28 years in prison for Chester County man guilty of murder, police threat

WEST CHESTER — A Chester County man who pointed a handgun at a Coatesville police officer who was investigating a homicide was sentenced Friday to more than 28 years in state prison by a Common Pleas Court judge.

Stephen Derez Young, 36, of Parkesburg, had earlier this year pleaded guilty to the shooting death of 40-year-old Warren Donald Curtis in August 2022 in Coatesville and other charges.

Judge Allison Bell Royer sentenced him to 28 years and three months to 56½ years.

In her sentencing memorandum, Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Frei asked Royer to impose a prison term of 40 to 85 years behind bars, not only for the homicide charges but also for a previous arrest in which Young was found to have an illegal weapon during a drunk driving stop a few days before the fatal shooting.

Frei spoke not only of Young’s culpability in both cases and his long history of criminal behavior but also of the anguish Curtis’s family and friends had suffered because of his death.

“(Young) demonstrated he has no regard for the value of human life when he pulled the trigger multiple times on the night of August 20, 2020, and extinguished the life of Warren Curtis,” Frei wrote. “Warren died alone on the street at the hands of defendant. There were no goodbyes or anyone to hold his hand. His last words to police officers indicating he could not breathe and did not want to die, indicate Warren was painfully aware he was dying.

Frei said that her office “cannot measure the profound and lasting impact of defendant’s murder upon Warren’s friends and family. (Young) will someday be paroled for his crimes, but he sentenced Warren’s family to a lifetime of Warren’s absence from holidays, birthdays, and other family events. Warren’s laughter and love in their lives has been replaced with a daily sense of grief and loss.”

In a victim impact statement, Curtis’ mother told Royer about his childhood and how he had grown into a loving father and faithful friend. “He always took to the kids first because of his love for them,” said Barbara Mauldin. “Donald saw the good in most people. He treated them like they were the only people on earth.”

Also speaking during the sentencing was Coatesville Police Officer Jared Davis, at whom Young pointed a handgun before barricading himself in a house. The veteran officer described how he reacted when he faced the weapon and the danger it presented.

“I was certain I was about to be shot,” he said in his statement to the court. “I remember I was thinking I was not ready to die. I did not want my life to stop on that front porch. After the incident was over it really set in that I was close to dying.” He said he remembered his hands shaking.

Davis said he called his parents as soon as he could to let them know what happened. He said it was important for them to know he was unharmed, since his uncle, William Davis, had been a police officer in Kennett Square when he was shot to death in an ambush with another officer, Richard Posey, in 1972.

As for Young, his attorney said his actions were the result of a mental snap caused by his use of psychotropic drugs in the weeks leading up to the shooting. He suggested that Young had become upset because Curtis was romantically involved with his niece.

Attorney Brian McCarthy of Exton asked Royer to impose a mitigated sentence because his client had accepted responsibility for what he did, had suffered abuse as a child, and had a longstanding drug addiction. He urged her to sentence him to a term of 16½ to 33 years in state prison.

The description of events surrounding the homicide and the police encounter with Young is as follows:

Curtis was found by police around 12:30 a.m. Aug. 27, 2020, in the 700 block of East Lincoln Highway, lying on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds to his upper torso. He was transported to Brandywine Hospital and pronounced dead there.

Officers located a trail of blood leading from the victim to North 7th Avenue, about a block away. While searching the area they found several 9 mm shell casings on the front porch of a house in the 50 block of North 7th Avenue, where it was later learned Curtis and his girlfriend lived. While reviewing video surveillance cameras located in the area of the shooting, police observed a man in a white t-shirt run off the porch of the home at 12:29 a.m. being chased by another man in dark clothing. The man in the white t-shirt matched the description of the clothing Curtis was wearing when he was found on the sidewalk.

Detectives spoke to a witness who lives in close proximity to Curtis’ home. The person, who was not identified by name in the complaint filed by Detective Kirt Guyer, told investigators they were watching television when they heard a gunshot, followed by three more gunshots when they went outside. The person said they saw a man running east on Diamond Street who was being chased by another male.

The witness stated the man who was chasing the first subject immediately returned to Diamond Street and North 7th Avenue and put something into a gold Honda parked on the southwest corner. The person observed the subject, later identified as Young, playing with an object in his hands that appeared to be a 9 mm handgun. The subject opened the driver’s door of the gold Honda and changed clothing.

At 11:47 a.m. on Aug. 28, city police were again dispatched to the house on North 7th Avenue because two witnesses reported seeing Young return to the residence with a gun.

Davis was the first to arrive at the location and observed a man on the front porch matching the description of the suspect. As Davis got out of his patrol car, he gave Young, whom he knew from previous incidents, commands to come off the porch so they could talk. Young refused and started to back into the residence.

As Davis stepped onto the porch, continuing with his verbal commands, the subject stated “no” and pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the officer’s chest. Davis took cover to avoid being shot, and the subject backed into the residence and shut the door.

Approximately 30 law enforcement units established a perimeter around the house, and at 12:51 p.m., Young surrendered to law enforcement by walking out the front door of the residence. After Young was taken into custody, law enforcement recovered a black semi-automatic 9 mm handgun from the residence.

“He is a clear danger to everyone in the community, no matter what community it is,” said Davis, who recounted other violent encounters he had with Young in the past. “He will hurt someone again if given the chance.”

To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.