Latest news with #Bauckholt
USA Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Feds seek death penalty for Seattle woman linked to cultlike 'Zizian' group murder
The filing represents one of the first examples of the Trump administration's push to more aggressively seek the death penalty. Federal prosecutors are seeking to execute a Seattle woman accused of fatally shooting a U.S. Border Patrol agent in January, an incident tied to multiple other deaths linked to the cultlike "Zizian" group. In an Aug. 14 court filing, Department of Justice attorneys said they are pursuing the death penalty for Theresa Youngblut for the murder of agent David Maland near the Canadian border in Vermont on Jan. 20. Border Patrol agents shot and killed Youngblut's companion during a confrontation that followed a traffic stop. "We will not stand for such attacks on the men and women who protect our communities and our borders," acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti said in a statement announcing the decision. The filing represents one of the first examples of the Trump administration's push to aggressively seek the death penalty in cases involving federal agents. Youngblut's attorneys previously argued they needed more time to prepare for a death-penalty case, but a judge said prosecutors could proceed. According to authorities, federal agents had been suspicious of Maland and her companion, Ophelia Bauckholt, for several days as they traveled around northern Vermont. Both were wearing tactical gear and openly carrying guns, which is legal but unusual in Vermont. Additionally Bauckholt, who was transgender, was visiting the United States on a visa from Germany, and was listed as a man on immigration paperwork. Federal officials continue to refer to Bauckholt as a man. In a new indictment accompanying the death-penalty filing, federal officials said Border Patrol agents stopped Youngblut's Toyota Prius and were approaching the vehicle when she and Bauckholt got out. Youngblut began firing immediately, investigators said, and Bauckholt was killed before she could fire. The confrontation between Youngblut and Border Patrol agents appears connected to a series of deaths nationwide related to the cultlike "Zizan" group, which is also being investigated in California, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Earlier this year, a grand jury indicted the Zizian group's namesake, Jack "Ziz" LaSota, on weapons charges. And a man who Youngblut was planning to marry was arrested Jan. 24 in connection with the Jan. 17 slaying of a California landlord, according to court records. A longtime Vermont defense attorney familiar with the case previously told USA TODAY he believes Youngblut opened fire on the Border Patrol agents because she thought they knew about the California murder three days earlier. Federal prosecutors have not yet indicated what they believe motivated Youngblut.
NBC News
24-06-2025
- NBC News
Woman with ties to a cultlike group to appear in court after border agent's killing
A woman charged in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont is due in 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. Youngblut and Bauckholt were both affiliated with the 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 is a discovery hearing in Burlington. Discovery is a pre-trial proceeding in which both sides of a case exchange evidence and information. Both sides declined to comment in advance of the court date. The office of Steven Barth, who has represented Youngblut, said it had no comment on the case. Fabienne Boisvert-DeFazio, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont, said the office "does not comment on ongoing cases beyond the public record." In Vermont, authorities had been watching Youngblut 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.
24-06-2025
Woman with ties to a cultlike group to appear in court after border agent's killing
A woman charged in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont is due in 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. Youngblut and Bauckholt were both affiliated with the 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 is a discovery hearing in Burlington. Discovery is a pre-trial proceeding in which both sides of a case exchange evidence and information. Both sides declined to comment in advance of the court date. The office of Steven Barth, who has represented Youngblut, said it had no comment on the case. Fabienne Boisvert-DeFazio, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont, said the office 'does not comment on ongoing cases beyond the public record.' In Vermont, authorities had been watching Youngblut 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
24-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Woman with ties to a cultlike group to appear in court after border agent's killing
A woman charged in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont is due in 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. Youngblut and Bauckholt were both affiliated with the 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 is a discovery hearing in Burlington. Discovery is a pre-trial proceeding in which both sides of a case exchange evidence and information. Both sides declined to comment in advance of the court date. The office of Steven Barth, who has represented Youngblut, said it had no comment on the case. Fabienne Boisvert-DeFazio, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont, said the office 'does not comment on ongoing cases beyond the public record.' In Vermont, authorities had been watching Youngblut 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.
Boston Globe
16-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Woman connected to the Zizians fired the bullet that killed a Vermont border agent, report says
About 30 minutes into the stop, the agents asked Youngblut and Bauckholt to get out of their car to be questioned, the border agency said in its report, which doesn't name anyone involved. They reported that Youngblut 'suddenly drew a firearm and opened fire,' killing the agent David Maland, it said. One of four agents on the scene returned fire, striking Youngblut once in the arm and once in the leg. The same agent reported that Bauckholt began drawing a firearm from his side and that he ordered him to stop. Advertisement The agent said the man 'failed to comply' and that he fired twice on the man, striking Bauckholt twice in the chest. Two minutes after that exchange, an agent radioed in that another had suffered a critical gunshot wound to the neck, the report said. Agents and a Vermont state trooper rendered aid to him and he was driven to a hospital, where he died. Advertisement Youngblut was arrested and police attempted to place a tourniquet on her leg while awaiting emergency responders, according to the report. In total, that agent fired about eight rounds and Youngblut fired four, according to the border agency. Two guns were later recovered from the scene that had been in Youngblut and Bauckholt's possession, authorities said. On Jan. 19, a border patrol agent assigned to a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force notified the border patrol Newport Station management of a report that the couple had checked into a hotel wearing black tactical gear on Jan. 13, according to the report. At least one of them was carrying a gun and both arrived in the Prius they were later in during the shootout. The agent advised the Newport station that state and federal law enforcement officials 'had previously identified the male as a German citizen, in possession of a H1B visa with unknown immigration status.' Youngblut is charged with intentionally using a deadly weapon towards federal law enforcement, and using and discharging a firearm during an assault with a deadly weapon. She pleaded not guilty. When asked to comment on the report, Fabienne Boisvert-DeFazio, a spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont, said the office 'does not comment on ongoing cases beyond the public record.'
