STOWE, Vt. — Theodore Bland, 31, of Stowe, Vermont, was sentenced September 14, 2026, to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for the murders of two men during a drug-related robbery, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.
U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III imposed the sentences after Bland pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of two men while carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking. Bland also received concurrent prison sentences for additional federal drug and firearm offenses.
The court ordered Bland to pay $12,504.92 in restitution to the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services.
According to court records, on the morning of October 12, 2023, Bland entered the back bedroom of a mobile home in Lowell, Vermont, and shot two men to death. Prosecutors said Bland killed the men to obtain cocaine base and fentanyl that he knew they possessed as part of his own drug-distribution operation.
The shootings occurred in broad daylight and in front of multiple witnesses. In the hours and days afterward, Bland allegedly bragged to others about the killings.
Prosecutors said Bland then used drugs and firearms taken during the murders to persuade several people to help move the victims’ bodies to a wooded area in Eden, Vermont, and attempt to conceal the killings. He also traded one of the firearms stolen from a victim to a drug supplier in exchange for cocaine base and fentanyl that he intended to distribute.
At the time of the murders, Bland was already subject to state conditions of release stemming from an armed assault in South Burlington on March 17, 2023.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt praised the coordinated investigation by the Vermont State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Morristown Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration.
“Theodore Bland committed two depraved, violent murders to secure greater illicit profits in the drug trade,” Ophardt said. “This case is a chilling reminder of the extreme danger posed by the combination of drug trafficking and firearms.”
Ophardt also thanked the victims’ families and friends for speaking at the sentencing hearing, saying their statements underscored the lasting impact of the killings.
“Two consecutive life sentences will never erase the harm and pain caused by Bland’s violence,” he said.
FBI Albany Field Office Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli said Bland’s involvement in drug trafficking and his decision to escalate to murder resulted in a sentence that will keep him in federal prison for the remainder of his life.
“This case and subsequent sentence illustrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to working with our Department of Justice colleagues and our partners at every level of law enforcement,” Tremaroli said, adding that the goal is to hold accountable those responsible for violence and the distribution of dangerous drugs and weapons.
Vermont State Police Criminal Division Commander Major Ashley Barnes said the killings “shocked Vermont in its callousness” and left the victims’ families with lasting grief.
“We extend our sincere thanks to our law-enforcement partners at the federal, state and local level who joined together to locate the victims, identify the perpetrator, and ensure he faced justice,” Barnes said.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason M. Turner and Dana E. Hill.
Bland was represented by attorneys David C. Sleigh, Bren E. Newton, Bruce D. Koffsky and Francis L. O’Reilly.
