Woman Charged in Vermont Border Patrol Agent’s Death Ordered Held Without Bail

A Washington state woman accused in the fatal shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont has been ordered held without bail, as investigators link the case to multiple homicides across the country.

Federal Charges in Border Patrol Shooting

Teresa Youngblut, 21, faces federal firearms charges in connection with the January 20 shooting of Agent David Maland during a traffic stop in northern Vermont. Prosecutors say Youngblut opened fire on agents, sparking a shootout that left her companion, Felix Bauckholt, dead.

At a brief court hearing on Thursday, neither Youngblut nor her attorney spoke. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on February 7. Her attorney has not responded to requests for comment.

Gun Tied to Pennsylvania Double Murder

Authorities in Pennsylvania have connected the gun used in the Vermont shooting to the December 31, 2022, murders of Richard and Rita Zajko, an elderly couple shot to death in their Chester Heights home.

Investigators say the firearm was purchased by a person of interest in that case, who was frequently in contact with both Youngblut and another individual linked to a separate murder in California.

A Web of Connections Across Multiple States

Court records reveal ties between key figures in the Vermont and Pennsylvania cases and another killing in California.

Jack LaSota, a man facing charges for obstructing law enforcement in Pennsylvania, was arrested while police searched for the gun used in the Zajko murders. LaSota has a history of activism and legal troubles, including a 2019 arrest in California while protesting an event hosted by the Center for Applied Rationality.

In 2022, two other individuals from that protest, Emma Borhanian and Alexander Jeffrey Leatham, were accused of attacking their landlord, Curtis Lind, with a sword in Vallejo, California. Lind survived the initial attack in November 2022 but was later stabbed to death on January 17, 2024.

Authorities have now charged Maximilian Snyder with Lind’s murder. Notably, public records indicate that in November 2023, a person named Maximilian Snyder applied for a marriage license with a “Teresa Youngblut” in Kirkland, Washington.

Mystery Surrounding LaSota’s Alleged Death

Adding to the complexity, court documents suggest that LaSota was reported dead in August 2022 after allegedly falling from a boat in San Francisco Bay. The U.S. Coast Guard conducted a search but never found a body. An obituary was published, and LaSota’s mother confirmed his death to his attorney.

However, months later, police in Vallejo contacted LaSota at the scene of a crime on November 13, the same day Lind was attacked. Prosecutors later informed LaSota’s attorney that he was “alive and well.”

Person of Interest Identified in Vermont Shooting

Authorities have not publicly named the individual who purchased the gun used in the Vermont shooting. However, VTDigger reported that federal authorities issued an alert to firearms dealers seeking information on purchases made by Michelle Jacqueline Zajko.

Public records indicate that a Michelle Zajko previously lived at the same Pennsylvania address as Richard and Rita Zajko. In 2021, she purchased a half-acre of land in Derby, Vermont, just a few miles from the Canadian border. The property remains undeveloped.