BURLINGTON, Vermont — A woman charged with the death of a US Border Patrol agent appeared in a Vermont federal court on Tuesday, one of several criminal cases linked to the Zizians, a cult-like group.
According to authorities, Teresa Youngblut fired the bullet that killed Agent David Maland during the January traffic stop. According to officials, another agent returned fire, wounding Youngblut and killing her companion, Felix Bauckholt.
The Zizians are fans of Jack LaSota, a computer scientist who blogs as “Ziz” on topics such as veganism, gender identity, and AI. The group is primarily composed of computer scientists who met online, shared anarchist beliefs, and became increasingly violent.
LaSota, who is facing state and federal weapons charges, was apprehended in February in rural western Maryland along with two other followers.
Youngblut and Bauckholt were both members of LaSota’s group, which authorities have linked to killings in Pennsylvania and California. Youngblut has pleaded not guilty to charges of intentionally using a deadly weapon against law enforcement and using and discharging a firearm during an assault with a lethal weapon.
The federal court appearance in Burlington on Tuesday was for a discovery hearing. Youngblut entered the courtroom handcuffed, wearing a face mask, an oversized burgundy shirt, and baggy white pants.
During the appearance, U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss proposed how the pretrial review of case material would be handled, including the appointment of a special master.
Defense attorney Steven Barth contended that the defense should conduct a “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 having “first crack on communications” and advocated for a special master to review case materials. He also stated that the government is still actively pursuing its case.
Reiss determined that she will be the reviewer and will use a special master if the workload becomes too much for her.
Authorities had been watching Youngblut for several days before her arrest, after she and Bauckholt checked into a hotel while dressed in black tactical gear and carrying guns. Local border patrol agents were also informed that Bauckholt was a German citizen with an unknown immigration status. Authorities claim Youngblut shot Maland after being pulled over.
The shootout was one of several violent incidents attributed to the Zizians. Members of the organization have been linked to the death of one of their own during an attack on California landlord Curtis Lind in 2022, Lind’s subsequent murder, and the deaths of a Pennsylvania couple.
Baltimore prosecutors announced last week that a federal grand jury had indicted LaSota on charges of being an armed fugitive. In her writings, LaSota uses feminine pronouns and describes herself as a transgender woman.
Authorities said LaSota had 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 requested to camp there. They were charged with trespassing, obstructing law enforcement, and illegal firearms possession.
A lawyer for LaSota has not yet been listed in federal court records.
