By Steve Neavling
A federal grand jury in Vermont on Thursday indicted a 21-year-old woman in the January shooting death of Border Patrol Agent David Maland during a traffic stop near the Canadian border.
Prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty, The New York Times reports.
The four-count indictment charges Teresa Youngblut with murder, assaulting two other agents with a deadly weapon, and firearms offenses. It alleges she “with malice aforethought, unlawfully killed” Maland “by shooting him while he was engaged in and on account of his performance of official duties.”
Investigators say Youngblut, a former college student from Seattle, and her companion, Felix Bauckholt, had been under surveillance for days after a hotel employee reported concerns about their “tactical-style” gear and weapons. On Jan. 20, about six miles south of the border, agents pulled them over on Interstate 91. Youngblut drew a gun and opened fire, according to the FBI. Bauckholt, a German citizen and former college student in Canada, was also killed in the exchange.
Attorney General Pam Bondi directed Vermont’s acting U.S. attorney, Michael P. Drescher, to pursue the death penalty.
“We will not stand for such attacks on the men and women who protect our communities and our borders,” Drescher’s office said in a statement.
A search of Youngblut’s Toyota Prius turned up a ballistic helmet, night-vision goggle, tactical belt, ammunition, respirators, and two-way radios, according to the FBI. Investigators have linked the pair to a fringe group called Zizians, whose members have been connected to killings in California and Pennsylvania.
