Teresa Youngblut, a 21-year-old from Seattle and an alleged member of the shadowy Zizians group, faced a Vermont judge on Friday, September 5, 2025, for the first time since federal prosecutors announced their intention to pursue the death penalty against her. The courtroom in Burlington, Vermont, was tense, with the gravity of the charges and the notoriety of the case drawing national attention. Youngblut stands accused of the January 20, 2025, fatal shooting of U.S. Border Patrol agent David Maland, a killing that has become entangled with the broader story of the Zizians—a group described by authorities as both cultlike and radical, with a trail of violence stretching across three states.
According to ABC News, the shooting occurred on a day already marked by political significance: the inauguration of President Donald Trump and his immediate signing of an executive order lifting the federal moratorium on executions. This timing, prosecutors argue, added urgency and symbolism to the federal government’s approach to the case. Youngblut was initially charged with using a deadly weapon against law enforcement and discharging a firearm during an assault—serious crimes, but not capital offenses. However, as the investigation unfolded, the Trump administration made it clear that more severe charges were imminent, part of a broader push to reinstate and utilize the federal death penalty.
The new indictment, handed down in August, charges Youngblut with the murder of a federal law enforcement agent, assaulting other agents with a deadly weapon, and a series of related firearms offenses. U.S. attorneys have stated unequivocally that they will seek the death penalty, a rare move in Vermont, a state that abolished its own death penalty in 1972. The last person sentenced to death on federal charges in Vermont was Donald Fell, convicted in 2005 for the abduction and murder of a supermarket worker. Fell’s sentence was later overturned due to juror misconduct, and he ultimately received life imprisonment after pleading guilty in 2018, as reported by ABC News.
The events leading up to the deadly confrontation on Interstate 91 were fraught with tension. Authorities had been monitoring Youngblut and her companion, Felix Bauckholt, for several days after a hotel employee reported seeing them carrying firearms and donning black tactical gear. When border agents finally pulled over the pair’s vehicle, Youngblut allegedly opened fire. In the ensuing exchange, Bauckholt was killed by return fire from an agent, and Youngblut herself was wounded. The violence was swift, but the investigation that followed revealed a far more complex and disturbing story.
Central to that story is the Zizians—a group described by law enforcement as a loosely organized but deeply committed collective of radical computer scientists. The group’s ideology, according to ABC News, is rooted in veganism, gender identity, and artificial intelligence, but it has also been marked by anarchist beliefs and a willingness to engage in violence. The Zizians are led by Jack LaSota, a transgender woman known online as Ziz. LaSota’s writings and digital presence reportedly attracted a cadre of young, highly intelligent followers, who became enmeshed in the group’s activities and, eventually, a series of violent crimes.
The Zizians have been linked to six killings across three states, including the death of one of their own members during an attack on a California landlord in 2022. That incident spiraled further, with the landlord himself killed earlier this year. In Pennsylvania, one member’s parents were found dead, their deaths also tied back to the group. Authorities allege that the Zizians’ crimes are interconnected, each act of violence feeding into a broader narrative of radicalization and lawlessness. The group’s reach, both physical and digital, has complicated efforts to contain and prosecute its members.
Jack LaSota and two other Zizians were arrested in Maryland in February 2025, facing a slew of weapons and drug charges. LaSota, in particular, faces additional federal charges as an armed fugitive. The group’s internal relationships are as tangled as their criminal cases. Another member, Michelle Zajko, is charged with killing the California landlord and had even applied for a marriage license with Youngblut. Zajko, arrested alongside LaSota in Maryland, is also accused of providing weapons to Youngblut ahead of the Vermont shooting. The web of associations and alleged conspiracies has left investigators piecing together a puzzle that spans state lines and legal jurisdictions.
For Vermont, a state with a long history of opposing capital punishment, the prospect of a federal death penalty trial is both rare and fraught. As noted by ABC News, Vermont’s state death penalty was abolished more than five decades ago, and the last federal death sentence handed down in the state was ultimately overturned. The Youngblut case, then, is not only about the specific facts of a deadly shooting but also about the broader question of how justice is pursued—and at what cost—when federal and state priorities collide.
The ideological motivations of the Zizians have become a focal point of both the investigation and public debate. Their embrace of veganism, gender identity politics, and artificial intelligence is, on its face, not inherently radical. But authorities argue that the group’s particular blend of beliefs, combined with a penchant for secrecy and a willingness to resort to violence, sets them apart from more conventional activist or advocacy groups. The FBI and other agencies have emphasized the importance of distinguishing between peaceful political expression and criminal conspiracy, but the Zizians’ actions, as alleged, have made that distinction increasingly difficult to parse.
The impact of the case has been felt well beyond Vermont. Law enforcement agencies in California, Pennsylvania, and Maryland have all been drawn into the investigation, sharing information and coordinating efforts to track down and prosecute group members. The deaths attributed to the Zizians have left families shattered and communities on edge, raising uncomfortable questions about how such a group could operate for so long with relative impunity. For many, the case has become a symbol of the challenges posed by modern extremism—ideologically driven, tech-savvy, and often operating in the shadows.
As Teresa Youngblut stood before the judge on Friday, the weight of the charges and the broader implications of the case were impossible to ignore. The coming months will see a high-profile trial, renewed debate over the death penalty, and, inevitably, further scrutiny of the Zizians and their place in the American landscape. For now, the nation watches as Vermont grapples with a case that is as complex as it is tragic, and as emblematic of the times as any in recent memory.
