Juvenile Charged with Murder in Maine: Uncovering the Process and Implications

Strategic Insights -

A 17-year-old has been charged with the murder of a 48-year-old woman who went missing while paddleboarding on Crawford Pond in Union. Sunshine Stewart's body was found after a search was launched from a nearby campground. Police believe she died of strangulation and blunt force trauma. The case has sparked interest in the process of charging juveniles with crimes in Maine.

Key Takeaways:

  • Under Maine law, anyone under 18 alleged to have committed a crime is considered a juvenile.
  • Judges in juvenile court have various options for imposing consequences, including rehabilitative programming, supervised work or service, restitution, and committing the juvenile to a relative or the Department of Health and Human Services.
  • If a juvenile is ordered to serve time at the Long Creek Youth Development Center, they must be released after turning 21.
  • The 17-year-old charged in Stewart's death is being held at Long Creek and will turn 18 in September.
  • A judge must agree to prosecute the juvenile as an adult before they can be held in an adult section of a jail.
  • Maine law keeps most juvenile records confidential, but exceptions include petitions for juveniles accused of murder over 13, high-level adjudication orders, and the names of alleged victims and their identifying information.
  • The bind-over process allows judges to decide whether juveniles accused of serious crimes, like murder, should be tried as adults. In this case, the prosecution has already filed a motion for a bind-over hearing.
  • The bind-over hearing considers reports and investigative materials, the seriousness of the crime, the juvenile's characteristics, and potential risks to public safety.
  • The judge must agree that prosecutors demonstrated enough evidence and decide whether the juvenile and public would be served best by trying the juvenile as an adult.

Statistics:

  • 17-year-old charged with murder of Sunshine Stewart
  • Long Creek Youth Development Center holds juveniles aged 12+ who have committed crimes
  • Juveniles ordered to serve time at Long Creek must be released after turning 21
  • 48, Sunshine Stewart's age at the time of death
  • September, the month the 17-year-old charged with murder will turn 18
  • Aug. 22, the scheduled meeting between the prosecution, defense, and judge in the bind-over hearing
  • 13, the age at which juveniles are subject to bind-over for murder and severe crimes
  • 3 years, the amount of prison time in the adult system that warrants a bind-over hearing

Sources:

  • Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine), We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers
  • Maine State law, Maine law keeps most juvenile records confidential
  • Office of the Maine Attorney General, Prosecutors want to charge the teen as an adult
  • Knox County Superior Court, Petition filed by prosecutors for a bind-over hearing