Prosecutors seek to try 17-year-old as an adult in Maine paddleboarder's death
Police charged Deven Young of Frankfort, Maine, with murder in the death of Stewart last week. He has been held at a youth detention facility in the Portland area and is due in court for a status conference on Aug. 22. The Office of the Maine Attorney General is moving to bind Young over so he can be tried as an adult, said Danna Hayes, a spokesperson for the office. A judge will need to rule on the request. The motion to try Young as an adult has been impounded by the court and is not publicly available, Hayes said.
'Although the court allowed us to release the name of the defendant, all of the other documents remain impounded, so we do not have additional information we can share at this time,' Hayes said. Young made a brief initial court appearance on Friday in which he entered a denial to the charge. His attorney, Jeremy Pratt, declined to comment Monday. If convicted of murder as an adult, Young faces a prison sentence of 25 years to life. A medical examiner determined Stewart's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, police have said. Authorities have not revealed a motive. Court documents released about the case contain little detail, and Maine State Police have declined to comment beyond announcing the arrest last week. They've said the investigation into Stewart's death is still active.
Stewart lived about 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond in the Tenants Harbor neighborhood in St. George. Friends of Stewart have described her as a fiercely independent adventurer who was deeply dedicated to her friends. Over the years, she worked as a fisherman, boat captain, carpenter, and bartender, among other jobs, friends said. 'She was just a wonderful friend, a really loyal, wonderful friend,' said a lifelong friend, Bethany Leach Parmley of Washington, Maine. 'She was just so fun and funny, and you couldn't help but have a good time around her.'
The pond in the 2,400-resident town of Union is about 600 acres (243 hectares) and does not have public access. It is available for a variety of uses, including boating and fishing. The 100 Acre Island preserve in the center of the pond is a wooded island reachable by canoe, kayak, or paddleboard from a nearby campground.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
10 hours ago
- Arab News
2 arrested after fatal stabbing of student in Cambridge, victim reported as Saudi
LONDON: Two men have been arrested following the fatal stabbing of a student in a park in the English city of Cambridge on Friday night. Police were called to the Mill Park area of the city at 11:27 p.m. on Aug. 1 following reports of violence. A 20-year-old man was found with serious injuries and was pronounced dead at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Though authorities in the UK have not yet officially identified the victim, reports in Saudi media from Al-Ekhbariya and Al-Arabiya on Sunday said the victim was a Saudi national named Mohammed Al-Qasim. A 21-year-old man from Cambridge has been arrested on suspicion of murder, while a 50-year-old man, also from Cambridge, has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, a Cambridgeshire Police statement said. Both remain in custody at Thorpe Wood Police Station, the statement added. 'We would like to thank the public for their support and assistance following our appeal,' said Detective Inspector Dale Mepstead from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit. 'The investigation remains ongoing, and we continue to urge anyone with information who has not yet come forward to contact us.' Arab News has contacted the constabulary for further information. EF International Language Campuses Cambridge, where the victim was studying, confirmed his death in a statement. 'We are deeply saddened at the death of one of our adult students,' the language school said. 'We are working closely with the local police, who are investigating the incident and have confirmed they made arrests. 'At this time, we understand the attack was carried out by a member of the public in an isolated incident. 'The safety and wellbeing of our students is our top priority. We are providing support to all students and staff affected by this tragic event and have organized counselling sessions. 'Our thoughts are with the student's loved ones during this incredibly difficult time and we have offered our full support. We will not be commenting further while the investigation is ongoing.' Cambridgeshire Police have asked anyone with information to contact them via the web chat service at or by calling 101 and quoting Operation Brackley.
ArabGT
13 hours ago
- ArabGT
Tesla Hit with $243 Million Verdict Over Fatal Crash
A courtroom in Florida may have just drawn a new line in the sand for autonomous driving. In a landmark ruling, a jury ordered Tesla to pay $243 million in damages following a fatal 2019 crash involving its Autopilot system. But beyond the headline figure, what really stands out is the message: when technology falls short, it can—and will—be held accountable. The tragedy claimed the life of Naibel Benavides Leon and left her former partner, Dillon Angulo, with lifelong injuries. Both were standing beside their parked Chevrolet Tahoe when a Tesla Model S, driven at high speed by George McGee, slammed into them. McGee had reportedly dropped his phone and was reaching for it when he ran a stop sign and red light—without any warning from the Autopilot system. The jury didn't let Tesla off the hook. While the driver bore a significant share of the blame, the court also held Tesla responsible—arguing that the design of Autopilot allowed for misuse, and that public claims from Elon Musk about its safety may have misled consumers. The verdict awarded $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. Tesla was found liable for 33% of the total. For Tesla, this is more than just a legal blow. It's a moment of reckoning. The company pushed back, insisting the crash was due solely to human error and warning that this kind of ruling could slow progress in developing life-saving technology. 'No car—then or now—could have avoided this accident,' Tesla said in a statement. But for Dillon and the family of Naibel, this ruling was something else entirely: a recognition that something broke down when it mattered most, and that someone needed to be held responsible. Legal experts are calling it a turning point. Professor Alex Lemann of Marquette University noted, 'We've seen many fatal Autopilot crashes, but this is the first time Tesla has been hit with a major financial judgment. It changes things.' And it comes at a sensitive time. As Tesla navigates slowing EV sales and rising pressure to justify its massive market valuation, the spotlight is back on whether its bold promises about autonomy and AI are outpacing reality. At its core, this case raises a vital question: in a world racing toward automation, what happens when the machines we're told to trust fail us? The answer, at least in this Florida courtroom, is that someone must answer for it.
Arab News
14 hours ago
- Arab News
Bangladesh protest victim gives evidence at ex-PM Hasina trial
DHAKA: The first witness in the trial of Bangladesh's fugitive ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina gave evidence on Sunday, a man shot in the face during protests that toppled her last year. Hasina, 77, who has defied court orders to return from India to attend her trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity, is accused of ordering a deadly crackdown in a failed bid to crush the student-led uprising. Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations. The first witness, among the 11 cases that the prosecution is expected to present to the court, was Khokon Chandra Barman, whose story reflects the violence of the protests. The 23-year-old wears a mask to conceal his face, which was ripped apart by gunshot during the culmination of the protests on August 5, 2024, the same day that Hasina fled Dhaka by helicopter. 'I want justice for the ordeal I've been going through, and for my fellow protesters who sacrificed their lives,' he told the court. Barman lost his left eye, while his right eye was damaged, as well as his lips, nose and teeth. A video showing Barman's blood-covered face was played in court, with the opening statements aired on the state-run broadcaster. Prosecutors have filed five charges against Hasina — including failure to prevent mass murder — which amount to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law. 'Sheikh Hasina was the nucleus around whom all the crimes committed during the July-August uprising revolved,' chief prosecutor Tajul Islam told the court on Sunday. Hasina is on trial in absentia alongside two other accused. One, her former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, is also a fugitive. The other, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, the former inspector general of police, is in custody. He has pleaded guilty. Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman said he wanted a 'fair trial,' speaking to reporters outside the court. 'People were killed and maimed — we demand the highest punishment for the crimes committed,' Asaduzzaman said. Amir Hossain, the state-appointed lawyer for Hasina, noted that Barman was shot during the chaotic final day of the weeks-long protests. He pointed out that several police officers were also killed in clashes with protesters and it was 'unclear who actually shot Barman.' Hossain said he was not in contact with Hasina, who has refused to accept the authority of the court. The trial continues.
