Vermont judge refuses to delay death penalty decision for Zizian charged in border agent's death
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The deadly shootout in Vermont happened on Inauguration Day, just hours before President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order lifting the moratorium on federal executions. Attorney General Pam Bondi later cited Maland's death in directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in murder cases involving law enforcement officers unless they find significant mitigating circumstances.
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Youngblut's lawyers argue the government has imposed a 'radically inadequate' and 'extraordinarily rushed' timeline for that determination. They filed a motion Monday asking the judge to reconsider her decision, saying a delay will not diminish prosecutors' authority.
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'Should the court grant Youngblut's motion, nothing will prevent the government from indicting death-eligible offenses or seeking the death penalty in this case,' they wrote. 'The government will simply be required to do so on a slightly less accelerated timeline.'
At the time of the shooting, authorities had been watching Youngblut and her companion, Felix Bauckholt, for several days after a Vermont hotel employee reported seeing them carrying guns and wearing black tactical gear. She's accused of firing at border agents who pulled the car over on Interstate 91. An agent fired back, killing Bauckholt and wounding Youngblut.
The pair were among the followers of Jack LaSota, a transgender woman also known as Ziz whose online writing about veganism, gender identity and artificial intelligence attracted young, highly intelligent computer scientists who shared anarchist beliefs. Members of the group have been tied to the death of one of their own during an attack on a California landlord in 2022, the landlord's subsequent killing earlier this year, and the deaths of a Pennsylvania couple in between.
LaSota and two others face weapons and drug charges in Maryland, where they were arrested in February
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