A woman has been linked to the death of a U.S. border patrol agent in northern Vermont. Prosecutors disclosed that she used a firearm purchased by an individual who was a person of interest in a double murder case in Pennsylvania and California.
Teresa Youngblut, 21, is facing two weapons charges related to the death of Border Patrol Agent David Maland, 44, who was killed during a fatal traffic stop confrontation in Coventry, Vermont on January 20. She had been in the company of Felix Bauckholt, a German national who was also fatally shot.
Authorities stated that the gun utilized by Youngblut and the one carried by Bauckholt are tied to a third individual in Vermont. The purchaser, according to prosecutors, is a person of interest in a dual murder inquiry in Pennsylvania, as disclosed by U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher.
That individual is also a person of interest in a murder investigation in Vallejo, California, federal prosecutors said. No other details were provided.
“An originally peaceful interaction between the United States Border Patrol and the occupants of a vehicle became confrontational based on the defendant’s conduct, and she then unnecessarily and inexplicably escalated to deadly violence,” prosecutors said in a Monday court filing.
Maland, a Minnesota native and U.S. Air Force veteran, worked as a Border Patrol agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station.
This undated image courtesy of Joan Maland shows U.S. Border Patrol agent David Maland, who was killed Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, following a traffic stop in Vermont. (David Maland/Joan Maland via AP)
Youngblut made her first court appearance on Monday in Burlington, Vermont.
“This investigation remains very active, and the legal process continues,” FBI spokesperson Sarah Ruane said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. District Court in Burlington and the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont for comment.
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
