BALTIMORE — The leader of a cultlike group known as the Zizians, linked to six murders across three states, is set to appear in a Maryland courtroom on Tuesday alongside two accomplices.
Jack Lasota, 34, from Berkeley, California, was apprehended Sunday alongside Michelle Zajko, 32, from Media, Pennsylvania, and Daniel Blank, 26, from Sacramento, California. They face multiple charges, including trespassing, obstruction, and possession of a firearm in a vehicle.
A bail hearing for the trio is scheduled for Tuesday at Allegany District Court in Cumberland, Maryland.
The Zizians are connected to the January killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border, as well as five additional homicides in Vermont, Pennsylvania, and California.
Lasota, Zajko, and Blank were taken into custody in Frostburg, Maryland, roughly 150 miles west of Baltimore, and are currently held at a county detention center, according to Maryland State Police.
Maryland State Police are coordinating with federal law enforcement and the Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office as the investigation unfolds.
Maland, 44, lost his life in a shootout following a traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont, a small community located approximately 20 miles from the Canadian border.
Details surrounding the extensive investigation remain scarce. However, interviews and records suggest that a group of young, highly educated individuals, primarily in their 20s and 30s, formed online connections based on shared anarchist ideologies, leading to increased violence.
While the group’s ultimate objectives remain unclear, their online discussions have explored radical veganism, gender identity, and artificial intelligence.
At the helm is “Ziz,” the group’s enigmatic leader, who is often referred to as “Zizian” online.
Lasota, writing under the pseudonym Ziz, has authored a blog marked by dark and sometimes violent content, presenting theories about the brain’s hemispheres harboring conflicting desires.
Using she/her pronouns, Lasota identifies as a transgender woman, expressing hostility towards online groups focused on rationalism and the perils of artificial intelligence.
Lasota has not responded to inquiries in recent weeks, and her attorney has refrained from commenting on her link to the homicides. She is wanted in two states for failing to appear in court.
The attorney confirmed representation of Lasota but disclosed no further details on her arrest or the ongoing case. Efforts to contact attorneys for Zajko and Blank were unsuccessful.
Records indicate that Daniel Blank was a housemate of Michelle Zajko in Vermont. Earlier this year, during investigations into the shooting deaths of Zajko’s parents, police detained both Lasota and Blank at a hotel where Zajko was residing; Blank was not charged, while Lasota faced charges of obstructing law enforcement.
