Investigations into Six Murders Focus on a Marginalized Group Called the Zizians

A series of violent incidents across the United States, thought to be associated with a fringe group called the Zizians, has resulted in the deaths of at least six individuals. Among the deceased are a Border Patrol agent shot in Vermont, a man who was stabbed in California, and a couple killed in a double homicide in Pennsylvania.

Currently, seven people are in custody in connection with this extensive network of crimes, which gained more attention this week following the trespassing arrests of three individuals in Maryland.

Reports from law enforcement and the media have linked these individuals to the so-called “Zizians,” followers of a person known as “Ziz,” who blogs about self-improvement, ethics, and artificial intelligence. While the group’s objectives are not thoroughly defined, their online writings touch upon themes like veganism, artificial intelligence, and gender identity.

The recent arrests in Maryland have refocused attention on the spate of cases occurring across state lines. Prosecutors have indicated that they now have the group’s leader in custody on charges of trespassing and weapon possession. Legal representatives mentioned in court documents for some defendants were either unreachable or declined to comment.

Here’s what we know.

Three are held on trespassing charges in Maryland.

On February 16, law enforcement in Allegany County, Md., apprehended Jack LaSota, 34, Michelle Zajko, 32, and Daniel Blank, 26, related to an incident in Frostburg, Md., a small city located approximately 130 miles west of Baltimore. LaSota and Zajko faced charges of trespassing, obstruction, and possessing a handgun. Although Blank was not charged with a weapons violation, he did face other charges, while Zajko was also charged with resisting arrest.

They were discovered after a resident reported three “suspicious” individuals seeking permission to camp on his property for a month, according to CNN. When law enforcement arrived, two of the suspects were found in a box truck wearing gun belts loaded with ammunition, as reported by The Associated Press and ABC 6 in Philadelphia. A search of the vehicle revealed a long rifle in the back and a handgun on the floorboard.

The complaint in the case, reported by The A.P. and ABC 6, indicated that “all of the subjects involved are to be questioned regarding other crimes that have occurred across the country.” County prosecutors and local law enforcement have not responded to multiple inquiries for additional information regarding the arrests.

On February 18, prosecutors announced that Jack LaSota, also known as Ziz, “appears to be the leader of an extremist group known as Zizians,” which has been tied to several murders, according to The A.P. James Elliott, the state’s attorney in Allegany County, stated in that hearing that LaSota had faked their own death. During the hearing, LaSota denied any wrongdoing and mentioned a “mild state of delirium” due to hunger.

LaSota’s ideology seems to involve challenging moral standards, advocating for extreme veganism, and embracing the notion of gendered brain hemispheres, according to a website critical of the group, Zizians.info. The group itself lacks a concrete online presence, apart from older blog entries.

The three defendants are being held without bail and are scheduled to appear in court again on March 24.

A federal agent is shot in Vermont.

In January, federal authorities arrested Teresa Youngblut in relation to a confrontation that resulted in the fatal shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vermont.

According to the Border Patrol, Youngblut brandished a handgun and fired at agents without warning during a routine traffic stop on January 20. The agent, David Maland, 44, and Youngblut’s companion, Felix Bauckholt, both lost their lives in the crossfire.

Teresa Youngblut faces charges for assaulting federal law enforcement officers with a deadly weapon; however, no murder charge has been filed regarding Mr. Maland’s death. Youngblut is being held without bail and may face a sentence ranging from a mandatory minimum of 10 years to a maximum of life in prison if convicted, according to a federal prosecutor.

As stated in an F.B.I. affidavit, both Youngblut and Bauckholt had been under surveillance for nearly a week before the shooting occurred. Following the incident, investigators discovered tactical gear, night-vision goggles, a loaded magazine, and ammunition in their vehicle.

A task force agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives later reported that the firearms used by the two during the shooting were purchased by a third individual, Michelle Zajko, who was subsequently arrested in Maryland. Zajko is also under investigation as a “person of interest” in a double homicide on December 31, 2022, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, involving her parents as victims.

Zajko now faces a federal charge for making a false statement to a gun licensee by providing a fraudulent address during the gun purchase.

Prosecutors have also connected Teresa Youngblut to a fourth individual, Maximilian Snyder, who has been arrested concerning a homicide in Vallejo, California.

A landlord is stabbed, twice, in California.

Snyder is alleged to have fatally stabbed Curtis Lind, 82, on January 17, the landlord who was due to testify against two former tenants, Suri Dao and Alexander Leatham, who have connections to the Zizians.

Mr. Lind had previously survived an assassination attempt in November 2022 when Dao, Leatham, and their accomplice, Emma Borhanian, ambushed him and inflicted multiple stab wounds, leaving him with a samurai sword lodged in his chest, according to a family statement shared online and a report from Open Vallejo. He was hospitalized for a month and lost his right eye from that attack.

Borhanian, 31, was killed during that altercation when Mr. Lind fired upon the trio of attackers, as reported by various media and legal records. Dao and Leatham are facing murder charges in Borhanian’s death and attempted murder charges in Mr. Lind’s prior stabbing, with a trial date set for April 2, according to news reports.

Referring to the second, fatal attack, the complaint lodged against Maximilian Snyder indicates that Mr. Lind was “intentionally killed to prevent his testimony in a criminal case” or in retaliation for said testimony, as reported by ABC 7 San Francisco.

Public records reveal that Snyder and Teresa Youngblut applied for a marriage license in King County, Washington, in November.

While Youngblut awaits trial in Vermont, Snyder is detained without bail in California on murder charges involving a deadly weapon.

Questions remain in the double homicide in Pennsylvania.

In January 2023, Richard Zajko, 72, and Rita Zajko, 69, were discovered deceased at their residence in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, having been shot. Their daughter, Michelle Zajko, has been questioned by law enforcement regarding the December 31, 2022, murders, as indicated in court records.

During a search of a hotel room where Michelle Zajko stayed for their funeral, police uncovered a 9-millimeter handgun and five boxes of ammunition. A firearm trace revealed that Michelle Zajko purchased it in February 2022 in Vermont, according to court documents.

In 2023, Jack LaSota, the alleged leader of the Zizians arrested in Maryland, faced charges for obstruction and disorderly conduct during a police search warrant execution related to the double homicide at an address in Chester City, Pennsylvania, according to police records.

LaSota, present in the hotel room at the time police executed their warrant, reportedly went limp, closed their eyes, and refused to obey police commands, according to authorities. This was not the first instance of LaSota attempting to evade law enforcement: In August 2022, LaSota was reported missing and presumed dead due to a boating accident in the San Francisco Bay, only to resurface alive over a year later in Pennsylvania.