Woman with ties to cultlike group appears in court after border agent's killing
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A woman charged in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent appeared in a Vermont federal court Tuesday in one of multiple criminal cases linked to a cultlike group known as Zizians.
Authorities have said Teresa Youngblut fired the bullet that killed agent David Maland during the January traffic stop. Another agent fired back, wounding Youngblut and killing her companion, Felix Bauckholt, officials have said.
The Zizians are a group of followers of Jack LaSota, a computer scientist who has blogged as 'Ziz' on subjects including veganism, gender identity and artificial intelligence. The group mostly consists of computer scientists who met online, shared anarchist beliefs and became increasingly violent.
LaSota, who is facing state and federal weapons charges, was taken into custody in February in rural western Maryland with two other followers.
Youngblut and Bauckholt were both affiliated with LaSota's group, which authorities have also linked to killings in Pennsylvania and California. Youngblut has pleaded not guilty to charges of intentionally using a deadly weapon towards law enforcement, and using and discharging a firearm during an assault with a deadly weapon.
The Tuesday federal court appearance was a discovery hearing in Burlington. Youngblut entered the courtroom in handcuffs, wearing a face mask, an oversized burgundy shirt and baggy white pants.
During the appearance, U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss put forth a proposal for how the pretrial review of case material will be handled, offering to appoint a special master.
Defense attorney Steven Barth argued that the defense should have 'first review of pretrial records to determine what is privileged, what is protected and what is not.' U.S. attorney Dennis Robinson argued against the defense getting 'first crack on communications' and expressed support for a special master to review case material. He also stated that the government is still actively developing its case.
Reiss ruled that she will be the reviewer and will use a special master if the workload becomes unmanageable for her.
Prior to Youngblut's arrest, authorities had been watching her for several days after she and Bauckholt checked into a hotel wearing black tactical gear and carrying guns. Local border patrol agents also were told that Bauckholt was a German citizen with unknown immigration status. Authorities said Youngblut shot Maland after being pulled over.
The shootout was one of several violent incidents that has been linked to the Zizians. Members of the group have been tied to the death of one of their own during an attack on California landlord Curtis Lind in 2022, Lind's subsequent killing, and the deaths of a Pennsylvania couple.
Prosecutors in Baltimore announced last week that a federal grand jury indicted LaSota on charges of being an armed fugitive. LaSota uses feminine pronouns and in her writings says she is a transgender woman.
Authorities said LaSota possessed several firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition when she and two other Zizians were arrested earlier this year after a resident called police to report that a group of people had parked box trucks on his property and asked to camp there. They were charged with trespassing, obstructing law enforcement and illegal gun possession.
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