wait until January?”
Pratt objected, saying his expert would not have completed their report. At that point, Walker expressed his frustration to both parties. “I want to give Mr. Young obviously every opportunity to explore his expert and get that evaluation done; he obviously has to get that done,” Walker said. “But I’m just concerned that we’re now talking January or February.”
Pratt pointed out that the prosecution’s expert took just as long to produce their report, which wasn’t ready until Aug. 1.
Prosecutor Lisa Bogue told Walker that she expects the hearing itself, once scheduled, to last several days.
Young has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder; investigators ruled Stewart’s death was the result of strangulation and blunt force trauma, but released no other details about the crime.
Walker ordered the parties to return to court in November for a status update.
