Maritime memorial celebrates life of paddleboarder killed in Maine

ST. GEORGE, Maine (AP) — Friends and family of a Maine woman whose killing on a rural pond shocked the community celebrated her life with a maritime service on Sunday.

Sunshine Stewart, 48, of St. George, went missing in July while paddleboarding on Crawford Pond, a popular summer destination in Union. She was later found dead, and police charged Deven Young, 17, of Frankfort, Maine, with murder in connection with her death.

Stewart's loved ones called Sunday's memorial a “maritime celebration of life.” The memorial included a procession of boats, some decked out with flowers, in the Tenants Harbor section of St. George, where Stewart lived. On the boats were pictures of Stewart smiling and a large sign that read, “Shine On.”

The event was to honor “the radiant life of Sunshine ‘Sunny’ Stewart — a woman whose light touched every soul she met,” promoters said in a social media post.

The Office of the Maine Attorney General has said it is seeking to try Young as an adult. A judge will need to rule on that request. Young is due in court for a status conference on Aug. 22.

Young made a brief initial court appearance last month in which he entered a denial to the murder charge. His attorney, Jeremy Pratt, has declined to comment.

Authorities have released few details about the killing and have not publicly speculated about a motive. Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss said the investigation into Stewart's death is still active and “will be for some time.”

Stewart lived about 20 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond where she was killed. The pond is popular with boaters and fishermen and is the site of a campground. Police have said a medical examiner determined Stewart’s cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma.

In the weeks since the killing, friends of Stewart have memorialized her as an independent spirit, a dedicated friend and a lover of the ocean and the outdoors. She took a varied career path through life, working as a biologist, fisherman, carpenter and in many other roles, friends said.

Bethany Leach Parmley, a lifelong friend, described Stewart as “a really loyal, wonderful friend.”

Kim Ware, of Somerville, Mass., spreads the ashes of her sister, Sunshine Stewart, on High Island during a memorial service, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, off the coast of St. George, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Friends and family attend a memorial service for Sunshine Stewart, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, off the coast of St. George, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A girl tosses a sunflower into the water in honor of Sunshine Stewart, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in St. George, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Roses decorate a lobster boat during a memorial service Sunshine Stewart, a former sternman, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, off the coast of St. George, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Lobsterman Josh Hupper adds flowers to Sunshine Stewart's paddleboard prior to a memorial service, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in St. George, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

FILE - Crawford Pond is seen Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Union, Maine, as police investigate the murder of a woman last seen paddleboarding on the pond. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday in the first verdict from eight criminal trials over the martial law debacle that forced him out of office and other allegations.

Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.

The most significant criminal charge against him alleges that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion, and the independent counsel has requested the death sentence in the case that is to be decided in a ruling next month.

In Friday's case, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting.

Yoon has maintained he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised ruling that imposing “a grave punishment” was necessary because Yoon hasn’t shown remorse and has only repeated “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” The judge also restoring legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action was necessary.

Yoon, who can appeal the ruling, hasn’t immediately publicly responded to the ruling. But when the independent counsel demanded a 10-year prison term in the case, Yoon’s defense team accused them of being politically driven and lacking legal grounds to demand such “an excessive” sentence.

Prison sentences in the multiple, smaller trials Yoon faces would matter if he is spared the death penalty or life imprisonment at the rebellion trial.

Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance the court would decide Yoon should face the death penalty in the rebellion case. He said the court will likely issue a life sentence or a sentence of 30 years or more in prison.

South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely hand down death sentences. Park said the court would take into account that Yoon’s decree didn’t cause casualties and didn’t last long, although Yoon hasn’t shown genuine remorse for his action.

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shouts slogans outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for a bus carrying former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs as police officers stand guard outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A picture of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is placed on a board as supporters gather outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)