United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont has announced Theodore Bland, 29, of Stowe, Vermont, pleaded guilty to federal firearm and drug charges, including causing the deaths of two men while carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking. The guilty pleas were entered before United States District Judge William K. Sessions III. Sentencing is scheduled for September 14, 2026 at 10am.

According to court records, between approximately September 7, 2023 and October 15, 2023, Bland conspired with others to distribute cocaine base and fentanyl to drug customers in and around Lamoille County, Vermont. On October 12, 2023, Bland shot and killed two men at a residence in Lowell, Vermont for the purpose of taking the bulk cocaine base and fentanyl that the men had in their possession. Following the murders, Bland provided a portion of the stolen drugs to co-conspirators to distribute to drug customers. Bland also distributed portions of the stolen drugs to various people to ensure their cooperation and assistance in concealing the murders. Bland moved the bodies of the men to a wooded area in Eden, Vermont, and attempted to conceal them. After the murders, Bland took possession of two firearms that had been possessed by the men and traded one of the firearms to a drug supplier in exchange for additional quantities of cocaine base and fentanyl that Bland intended to distribute. 

The United States had previously filed a notice indicating the intent to seek the death penalty. After his plea, Bland faces up to a lifetime term of imprisonment, and a mandatory minimum of 10 years of imprisonment. The actual sentence, however, will be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors. If the District Court accepts the plea agreement negotiated by the parties, defendant Bland will be sentenced to life imprisonment.

First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police, the FBI, the Morristown Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department.