BURLINGTON – The U.S. Attorney in Vermont filed notice Thursday afternoon  that his office plans to seek the death penalty for a Washington state woman that authorities say gunned down a U.S. Border Patrol Agent in the Northeast Kingdom in January.

Teresa Youngblut, 21, of Seattle was named in a new four-count indictment returned Thursday morning by a federal grand jury in Burlington concerning the fatal shooting of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland in Coventry on Jan. 20.

It was shortly after 2 p.m. that Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher filed in U.S. District Court a 3-page “notice of intent to seek the death penalty.”

This marks the first time a charging document in the court case identified Youngblut as the shooter.  Earlier speculation indicated it was her because she had pulled her gun and fired twice, records show.  

The new indictment adds two new felony charges and modifies an earlier count to claim assaults on two other Border Patrol agents during the incident.

One new count charges Youngblut “with malice aforethought, unlawfully killed” Maland by shooting him while he was engaged in the performance of his duties.

The second new charge maintains Youngblut carried a firearm during a crime of violence – the murder alleged in count one of the new indictment.  She used a Glock model 23 .40-caliber pistol, the indictment said.

One of the previous charges has been amended to say that Youngblut actually shot at two Border Patrol Agents that were with Maland.  The new indictment identified them only by the initials “J.M” and “D.W.”

The earlier charge had said she had used a deadly weapon to assault, impede and interfere Maland.  The new charged conduct focuses on the two colleagues and not Maland.

“The United States Attorney’s Office intends to 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,” Drescher said in a prepared statement.  He declined to further discuss the new filings.

Drescher wrote to the court and Youngblut that the government believes the circumstances of the case justify a death penalty if she is found guilty for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in a death.

Drescher maintains Youngblut intentionally killed Maland and that she intentionally inflicted serious bodily injury that resulted in Maland’s death.

“Teresa Youngblut intentionally participated in an act, contemplating that the life of a person would be taken or intending that lethal force would be used …” Drescher wrote.

He added that Youngblut committed the offense against Maland, “a Federal public servant who was a law enforcement officer while he was engaged in the performance of his official duties, because of the performance of his official duties, and because of his status as a public servant.”

Drescher said  among the aggravating factors are Youngblut’s actions “caused injury, harm and loss” to Maland as well as to his family and friends.

Maland of Newport was gunned down during a deadly traffic stop near the Canadian border on Interstate 91 in Coventry about 3 p.m. Jan. 20.  He ordered a 2015 Toyota Prius that was registered in North Carolina to pull over for an immigration stop about nine miles south of the international border.

It was a few days earlier that law enforcement learned Youngblut and her companion were at a NEK hotel wearing tactical gear and appeared to be armed. The same day of the shooting, officers had observed the pair at a Walmart parking lot in Newport, where the German citizen was seen wrapping unknown objects in aluminum foil.

Authorities have said that without any warning, Youngblut, the driver, got out of the car and opened fire at Maland.  The Border Patrol agent was struck by one of two shots in the neck and never got a chance to return fire, officials said.

Another Border Patrol Agent, whose name has not been released, returned fire and wounded Youngblut.  The unnamed agent also fatally shot her passenger, Felix Bauckholt, 28, a German National, the car’s owner, as he attempted to draw his gun, officials said.

Newport Officer James LeClair rushed Maland in a city police cruiser to North Country Hospital in Newport, where he was later pronounced dead about 4 p.m.

Drescher became the acting U.S. Attorney in Vermont on Jan. 20, a few hours before the shooting and the same day President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated for his second term.

The nation’s new Attorney General Pam Bondi had said on Feb. 5 that the fatal shooting of the Border Patrol Agent in Vermont was a perfect example of when the country should resume using the death penalty.

President Trump and Bondi both have said they want federal prosecutors across the country to take a tougher approach to crime, especially violent acts, compared to former President Joe Biden’s administration being soft on crime.

Youngblut pleaded not guilty in federal court earlier to the initial two-count indictment.  She was charged with using a deadly weapon to assault a federal law enforcement officer while engaged in his official duties.  Youngblut also is charged with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

She was treated at a New Hampshire hospital for her gunshot wounds.  Youngblut was released from the hospital and appeared in federal court on Jan. 27 for the initial criminal complaint filed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Her parents, Eric and Carla Youngblut, have traveled to Vermont to attend virtually every court hearing. They have reserved comment.

Two .40-caliber casings recovered at the scene had supported the belief that Youngblut fired the handgun twice, the ATF has said.

“Following the incident, Youngblut and Bauckholt were each found to be in direct possession of a handgun — Youngblut was holding a Glock 23 .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, and Bauckholt had a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield EZ .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol in a holster on his waistband,” an ATF Task Force agent wrote.

Another woman from Orleans also has been officially charged with the illegal purchase of the two firearms used by her two friends in the deadly shootout in Coventry.

Michelle J. Zajko, 32, was named in a one-count criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Burlington by the ATF.

She is charged with making false statements while buying four handguns on Feb. 13 and 14, 2024 at The Last Frontier, a federally licensed gun dealer on U.S. 7 in Mount Tabor, south of Rutland.

Zajko is in custody in Maryland on unrelated charges. She is a person of interest in the double homicide deaths of her parents on New Year’s Eve 2022.

Also assisting the ATF and Vermont State Police were Homeland Security Investigations, United States Border Patrol, the Newport Police, and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.

The reaction was swift, including in Washington, D.C.

“As alleged, this defendant shot and killed a United States Border Patrol Agent while he was performing his duties,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“We will not stand for such attacks on the men and women who protect our communities and our borders,” he said.

Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division said the killing of a federal agent is more than a tragic loss.”

“It’s an attack on the security of our nation and the safety of our communities. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will not rest until those responsible are held accountable. We are all steadfast in our mission to curb violence that endangers both public servants and the citizens we are sworn to protect.”

Court documents allege that during the Jan. 20 vehicle stop, both Youngblut and her companion were armed. Youngblut exited the vehicle and, without warning, opened fire, resulting in the death of one of the agents.

Interim Chief Federal Defender for Vermont Steven L. Barth and the rest of the defense team had gone to Washington, D.C. on July 28 to meet with U.S. Justice Department officials to request that the death penalty not be considered.

The meeting was designed to allow the defense to present any mitigating evidence that it believed might bear on the government’s decision on whether to seek the death penalty.