Teresa Youngblut, Murder & Assault, Vermont 2025

A 21-year-old Seattle woman has been charged with the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent in Vermont.

Teresa Youngblut, 21, of Seattle, Washington, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Vermont on four counts, including the murder of a Border Patrol agent, assault of two additional agents with a deadly weapon, and related firearms offenses.

The incident occurred on January 20, 2025, when a U.S. Border Patrol agent conducted a traffic stop of a Toyota Prius on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont. Youngblut and a male German citizen, whose immigration status was in question, were in the car.

Court documents allege that during the vehicle stop, both Youngblut and her companion were armed. Youngblut exited the vehicle and, without warning, opened fire, resulting in the death of one of the agents.

The maximum penalty for the current charges is death, and Attorney General Bondi has authorized and directed the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont to pursue capital punishment in this case. Consistent with that authorization and direction, the Acting United States Attorney has filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Youngblut.

The FBI Albany Field Office investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Vermont State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, United States Border Patrol, the Newport Police Department, and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.

Trial Attorneys Lisa M. Thelwell and Dennis Robinson of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher for the District of Vermont are prosecuting the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/seattle-woman-indicted-murder-us-border-patrol-agent-vermont