FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. — A 19-year-old Brunswick man will spend life in prison after pleading guilty to rape and murder in the death of 61-year-old Tammy Sue Coates earlier this year.
Juwuan Terry Stewart was sentenced to life plus 20 years by a Frederick County Circuit Court judge, following a guilty plea accepted in February 2025. Stewart is also required to register as a lifetime sex offender.
Prosecutors said Stewart had approached Coates on January 17, 2024, asking to shovel snow from her car for money, a request she repeatedly refused.
On January 22, police responded to Coates’ home on the 300 block of Ninth Avenue, where she was found unresponsive. She was later confirmed dead from stab wounds and asphyxia.
At the time, Stewart was 17 and was under an ankle monitor, which was later found discarded in his backyard after he reportedly cut it on the day he first contacted Coates.
Evidence linked Stewart to the crime scene, leading to his arrest by Brunswick police in March 2024. He was charged as an adult and convicted in the case.
