Federal prosecutors said Thursday they would seek the death penalty against a Washington state woman accused of fatally shooting a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a traffic stop in January after she was indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge.
Teresa Youngblut, 21, is accused of fatally shooting David Maland on Jan. 20 in northern Vermont. Police say she opened fire on agents during a traffic stop, sparking a shootout that also left her companion, Felix Bauckholt, a German national, dead.
Youngblut initially faced federal firearm charges and was ordered held without bail in January. On Thursday, prosecutors announced that a Vermont grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Youngblut with the murder of the Border Patrol agent and the assault of two additional agents with a deadly weapon, along with related firearms offenses.
Youngblut and Baukholt had been under surveillance by law enforcement officials for several days prior to the shooting after a hotel employee reported the two were wearing tactical gear and appeared to be armed.
On the day of the shooting, officers observed the two in a parking lot in Newport, Vermont, where Bauckholt appeared to be wrapping unknown objects in aluminum foil, prosecutors said.
According to court documents, both Youngblut and Baukholt were armed during the traffic stop. Youngblut exited the vehicle and opened fire, killing one of the agents, authorities said.
“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 of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement.
According to the Associated Press, authorities have linked the shooting to the Zizians group, a cultlike group which consists of radical computer scientists focused on veganism, gender identity and artificial intelligence. They have been linked to six deaths in three states.
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
Kierra Frazier is a news editor for CBS News & Stations.
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