Zizians linked to four murders in three states, January 2025

[mmeynstyn]

They do not seem very smart. Even though highly intelligent.

Snipped for focus

What is that old saying "The most uncommon form of intelligence is common sense."

 

[Sundog]

They were heavily armed when arrested. I wonder who their next target would have been and if something was planned at the time, or if they were ready for a shoot-out if confronted.

When officers arrived they observed two white box trucks parked at the end of the roadway. In one of the vehicles, police say two of the suspects were wearing gun belts with ammo in the belt. A further search led to the discovery of a long rifle in the back of the truck and a handgun on the floorboard, police noted.

Police arrest apparent leader of cultlike 'Zizian' group linked to multiple killings in the US

The Zizians have been tied to the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January and five other homicides in Vermont, Pennsylvania and California.

6abc.com

 

[Sundog]

Michelle Zajko, whose parents were murdered (shot to death in the head) on New Year's Eve, resisted arrest but was "taken to the ground" and into custody when the arrest took place in Maryland.

LaSota, Zajko and Blank were arrested in Frostburg, Maryland, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) west of Baltimore on Sunday afternoon. A resident told police he wanted three ''suspicious'' people off his property after they'd parked two box trucks there and asked to camp for a month, according to police documents.

They were dressed in black and two wore gun belts holding ammunition, according to police. Officers found a rifle in the back of one truck and a handgun on the front floorboard. Zajko, who refused to put her hands behind her back and was taken to the ground, also was carrying a handgun, police said.

Leader of cultlike Zizians linked to 6 killings faces bail hearing in Maryland

The leader of a cultlike group known as the Zizians that is linked to six killings in three states faces a bail hearing Tuesday along with two others who were arrested with her in Maryland.

www.startribune.com

 

[Richrd]

.
Jack Amadeus LaSota, 34, ordered held withOUT Bail in Maryland

Leader of Zizians, cultlike group linked to 6 killings, ordered held without bail in Maryland

The Zizians have been tied to the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January.

www.pbs.org

Pre-Trial Confinement at:
Allegany County Detention Center
Cumberland, MD
via: VINELink

Google Search

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[Sundog]

Good article with information from the parents of Daniel Blank who cut off contact with his family and friends in 2022 when he joined the cult. Seems like he may have been mildly autistic, according to the article, and was arrested on Sunday with Michelle Zajko and Jack LaSota. Seems he is also a person of interest in the murders of Michelle's parents who were shot in the head in Pennsylvania - likely for inheritance money for Michelle to fund the cult.

At one point when he disappeared his parents say that he sent them a text message showing a violent scene of animals being slaughtered, with accusations of animal cruelty against his parents. I hope they are careful, their brainwashed kid could also be dangerous to them. As we have seen, one of the cult members already has murdered her parents for money - or had someone else do the murders for her.

California man, missing for 2 years, ‘left everything behind’ to join ‘Zizian’ group - VTDigger

Daniel Blank, who lived for an unspecified time in Vermont, was arrested along with two others Sunday afternoon in Maryland.

vtdigger.org

 

[Sundog]

.
Jack Amadeus LaSota, 34, ordered held withOUT Bail in Maryland

Leader of Zizians, cultlike group linked to 6 killings, ordered held without bail in Maryland

The Zizians have been tied to the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January.

www.pbs.org

.

I wonder if Michelle Zajko and Daniel Blank, two members of the cult who were also arrested along with LaSota, were denied bail. I sure hope so, since both MZ and DB are persons of interest in the murder of MZ's parents in Pennsylvania.

 

[Cedars]

The pair are being held in the Allegany County jail on firearm and trespassing offenses and charges of obstructing or hindering authorities, according to online court records.

3 members of violent, cultlike Zizian group arrested in Western Maryland

Jack ‘Ziz’ LaSota, the apparent leader of the Zizians, a cult-like group tied to at least six deaths, was arrested Sunday evening in western Maryland.

www.thebaltimorebanner.com

Great that they were caught. Box trucks, again, and just being too weird for ordinary people to ignore.

But not very serious charges. I wonder whether there's any phone history LE can mine for evidence. Or who will break first.

JMO

 

[Sundog]

Great that they were caught. Box trucks, again, and just being too weird for ordinary people to ignore.

But not very serious charges. I wonder whether there's any phone history LE can mine for evidence. Or who will break first.

JMO

I think they are just being held on these charges for now but that LaSota will be extradited to California to face murder charges there related to the landlord who was murdered. I think they will hold Michelle Zajko and Daniel Blank until they can get more evidence about the murder of MZ's parents and the suspected involvedment of DB. Also, apparently the gun used by the cult member who shot at the U.S. border security agent (who was killed) in Vermont is related to Michelle Zajko, so there is that connection as well.

The good thing is that for now, these dangerous cult members are off the street.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A Maryland court on Tuesday ordered a blogger known as Ziz who leads a cultlike group connected to six killings held without bail.

Pennsylvania state police records describe Daniel Blank as Michelle Zajko’s housemate in Vermont. In January 2023, police investigating the shooting deaths of Zajko’s parents detained both LaSota and Blank at a hotel where Zajko was staying. Blank was not charged. LaSota was charged with obstructing law enforcement and disorderly conduct.

Leader of cultlike Zizians linked to 6 killings ordered held without bail in Maryland

The leader of a cultlike group known as the Zizians that is linked to six killings has been ordered held without bail, as were two others.

www.newsday.com

 

[Cedars]

Who paid his $10K bail? Either his family who also claim he is dead or did his fellow cult followers come up with that kind of cash?

I liked this part about his Pennsylvania bail:

"LaSota’s attorney assured the judge that LaSota’s mother “will take him home and make sure he comes back for all the court dates,” according to transcripts of the bail hearing."

‘Zizian’ namesake who faked death in 2022 is wanted in two states

Jack “Ziz” LaSota has outstanding warrants in California and Pennsylvania for failing to appear in separate criminal cases. People warned about their bizarre, menacing behavior for years.

openvallejo.org

This is just so far from everything we know about them (third person singular). Is his mother part of the cult - possibly his/her/their first convert?

JMO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A map showing the deaths linked to the Zizian group in California, Pennsylvania and Vermont

Both investigators and people who know the Zizians told The Post many of them have been estranged from their parents, some are thought to be on the autism spectrum and that they are an anti-sex group who take hormones for their gender transitions.

The Zizians are involved in esoteric practices like “unihemispheric sleep”— a practice not dissimilar to hypnosis where adherents are told to sleep with one eye open in a state of chronic exhaustion.

Exclusive | As Zizian ‘cult’ leader is arrested, here’s what the vegan transgender group believes — and other disturbing deaths members are linked to

“I warned Ophelia about the Zizians … This group has a high death rate. And that was even before the murders.”

nypost.com

 

[Cedars]

“Sometimes all three of them would go for a walk and they all held hands. They seemed to care for each other a great deal.”

Members of Group Involved in National Murder Investigation Briefly Lived in Chapel Hill, Chatham County - Chapelboro.com

Former tenants in the outskirts of Chapel Hill are now at the center of a multi-state murder investigation involving a cult-like group.

chapelboro.com

There's one cult theorist I've read, says that deep emotional bonding between members is what keeps them in the cult. The bonding is so deep because it is based on the fears that the leader has instilled in them.

We all know how a leader love-bombs and isolates, but they also inculcate fear in their targets: the end of the world, a takeover by enemies or - in this case - out-of-control AI and whatever else.

"People run to a safe haven when they are afraid. If the group has been successful, the recruit, now having had fear instilled by the group, runs to the only safe haven available—the group itself."

Terror, Love, and Brainwashing

Cults and brainwashing are more common than you might think. The best defense is educating children about the dangers of manipulative people and the techniques they use.

www.psychologytoday.com

 

[Lalalacasbah]

I liked this part about his Pennsylvania bail:

"LaSota’s attorney assured the judge that LaSota’s mother “will take him home and make sure he comes back for all the court dates,” according to transcripts of the bail hearing."

‘Zizian’ namesake who faked death in 2022 is wanted in two states

Jack “Ziz” LaSota has outstanding warrants in California and Pennsylvania for failing to appear in separate criminal cases. People warned about their bizarre, menacing behavior for years.

openvallejo.org

This is just so far from everything we know about them (third person singular). Is his mother part of the cult - possibly his/her/their first convert?

JMO

I wouldn't trust the family with a 10 foot pole MOO... It sounds like they played along with fake death no?

 

[airportwoman]

I'm just glad that the ringleaders are off the streets.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The rationalists started out in email chatrooms in the late 1990s, then formed the core of their beliefs around a long series of blog posts written by American computer scientist Eliezer S. Yudkowsky in the early 2000s.

LaSota befriended another trans woman, Gwen Danielson, who – according to the Independent – believed every person has multiple personalities within themselves. The two friends became involved with a think tank called CFAR (the Center for Applied Rationality), though they later turned against it

Are the Zizians really a 'transgender vegan murder cult'?

The leader of the Zizians - described as a "transgender vegan cult" by right-wing media - has been detained by police in Maryland.

www.thepinknews.com

 

[Cedars]

I'm just glad that the ringleaders are off the streets.

However, there is still the little matter of evidence. Prosecution can't appear in court and point to all these articles as proof of murder conspiracies.

JMO

 

[Lalalacasbah]

However, there is still the little matter of evidence. Prosecution can't appear in court and point to all these articles as proof of murder conspiracies.

JMO

They must have something I hope.

There could be a digital trail or forensics unless the group really went to lengths to hide that if able. There's things they can't hide though like purchases, witness statements, etc.

Curious if the group got paranoid enough to stop doing things online and went back to paper planning lol

 

[Sundog]

Cult leader linked to 6 killings ordered held without bail

CUMBERLAND, Md. — The leader of a cultlike group connected to six killings in three states was ordered held without bail Tuesday in Maryland, where she faces trespassing and other charges. Jack LaSota, 34, of Berkeley, California, and two others arrested with her on Sunday appeared via...

www.altoonamirror.com

But LaSota, who is known online as Ziz, asked for pretrial release, saying she was homeless with no means of traveling. Speaking haltingly, she also requested a vegan diet and said she was “in a mild state of delirium” due to lack of food.

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” she told the judge.

. . .


Rebecca Francoeur-Breeden, a public defender representing LaSota, said she had spoken with LaSota’s mother twice since the arrest. The attorney noted LaSota’s educational achievements, including a degree in computer engineering.

“This is a very, very bright person we’re dealing with,” she said.

Francouer-Breeden also represented Zajko and Blank, 26, of Sacramento, California. Zajko and Blank did not directly address the charges against them during the hearing or through their attorney, who argued Zajko should be released before trial, saying she had a master’s degree and an impressive list of internships.

Francouer-Breeden described Blank as a “brilliant young man” with serious mental health concerns and said he was listed as a missing or endangered person before his arrest. Blank’s stepfather also addressed the judge, saying he hadn’t seen Blank in two years but was willing to get him housing locally to help ensure he shows up for court.

 

[Cedars]

They must have something I hope.

There could be a digital trail or forensics unless the group really went to lengths to hide that if able. There's things they can't hide though like purchases, witness statements, etc.

Curious if the group got paranoid enough to stop doing things online and went back to paper planning lol

Many people prefer to meet and talk in person about those kinds of plans. It's important to see how the other person reacts, when you tell them you want them to kill someone. It might not go over so well as a text message

 

[sunflowermomma]

The details about medical equipment just completely freak me out. What were they planning?