BURLINGTON — A federal grand jury has returned a four-count superseding indictment charging Teresa Youngblut, 21, of Seattle, Washington, with the murder of a Border Patrol agent and assault of two additional agents with a deadly weapon.
The charges stem from a January 20, 2025, incident on Interstate 91 in Coventry when a U.S. Border Patrol agent conducted a traffic stop of a Toyota Prius carrying Youngblut and a male German citizen whose immigration status was in question.
According to court documents, both occupants were armed during the traffic stop. Youngblut allegedly exited the vehicle and opened fire without warning, resulting in the death of one agent.
Days before the shooting, law enforcement had noted Youngblut and her companion when a hotel employee reported they were wearing tactical gear and appeared armed. On the day of the shooting, officers observed the pair at a Walmart parking lot in Newport, where the German citizen was seen wrapping unknown objects in aluminum foil.
“As alleged, this defendant shot and killed a United States Border Patrol Agent while he was performing his duties,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will not stand for such attacks on the men and women who protect our communities and our borders.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher said his office “intends to continue to honor the men and women of law enforcement, and the memory of Border Patrol Agent Maland, by performing its prosecutorial duties so that justice may be done.”
The maximum penalty for the current charges is death. Attorney General Bondi has authorized the Acting U.S. Attorney to pursue capital punishment, and a notice of intent to seek the death penalty has been filed against Youngblut.
The FBI Albany Field Office investigated the case with assistance from Vermont State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, Newport Police Department, and Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.
Trial Attorneys Lisa M. Thelwell and Dennis Robinson of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher are prosecuting the case.
