The Zizian cult, a fringe group originating in California, has recently come under intense scrutiny due to its alleged involvement in multiple violent incidents across the United States. Founded by Jack Amadeus “Ziz” LaSota, the group has evolved from obscure beginnings into a network implicated in a series of homicides and criminal activities.
Origins and Ideology
In 2016, Jack LaSota, a computer programmer and transgender woman based in the San Francisco Bay Area, began blogging under the pseudonym “Ziz.” Her writings delved into complex theories about technology, gender identity, and human cognition. Initially involved with the rationalist movement—a community focused on understanding human cognition and the potential dangers of artificial intelligence—LaSota’s controversial theories eventually led to a schism. She posited that the brain’s hemispheres could possess separate values and genders, a notion that was not well-received within the rationalist circles.
By November 2019, LaSota and three associates—Emma Borhanian, Gwen Danielson, and Alexander Leatham—staged a protest against alleged sexual misconduct within rationalist organizations. Dressed in black hooded robes and Guy Fawkes masks, they were arrested during the demonstration. This event marked a turning point, as the group began to distance itself further from mainstream rationalist thought, adopting more radical beliefs encompassing anarchism, veganism, and unique interpretations of morality and rationalism.
Escalation to Violence
The group’s activities took a darker turn in the subsequent years. In August 2022, LaSota was reported missing after allegedly falling from a boat in San Francisco Bay. Presumed dead, an obituary was published, but no body was recovered. This mysterious disappearance added to the group’s enigmatic reputation.
In November 2022, the group was implicated in a violent incident involving landlord Curtis Lind in Vallejo, California. Lind, who had sought to evict LaSota and her associates for nonpayment of rent, was attacked and severely injured. During the altercation, Borhanian was fatally shot by Lind in self-defense. This event signaled the group’s shift from ideological protests to violent confrontations.
The violence escalated on December 31, 2022, with the murders of Richard and Rita Zajko in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania. The couple was found shot in their home, and their daughter, Michelle Zajko, was later arrested alongside LaSota in Maryland. Both faced charges including trespassing and firearm possession. Investigations revealed that the firearm used in the Zajko murders was linked to the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland in Vermont in January 2025, further connecting the group to a series of violent crimes.
Recent Developments
On February 16, 2025, law enforcement arrested LaSota, Zajko, and Daniel Blank in Maryland. The trio faced multiple charges, including trespassing, obstruction, and firearm-related offenses. Authorities have connected the group to at least six homicides across Vermont, Pennsylvania, and California. The group’s radical beliefs, combined with their involvement in violent activities, have raised concerns about the potential for further incidents.
As legal proceedings unfold, the full extent of the Zizian cult’s activities continues to emerge. The group’s trajectory from ideological dissenters to perpetrators of violence underscores the challenges in identifying and addressing fringe groups that pose threats to public safety.
Sources:
- Police arrest apparent leader of cultlike ‘Zizian’ group linked to multiple killings in the US
- Police Arrest Reported Leader and 2 Members of ‘Cult-Like’ Zizian Group Allegedly Linked to Multiple Killings in the U.S.
- Alleged leader of Zizians ‘transgender vegan cult’ is arrested
- Jack LaSota, aka ‘Ziz,’ arrested in western Maryland
- Leader of ‘Zizians’ arrested; father of associate fears son ‘under the influence of the cult’
- Killings across three states shine spotlight on cultlike ‘Zizian’ group
- Manhunt underway after ‘death cult’ linked to six fatalities
- Inside the ‘Zizians’: How a cultish crew of radical vegans became linked to killings across the United States
- How a Vermont border agent’s death exposed violence linked to cultlike ‘Zizian’ group
- [Cultlike Zizian group linked to multiple murders](https://whyy.org/articles/zizian-group-delaware-county-murder-border
