A U.S. Border Patrol agent’s death has led to the arrest and detention without bail of a woman from Washington state. This case has now expanded to involve multiple killings across different states.
Teresa Youngblut, a 21-year-old woman, is currently facing federal firearms charges in relation to the tragic death of Agent David Maland on January 20th. According to authorities, she allegedly initiated gunfire towards the agents during a routine traffic stop in northern Vermont, resulting in a shootout that tragically claimed the life of her companion, Felix Bauckholt.
The backstory: According to the Pennsylvania state police, the individual involved in the Vermont shooting had purchased the firearm. This person is also a person of interest in the murder of Richard and Rita Zajko on December 31, 2022, in their Chester Heights residence. It was revealed that both the suspect and the gun buyer had frequent communication with someone who is currently in custody as part of the Pennsylvania investigation and is considered a person of interest in another homicide case in California. U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher highlighted this information in a court filing.
During a brief hearing on Thursday, prosecutors did not provide any additional details about the case. Neither Youngblut nor her attorney spoke during the hearing. Youngblut’s attorney has not yet commented on the charges, despite multiple requests for a statement. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for February 7th.
Police and court records have provided some insights into the connections in the meantime.
Jack LaSota is currently charged with obstructing law enforcement and disorderly conduct in Pennsylvania. It is unclear whether these charges are connected to the Zajko deaths. However, court records reveal that the police apprehended LaSota 12 days after the killings at a hotel approximately 10 miles away from the crime scene while they were searching for a firearm used in the two murders.
LaSota also has connections to several key players in the California case.
Delve further into the topic: In 2019, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that LaSota and three other individuals were arrested during a protest at a camping retreat in Occidental. The protest was held during an event organized by the Center for Applied Rationality. Fast forward to 2022, Emma Borhanian and Alexander Jeffrey Leatham, two of the aforementioned individuals, were charged with assaulting their landlord in Vallejo using a sword. Although the landlord, Curtis Lind, survived the attack in November 2022, he tragically passed away on January 17th from the injuries sustained.
According to court documents, it is suggested that LaSota may have been present during the landlord attack in 2022. Interestingly, these documents also indicate that LaSota had been falsely reported dead three months prior to the incident.
According to documents included in a civil rights lawsuit filed by LaSota and others after their 2019 arrest, the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a report on Aug. 19, 2022, stating that LaSota had fallen out of a boat in San Francisco Bay. Despite conducting a search, the Coast Guard was unable to locate LaSota’s body. During this time, an obituary was published, and LaSota’s mother confirmed the death to their criminal defense attorney. However, several months later, a prosecutor contacted the attorney via email, revealing that LaSota was actually alive and well. It was stated that LaSota had been contacted by police in Vallejo and was present at a crime scene on or around Nov. 13, which coincided with the date of the attack on Lind.
According to Jerold Friedman, the attorney who represented LaSota in the civil case, he confirmed the accuracy of the Coast Guard report when it was initially presented. However, he does not remember the last time he had any communication with LaSota. On the other hand, the attorney who represented LaSota in the criminal case in 2019 has not yet responded to an email requesting a comment. Additionally, a phone message was left at the office of the lawyer who is listed as representing him in the ongoing Pennsylvania case.
According to VTDigger news site, federal authorities have issued an alert to firearms dealers requesting information about purchases made by Michelle Jacqueline Zajko. She is described as a person of interest in the Vermont shooting. However, the authorities have not publicly identified the individual who bought the gun used in the incident.
Michelle Zajko was registered to vote in 2016 at the same home address in Pennsylvania as Richard and Rita Zajko, as per a public records database. Recently, in 2021, Michelle Zajko purchased an undeveloped half-acre piece of property in Derby, Vermont, which is located just a few miles away from the Canadian border, according to town records.