Trump admin fast-tracks death penalty case for transgender cult suspect in Border Patrol killing: attorneys
Suspect linked to anti-government group 'Ziz' faces potential capital punishment for January shooting
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten By Sarah Rumpf-Whitten Fox News
Published July 2, 2025 7:00am EDT
Attorneys for Teresa Youngblut, the woman accused in the Jan. 20 shooting that killed U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland, are accusing the Justice Department of orchestrating a fast-tracked path to capital punishment that violates her constitutional rights.
In a June 30 motion filed in federal court, Youngblut’s defense team called the government’s timeline for deciding whether to pursue the death penalty "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," the motion says.
Youngblut, 21, 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.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/trump-admin-fast-tracks-death-penalty-case-transgender-cult-suspect-border-patrol-killing-attorneys