DOJ seeks death penalty for Teresa Youngblut in Border Patrol agent murder
Procession for slain U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland
The body of Maland, who was killed in a shooting 20 miles south of the Canadian border, is moved to a funeral home in Burlington while a long line of police vehicles follow behind the hearse and Vermont State Troopers stand at attention.
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) has been authorized to seek the death penalty in a case against Teresa Youngblut, the woman accused in the Jan. 20 shooting that killed U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland.
A federal grand jury returned the four-count indictment Thursday against 21-year-old Youngblut, charging her with the murder of Maland, the assault of two other agents with a deadly weapon and related gun offenses.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi formally authorized the pursuit of capital punishment, and the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Vermont has filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in the case, the agency said Thursday.
Youngblut has been linked by investigators to “Ziz,” a fringe, self-described vegan, anti-government, transgender-rights collective that federal authorities say may be connected to multiple homicides throughout the U.S.
TRUMP ADMIN FAST-TRACKS DEATH PENALTY CASE FOR TRANSGENDER CULT SUSPECT IN BORDER PATROL KILLING: ATTORNEYS
Teresa Youngblut, charged by the FBI in the shooting death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland, is seen in the office at the Newport City Inn Jan. 14, 2025, in Newport, Vt., in this still-frame photograph from video released by the inn. (Newport City Inn photograph via AP)
According to court documents, the new indictment outlines additional details about the hours leading up to the Jan. 20 shooting in Coventry, Vermont.
Days before the deadly traffic stop, law enforcement took note of Youngblut and Felix Bauckholt, a German citizen whose immigration status “was in question,” the DOJ said. The agency said a hotel employee reported they were wearing tactical gear and appeared armed.
On the day of the shooting, officers allegedly saw the pair in a Newport, Vermont, parking lot, where the man was observed wrapping unknown objects in aluminum foil.
David Maland, a Minnesota native and U.S. Air Force veteran, worked as a Border Patrol agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station. He spent nine years in the military and 15 working for the federal government. (U.S. Border Patrol)
During the stop along Interstate 91, both suspects were reportedly armed, and prosecutors allege Youngblut exited the pair’s Toyota Prius and opened fire without warning, killing Maland and endangering two other agents.
GERMAN NATIONAL SUSPECT IDENTIFIED IN KILLING OF US BORDER PATROL AGENT IN VERMONT
A Border Patrol agent moves a robotic device next to a Border Patrol vehicle on southbound Route 91 near Newport, Vt., where a U.S. Border Patrol Agent was shot dead Jan. 20, 2025. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
A robotic device inspects a backpack near what appears to be a body on the ground on southbound Route 91 near Newport, Vt., where a U.S. Border Patrol agent was shot dead Jan. 20, 2025. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division called the killing “an attack on the men and women who protect our communities and our borders,” vowing that federal prosecutors “will not stand for such attacks.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher for the District of Vermont said his office would continue to “honor the men and women of law enforcement and the memory of Border Patrol Agent Maland by performing its prosecutorial duties so that justice may be done.”
FBI Assistant Director Jose A. Perez described the murder of a federal agent as “more than a tragic loss,” calling it “an attack on the security of our nation and the safety of our communities” and pledging the bureau “will not rest until those responsible are held accountable.”
BORDER PATROL AGENT KILLED IN VERMONT IDENTIFIED
Attorney General Pamela Bondi speaks during a DOJ and DEA joint announcement on actions to combat drug cartels and drug trafficking under the Justice Department’s Operation Take Back America Initiative at the DEA Headquarters July 15, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (Craig Hudson For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Trump admin’s decision to fast-track Youngblut’s death penalty case came after her attorneys accused the DOJ’s timeline of being “unprecedentedly tight” and warned it could render the pretrial process “a near-pointless formality.”
“This Court should step in to ensure Ms. Youngblut receives a meaningful opportunity to persuade the government not to pursue the death penalty,” a July 30 pretrial motion said.
The defense asked the court to extend the deadline to Jan. 30, 2026, arguing the current pace denies Youngblut due process.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ and Youngblut’s defense attorneys, Steven Barth and Julie Stelzig, for comment.