BURLINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has given federal prosecutors in Vermont the green light to seek the death penalty for a Burlington man, who authorities say fatally shot two out-of-state drug dealers in the Northeast Kingdom two years ago.

Theodore “Theo” Bland, 30, formerly of Stowe sat expressionless as Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Turner disclosed Bondi’s ruling during a brief hearing in federal court in Burlington on Thursday afternoon.

Bland, who was dressed in a bright orange prison sweatshirt, appeared by video from Cheshire County Jail in Keene, N.H.. One of his defense lawyers, Bruce D. Koffsky of Fairfield, Conn., said a decision was made not to have Bland transported from the jail, which is 150 southeast of Burlington.

Turner explained that a federal grand jury will be asked to issue a new indictment that will cover the requirements that would allow for the death penalty, if Bland is convicted. He said that indictment should come by mid-November and the prosecution will provide formal written notice to the court for the death penalty.

Bland has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including gunning down the two out-of-state drug dealers at a home in Lowell on Oct. 12, 2023.

The bodies of Jahim “Debo” Solomon, 21, of Pittsfield, Mass. and Eric “E” White, 21, of Chicopee, Mass. were found about two weeks later in the town of Eden in nearby Lamoille County about a mile apart.

Senior Federal Judge William K. Sessions III said during the hearing if a new indictment is obtained, the court would schedule an arraignment.

Sessions also set Feb. 23 for the next status conference in the Bland case.

Turner was flanked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ophardt, chief of the criminal division in the office. Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher sat in the first row behind his prosecutors as the disclosure was made.

After the hearing, Koffsky declined to elaborate on his in-court comments.

Drescher also declined comment.

After the court hearing the defense team, which includes longtime St. Johnsbury lawyer David Sleigh, met behind closed doors in a first-floor conference room to discuss the latest developments.

Koffsky said in court the defense may have to reformat its team now that the death penalty is on the table for sure.

Koffsky was added to the case on March 17 as “Learned Counsel” for the defense because of his expertise in death penalty work. He has defended at least 10 high-profile homicide cases since 2019 and has attended various relevant continuing legal education training, including Federal Death Penalty Strategy Sessions for the past four years, court records note. Francis O’Reilly, another lawyer from Fairfield, Conn., was added in May.

The death penalty decision marks the second time in 2½ months that Attorney General Bondi and the Justice Department have approved use of capital punishment for a high-profile homicide case in Vermont.

In the other case, Teresa C. Youngblut, 21, of Seattle, Wash. is charged with fatally shooting an on-duty U.S. Border Patrol Agent about 3:15 p.m. Jan. 20 in the Northeast Kingdom. Youngblut is a member of a radical cult group, officials said.

The indictment also charges her with shooting at two other U.S. Border Patrol Agents, identified only as “J.M.” and “D. W.” The final two counts of her indictment concern Youngblut discharging the 40-caliber Glock and with possessing and discharging the firearm during a murder, records show.

Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland of Newport ordered a 2015 Toyota Prius that was registered in North Carolina to pull over for an immigration stop about nine miles south of the Canadian border on Jan. 20.

Officials maintain Youngblut, without notice or provocation, opened fire, killing the veteran agent, who never got a shot off. He was struck in the neck with one of two shots.

Her passenger, Felix Bauckholt, 28, a German national was killed in the shootout as he reached for his gun, officials said. Youngblut was wounded and hospitalized for about a week before she was brought to federal court. She remains detained in federal custody.

Youngblut is believed to be a member of the Zizians, a group that has been linked to at least six killings across three states, officials have said. They said it is led by Jack LaSota, a transgender woman known as Ziz.

Turner had said during a Sept. 8 federal court hearing for Bland that the death penalty consideration was still under review. He said he was still waiting to have a recommendation made by the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Once that was made, it would go to Bondi for a final determination, Turner said.

He said both sides participated in presentations to the Capital Case Committee at the Department of Justice in June. The committee got to review the arguments on behalf of Bland before making its secret recommendation to the Deputy Attorney General, Turner said.

Bland comes from a well-known Stowe family, which includes his father, Richard Bland, a lawyer and a former member of the town school board.

The double homicide is part of a complex interstate drug trafficking ring. At least eight people have been charged in U.S. District Court as part of the case investigated by the Vermont Drug Task Force, State and Morristown Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Other less involved people have been charged in state court.

Bland was first reported in December 2023 as the main person of interest in the double homicide in a Vermont News First (VNF) story that appeared in multiple newspapers in Vermont and Massachusetts. The news story was based on VNF’s own investigation, interviews and court records.

Republican President Donald J. Trump, who was inaugurated to a second term on Jan. 20, had told Attorney General Bondi that he wanted more use of the death penalty in serious drug cases.

Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, had called for a halt in capital cases.

Bland was initially charged before Trump took office, but a new indictment added two possible death penalty counts. Bland has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges of carrying and discharging a firearm while drug trafficking on Oct. 12, 2023. The two counts involve the deaths of Solomon and White.

The double shooting on Oct. 12, 2023 happened at a mobile home at 497 Eden Road in Lowell, although some witnesses claimed the trailer was in the town of Albany, officials said. It was the residence of Donald “D.J.” Billow, police said.

Investigators reported Billow noted it was his grandmother’s residence. Billow also knew two “plugs” — street talk for drug dealers or suppliers — were staying at the trailer, police said. They were believed to be White and Solomon, who were initially staying at an Airbnb in Stowe.

On the day of the shooting Billow said he only got into the kitchen when he saw Bland “going crazy and running around with a firearm. Billow advised he observed ‘Theo’ shooting the gun down the hallway at the door to the bedroom,” court records note.