Teen Arrested in Maine Paddleboarder's Brutal Murder, Motive Still a Mystery| Crime Alert 6PM 07.18.2025

A shocking arrest is made in the brutal strangulation & beating death of a paddleboarder in Maine; a 17-year-old boy who is no stranger to the area has been taken into custody. 

A Marine Vet's sadistic 'Boot Camp' torture of his 6yo stepson is exposed in chilling surveillance video. Plus, a Florida woman clucks up, now she's facing charges...and it was all over a chicken. Jennifer Gould reports. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alart hourly update, breaking crime news Now, I'm Jennifer Gould.
The two week man hunt that gripped a tranquil main
town with terror ease finally over, but the shocking truth
has only deepened the horror. A seventeen year old boy
has been arrested in the savage killing of Sunshine Sunny Stuart,

(00:21):
the beloved forty eight year old marine biologist whose lifeless
body was found brutalized after a solo paddleboarding trip. Resident
Susan Crayton spoke to CBS thirteen.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Just relieve there's been an arrest. There was all kinds
of rumors circulating about the New England serial killer, and God,
there's been an arrest. I hope they can make it stick.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
The stunning breakthrough in Union brings a suspect to justice,
but the chilling question now is why was Sonny killed. Stuart,
a vibrant Tenants Harbor resident and boat captain renowned for
her radiant smile and passion for the sea, ventured out
alone on July second. Her destination the secluded six hundred
acre Crawford Pond, accessible via Mick mack Cove Campground, where

(01:08):
she had rented a camper she never returned. A frantic
midnight call sparked a massive multi agency search. A drone
aided the grim discovery. Sunny's body was found near one
hundred Acre Island after one am on July third, and
autopsy revealed the awful truth. Stuart died from strangulation and

(01:28):
blunt force trauma, her death a homicide. The Main State's
police Major Crimes unit plunged into a relentless investigation. Detectives
canvassed every inch of the area, painstakingly reviewed hours of
campground surveillance footage, and chased down every lead. The suspect,
a local mainteen who had been vacationing near the pond

(01:49):
with his family each summer, was nabbed without incident. This
Union resident spoke to ABC News, it's a scary thought
that you know somebody around here's done something will really
her Victor, the seventeen year old whose identity is shielded
under Main's juvenile laws, was hauled to Long Creek Youth
Development Center in South Portland. Officials are keeping a tight

(02:11):
lip on if he knew Stewart or what twisted motive
drove him to commit such a savage act, citing the
ongoing investigation while currently being held as a juvenile. In Maine,
as in many states, prosecutors can petition the court to
have juvenile charges with severe crimes like murder tried as adults,

(02:33):
a decision that would determine if his case moves to
adult court proceedings. In the maintime, police are urging anyone
with information or who may have witnessed anything in that
area from July TEWOD between six and nine pm to
contact them at two oh seven six two four seven
zero seven six. More Prime and Justice news. After this

(03:00):
chilling home surveillance video has unmasked a nightmare of unspeakable cruelty,
A decorated Iraq War marine veteran allegedly turned his Miami
home into a house of horrors, brutally torturing his six
year old steps on. The gut wrenching footage released by
the Miami Dade State Attorney's Office exposes Zachary Perez, forty two,

(03:25):
in what prosecutors described as a sadistic boot camp regimen,
leaving the innocent boy with agonizing physical and emotional scars.
Here's the judge discussing the brutal allegations in court It.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Says he put a place to dog collar on the
six year old stepchild's the stepson and yanked the victim backward,
forcing them to the ground. He did this for two days.
He kicked the victim in the stomach, causing him to
fall backwards, and struck him with a tree branch causing
an abridge.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
In one harrowing home video clip, Perez Cladden Black is
seen allegedly holding a pink dog leash wrapped around the
child's neck, yanking him violently to the ground. Other disturbing
videos capture the terrified boy forced to run outside with
a backpack stuffed with rocks, while additional footage shows Perez
kicking the child in the living room and again inside

(04:18):
a bedroom. Court records detail the child suffered swollen eyes,
scratches across his body, whip marks, and a painful rash
around his neck. Prosecutors have painted a grim picture of Perez,
describing him as a quote ticking time bomb end quote
ready to harm anyone. They point to a disturbing history

(04:39):
of domestic violence, including prior allegations from his own fourteen
year old daughter and five protective injunctions filed against him.
Prosecutors also vehemently refute the defense's claim that the boy's
mother approved of Perez's brutal disciplinary methods, stating that evidence
directly contradicts this assertion. Perez's mom, Barbara Perez, tried to

(05:02):
defend her son, claiming his actions stem from severe PTSD
hearing issues and a traumatic brain injury sustained during his
three combat deployments. Perez is facing charges of aggravated child
abuse with great bodily harm and torture. He pleaded not
guilty and was released on house arrest with a strict

(05:23):
order to stay five hundred feet away from the boy
and his mother. He is reportedly undergoing mental health treatment.
His next court date is August twenty eighth. And finally,
a Florida woman is facing some egg extremely serious charges
after a poultry powered pavement peril. Witnesses say Cynthia Diaz
Sosa hit the brakes to let a chicken cross the road,

(05:46):
really when another driver dared to honk, swerve and turn
that poor little bird into roadkill. Sosa, thirty eight, reportedly
hand raged and ready to ruffle some feathers, allegedly chased
Perla via door de Miller down to quote teach her
a lesson end quote. When she caught up, things got
harry or should we say feathery. Sosa tried to wing

(06:08):
her way into de Miller's car, then allegedly pulled out
bear mace and blasted it right into the victim's face.
Foul behavior. Indeed, TOPS later nabbed Sosa, who's now booked
on aggravated battery and burglary with assault. She has pleaded
not guilty. Talk about clucking up big time. For the
latest crime and justice news followed the Crime Alert hourly

(06:31):
update on your favorite podcast app with this crime Alert,
I'm Jennifer Gould.