Vermont judge refuses to delay death penalty decision for Zizian charged in border agent’s death

(AP) — A federal judge in Vermont has refused to delay a decision on whether a woman charged in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent will face the death penalty.

In an order made public Monday, Chief Judge Christina Reiss denied a motion from Teresa Youngblut, 21, who is accused of opening fire on agent David Maland during a traffic stop on Jan. 20.

Youngblut, who is part of a cultlike group known as Zizians that has been connected to six killings in three states, faces a July 28 deadline to explain why prosecutors should not seek the death penalty, even though she has yet to be charged with a crime eligible for such a punishment.

Youngblut’s attorneys asked the judge to set a new deadline of Jan. 30, 2026, for submitting mitigating evidence and to prohibit prosecutors from making a decision until after the material has been reviewed. The judge expressed concern that the government is ignoring its own procedures and needlessly rushing the case but ultimately said “both the process and the ultimate charging decision are the sole prerogative” of prosecutors.

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.

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.

“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, while LaSota faces additional federal charges of being an armed fugitive.