The Department of Justice (DOJ) has been authorized to seek the death penalty in a case against Teresa Youngblut, the woman accused in the Jan. 20 shooting that killed U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland.

A federal grand jury returned the four-count indictment Thursday against 21-year-old Youngblut, charging her with the murder of Maland, the assault of two other agents with a deadly weapon and related gun offenses.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi formally authorized the pursuit of capital punishment, and the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Vermont has filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in the case, the agency said Thursday. 

Youngblut has been linked by investigators to “Ziz,” a fringe, self-described vegan, anti-government, transgender-rights collective that federal authorities say may be connected to multiple homicides throughout the U.S.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi speaks during a DOJ and DEA joint announcement on actions to combat drug cartels and drug trafficking under the Justice Department’s Operation Take Back America Initiative at the DEA Headquarters July 15, 2025, in Arlington, Va.  (Craig Hudson For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Trump admin’s decision to fast-track Youngblut’s death penalty case came after her attorneys accused the DOJ’s timeline of being “unprecedentedly tight” and warned it could render the pretrial process “a near-pointless formality.”

“This Court should step in to ensure Ms. Youngblut receives a meaningful opportunity to persuade the government not to pursue the death penalty,” a July 30 pretrial motion said.

The defense asked the court to extend the deadline to Jan. 30, 2026, arguing the current pace denies Youngblut due process.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ and Youngblut’s defense attorneys, Steven Barth and Julie Stelzig, for comment.