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Border agent shooting suspect makes initial appearance before judge

By Michael Cusanelli

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    BURLINGTON, Vermont (WPTZ) — The suspect charged in the death of a Border Patrol agent in Vermont last week appeared in federal court Monday, and new documents obtained by NBC5 shed additional light on what led up to the deadly encounter.

Federal prosecutors filed a motion to detain 21-year-old Teresa Youngblut of Washington state after she was charged with using a deadly weapon to assault, resist or impede federal law enforcement and assault with a deadly weapon in the fatal shooting.

The shooting, which happened on Jan. 20, led to the death of Border Patrol agent David Maland. Another suspect in the shooting, German national Felix Bauckholt, also died as a result of the exchange of gunfire that involved several Border Patrol agents. While it is still unclear who fired the fatal shot that killed Maland, court documents show that Youngblut pointed a handgun at Maland during the encounter. A .40-caliber Glock 23 handgun was recovered from the defendant following the shooting, and two .40-caliber casings were recovered from the driver’s side of the vehicle where Youngblut had been sitting.

The guns recovered from the scene of the shooting were purchased from an individual who is allegedly a resident of Orleans, Vermont. Those guns were allegedly purchased from a federal firearms licensee in Mount Tabor, Vermont, in February 2024, according to the serial numbers.

That person is also a person of interest in a dual homicide investigation in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, according to the documents. The document said Youngblut and the other person who purchased the guns in Vermont that she and Bauckholt had on them at the time of the shooting had frequent contact with a person who was detained in Pennsylvania during that homicide investigation. The same person is also a person of interest in a homicide investigation in Vallejo, California, according to the motion.

The vehicle that Youngblut and Bauckholt had been driving was registered to Bauckholt in North Carolina. The documents also stated that Youngblut had traveled internationally in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

A journal recovered from the vehicle that allegedly belonged to Youngblut also detailed references to drug use despite no direct indicators of substance abuse, according to the court. Several phrases in the journal included references to using hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD and “acid” and their effects.

Prosecutors have yet to identify whether Youngblut has ties to Vermont, where the shooting took place. The motion said that Youngblut does not appear to be a Vermont resident, but she had told police that she and Bauckholt were in the area to purchase real estate.

A document found in the vehicle she was driving appeared to be a lease agreement for a shared workspace in Shelburne, Vermont, from June 2024, according to the motion, but the actual lease agreement has not been verified.

The state motioned Monday for Youngblut to be eligible for incarceration. The judge ruled that she is eligible. She is expected back in the courtroom on Thursday to determine if she should stay behind bars.

Until then, Youngblut will remain in custody.

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