This week, two individuals associated with Zizian, a radical vegan group led by a figure reminiscent of Charles Manson, disrupted a court hearing. One of them launched into an erratic tirade while the other sat unresponsive in a wheelchair.
Lanting Alexander Leatham, 30, and Sri Dao, 23, both transgender, appeared in Solano County, California, for pretrial proceedings. They are accused of a brutal attack in 2022 against 82-year-old Curtis Lind, who was trying to evict them from his property.
Leatham made headlines during the court proceedings by shouting at the judge, veering into a passionate outburst.
“Curtis Lind murdered Emma Borhanian!” Leatham exclaimed, referencing another individual involved in the incident. Reports indicate they went off script in quite a chaotic manner.
Dao, whose preferred pronouns are they/them, was described by their attorney as being in a “vegetative state,” having been wheeled into court due to significant weight loss attributed to severe anorexia.
The next hearing is scheduled for December 8th.
Such disorderly conduct isn’t new for Leatham and Dao. In earlier court appearances, Leatham claimed they were forced to detransition against their will, alleging a long-standing conspiracy against transgender individuals.
Leatham, Dao, and Borhanian were living illegally on Lind’s property when he asked them to leave. Authorities report that Lind was struck from behind and lost consciousness during the confrontation.
When he regained awareness, Lind found himself gravely injured, with numerous stab wounds and a sword embedded in his body, while the three alleged assailants loomed over him.
However, he managed to defend himself, shooting and killing Borhanian, an act later labeled self-defense. Sadly, after surviving the attack, Lind was reportedly murdered by another Zizian member, Maximilian Snyder, to prevent him from testifying against them.
The court is now attempting to consolidate the cases against Dao and Leatham and arrange a trial date amidst ongoing disturbances allegedly instigated by Leatham.
Snyder faces separate charges related to the alleged ambush and murder of Lind.
Leatham had previously caused a similar uproar in March, crying out that the trial was a setup aiming for the genocide of transgender individuals, repeating this insistently until the judge had to isolate them.
The violent implications of Zizian’s activities aren’t confined to California. The group’s supposed leader, Jack “Jiz” Lasota, is likened to Manson, with reports linking his followers to six murders across three states.
Last year, two members of the group allegedly shot federal agent David Marando during a confrontation in Vermont, with the agents returning fire, resulting in casualties on both sides.
Additionally, the suspect’s weapon in another case was reportedly purchased by Michelle Zajo, a transgender man connected to the shooting deaths of his parents.
In February, Zajo and other group members faced various charges, including attempts to fake Zajo’s death and other serious allegations.
Despite claims of having sufficient evidence to charge Zajo with parental murder, local prosecutors indicated that the needed proof was still lacking.
