Bland, son of prominent lawyer, shared Morrisville drug den with victims

A version of this news story was published today in the Caledonian Record.

A decision on whether a former Stowe man will face the death penalty in the case of two out-of-state drug dealers killed in the Northeast Kingdom in October 2023 remains under review in Washington, D.C.

During a federal court hearing for Theodore “Theo” Bland, 30, of Burlington, on Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Turner said he was still waiting to have a recommendation made by the Deputy Attorney General.

Once that is made, it will go to Attorney General Pam Bondi for a final determination about possible capital punishment in the case, Turner said.

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

Under questioning from Senior Judge William K. Sessions, Turner said all he could report was that the case is now before the Deputy Attorney General. He said he was unable to provide an estimate on the timing.

Turner said in the past, the turnaround time was roughly about six weeks, but there are new changes in Washington now on how decisions are made.

This summer, Bondi did approve the death penalty for another Vermont homicide involving the fatal shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent in the line of duty in the Northeast Kingdom on Jan. 20. Teresa C. Youngblut, 21, of Seattle, Wash., could face the death penalty if convicted. She pleaded not guilty last Friday to four felony charges in the newest indictment.

Sessions had called for Monday’s status conference in the case to try to keep things moving forward in court. He also wanted to ensure the prosecution was sharing all the relevant evidence with the defense.

Defense attorney Bruce D. Toffsky of Fairfield, Conn., one of three lawyers for Bland, reported that Turner and his colleagues have been “incredibly generous” in providing the evidence and communicating.

Turner said his office will continue to turn over any additional evidence generated in the case to the defense, which includes St. Johnsbury lawyer David Sleigh.

Sessions said another status conference will be scheduled once the word comes from Washington, D.C.

Bland is facing 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.

Bland, who is detained in an out-of-state prison, said nothing during the 4-minute video conference hearing.

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.

Meanwhile, another longtime conspirator in the major drug trafficking ring has been arraigned in federal court on six charges.

Graham “Scotty” Taylor, 47, of Morristown, pleaded not guilty to the six felony counts, including operating a crack house in Lamoille County between June 28, 2022, and July 29, 2025.

Taylor is at least the eighth player charged in federal court as part of the drug trafficking case investigated by the Vermont Drug Task Force, State and Morristown Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Taylor played host at 779 Moren Loop in Morrisville to Bland, his former girlfriend Teesha Nooth and Jahim Solomon, one of the victims of the double homicide, court records note.

“The defendant has allowed his home to be a hub for drug and firearms activity. He has also actively distributed drugs both at his home and elsewhere in the community,” Turner, the prosecutor said in court papers.

Turner said Taylor permitted Bland, Nooth and Solomon to use the Moren Loop home in support of their drug distribution business in the days leading up to the double homicide in October 2023.

“There is evidence that Bland and Solomon traded firearms at the defendant’s residence,” Turner wrote in court papers.

Taylor is charged with unlawfully and knowingly managing and controlling the residence for the purpose of the illegal manufacturing. Soring, distributing and using of crack cocaine and powder cocaine, the indictment said.

Taylor is charged with distribution of crack cocaine on Dec. 21, 2024, March 20, 2025, and March 24, 2025, and with selling powder cocaine on Dec. 23, 2024, and July 29, 2025, the indictment said.

The government is also asking the federal court to have Taylor forfeit any property and proceeds obtained from his drug trafficking.

Defense attorney Brooks G. McArthur did not contest the motion to detain Taylor pending trial.

Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle agreed to the request by McArthur for two months to investigate the case and consider pre-trial motions.

Among the co-defendants is Dilan D. Jiron, 29, who admitted this summer in U.S. District Court that he conspired to use firearms to further his drug trafficking.

The defendant, the nephew of state judge Justin Jiron, also admitted he conspired with Bland, records show.

Members of Solomon’s family have attended some of the court hearings and have worn white t-shirts with his picture and a message “In Loving Memory.”

Family members have said the two young men had traveled from Massachusetts to Vermont to sell drugs, records note.

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. It was based on VNF’s own investigation, interviews and court records.

The government plans to use Jiron and several of his colleagues to prosecute Bland as the triggerman.

Republican President Donald J. Trump, who was inaugurated to a second term on Jan. 20, has told Attorney General Pam Bondi that he wants 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.

As police investigated, Judge Jiron was quickly disqualified from considering state search warrants early on in the case involving various suspects, including his nephew, although he was not charged right away, records show.

Dilan Jiron is well known as a defendant in Vermont criminal courts, including Lamoille, Caledonia and Franklin Counties, according to public records.

For some unknown reason, Jiron was never arrested in the federal case after his initial indictment in September 2024 and instead was given a summons for criminal court. When he failed to appear, Jiron soon learned that federal judges, unlike state judges, take a dim view of defendants disregarding judicial orders. He was soon arrested by federal authorities and held ever since.