BURLINGTON, Vt. — A former Stowe resident who gunned down two competing drug dealers pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to a series of crimes that will result in a pair of consecutive life sentences.

Theodore “Theo” Bland, 30, admitted he fatally shot two out-of-state drug dealers at a trailer at 497 Eden Road in Lowell on Oct. 12, 2023.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Turner said Bland stole fentanyl and crack cocaine from the victims and shared the drugs with others in his trafficking conspiracy for distribution. Bland also gave portions of the drugs to others to ensure their cooperation in concealing the murders, Turner said.

The bodies of Jahim “Debo” Solomon, 21, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and Eric “E” White, 21, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, were found about two weeks later in Eden, roughly a mile apart.

Family members and friends attended the 45-minute hearing but did not speak as they left the courtroom.

Under a 13-page plea agreement, Bland admitted to causing both deaths. Each charge carries a life sentence.

Theodore Bland

He also admitted to carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, which carries a consecutive life sentence, according to the agreement.

In addition, Bland agreed to plead guilty to four other felony gun and drug charges, including two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine and one count of conspiracy to distribute those drugs. He also admitted to possessing a firearm while dealing drugs.

After the killings, Bland took possession of two firearms belonging to the victims and traded one to a supplier in exchange for additional quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine that he intended to distribute, Turner said.

U.S. District Judge William Sessions set sentencing for 10 a.m. Sept. 14.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Vermont, with approval from the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., agreed not to seek the death penalty in the case.

Sessions asked whether the Justice Department concurred with the decision. Turner, assisted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Hill, said it did.

Vermont News First reported in December 2023 that Bland was the main person of interest in the killings. That report, based on independent investigation, interviews and court records, was later used by prosecutors as an exhibit in seeking Bland’s pretrial detention.

Bland comes from a well-known Stowe family. His father, Richard Bland, is a lawyer and former member of the town school board.

The double homicide is part of a broader interstate drug trafficking ring. At least eight people have been charged in U.S. District Court as part of an investigation by the Vermont Drug Task Force, state and Morristown police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Others have been charged in state court.

In response to questions from the judge, Bland said he has an associate degree and received drug treatment five or six years ago. He said he remains on Suboxone.

Bland was flanked by two of his three attorneys, Bruce D. Koffsky and David Sleigh of St. Johnsbury. When asked about their work, Bland said he was “very satisfied.”

Under the plea agreement, Bland is barred from withdrawing his plea or contesting the case.

Court records show that between Sept. 7 and Oct. 15, 2023, Bland conspired with others to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine in and around Lamoille County.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Justice Department targeting violent crime, illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.

Vermont received approval for two federal death penalty cases from then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi within a 2½-month period.

In the other case, Teresa C. Youngblut, 21, of Seattle, is charged with fatally shooting a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Jan. 20, 2025, in the Northeast Kingdom.

Authorities say Youngblut, identified as a member of a radical cult group, opened fire without warning, killing Agent David “Chris” Maland of Newport. Maland was struck in the neck and did not return fire. He had stopped a 2015 Toyota Prius registered in North Carolina for an immigration check about nine miles south of the Canadian border on Interstate 91 in Coventry.

That case is pending.