U.S. | Federal prosecutors seek death penalty for woman in fatal shooting of Border Patrol agent in Vermont

Federal prosecutors said Thursday they would seek the death penalty against a Washington state woman accused of fatally shooting a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a traffic stop in January after she was indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge.

Teresa Youngblut, 21, is accused of fatally shooting David Maland on Jan. 20 in northern Vermont. Police say she opened fire on agents during a traffic stop, sparking a shootout that also left her companion, Felix Baukholt, a German national, dead.

The agent was identified as David C. Maland by a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson.

"Agent Maland succumbed to injuries caused by gunfire following a traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont. U.S. Customs and Border Protection's thoughts and prayers are with Agent Maland's family during this difficult time," the spokesperson said.

The death was confirmed earlier by the FBI and Benjamine Huffman, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington.

At 3:15 p.m. Monday, Maland was conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 91, about 20 miles from the Canadian border, when "an exchange of gunfire occurred," the FBI said. Maland was shot, one suspect in the shooting was killed and a second suspect was wounded and taken into custody.

Youngblut initially faced federal firearm charges and was ordered held without bail in January. On Thursday, prosecutors announced that a Vermont grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Youngblut with the murder of the Border Patrol agent and the assault of two additional agents with a deadly weapon, along with related firearms offenses.

Lawyers for Youngblut did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Youngblut and Baukholt had been under surveillance by law enforcement officials for several days prior to the shooting after a hotel employee reported the two were wearing tactical gear and appeared to be armed.

On the day of the shooting, officers observed the two in a parking lot in Newport, Vermont, where Baukholt appeared to be wrapping unknown objects in aluminum foil, prosecutors said.

According to court documents, both Youngblut and Baukholt were armed during the traffic stop. Youngblut exited the vehicle and opened fire, killing one of the agents, authorities said.

"We will not stand for such attacks on the men and women who protect our communities and our borders," acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said Thursday in a statement.

According to The Associated Press, authorities have linked the shooting to the Zizians group, a cultlike group that consists of radical computer scientists focused on veganism, gender identity and artificial intelligence.

They have been linked to six deaths in three states.

Source: CBS News, Kierra Frazier, August 14, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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