Zizian Cult Members Granted Trial Cooperation
Three individuals from the Zizian cult, associated with six fatalities across the U.S., received approval on Friday to work together in their upcoming trial involving trespassing, weapon, and drug offenses.
Jack Lasota, Michelle Zaiko, and Daniel Blank are part of a group of young computer scientists driven by their extreme views on topics like veganism, gender identity, and artificial intelligence.
Authorities labeled Lasota, a transgender woman referred to as Ziz, as the leader of this “extremist group.” Since last year, Zizians have been linked to various incidents, including an attack that resulted in a California homeowner’s death, the murders of Zaiko’s parents in Pennsylvania, and a violent shootout in Vermont involving a Border Patrol agent.
Lasota, Zaiko, and Blank were apprehended in February after a property owner discovered them residing in a box truck on private land in Frostburg, Maryland. Zaiko is facing charges in Vermont for falsifying a gun purchase that was later used in the killing of Agent David Marando in January 2025. Simultaneously, Lasota is confronting separate federal charges as a fugitive.
On her way to court, Lasota accused prosecutors of pressuring the trio into committing perjury as part of their plea deals, stating, “They are violating our right to a speedy trial.” The hearing was intended to cover motions aimed at dismissing the charges, along with trial discussions set to begin on February 9. However, many agenda items were postponed to January 30, following Zaiko’s decision to remove her attorney.
Earlier, Circuit Judge Michael Twigg permitted the trio to collaborate in their defense strategy. Since their arrest, Lasota and Blank have been allowed to communicate, though they faced challenges, which Zaiko described as “unreasonable and difficult circumstances.”
When prosecutors suggested that the three might already be in contact, Lasota interrupted, saying, “Get in your car and come here!”
“We should be able to talk to each other without being recorded and without fear of having our notes intercepted,” she added.
“We are adults. We have a job to do and we want to do our job,” Zajko stated.
At one moment in the hearing, all three expressed solidarity in their defense.
“I reject any idea that it will protect me from my co-defendants,” Lasota asserted.
“I think so too,” Zajko agreed.
“So am I,” Blank chimed in.
In another case linked to Vermont, prosecutors are pushing for the death penalty for Teresa Youngblut, another Zizian member who has pleaded not guilty related to the shootout. Initially charged with a lesser offense, she now faces more serious allegations following the Trump administration’s push for increased federal executions.
During the incident, authorities had been keeping tabs on Youngblut and her associate, Felix Buckholt, after a hotel employee reported them for carrying firearms and donning tactical gear. Youngblut stands accused of shooting at a border agent, who returned fire, killing Buckholt and injuring her.
Additionally, two other individuals linked to the Zizian group are awaiting trial for a 2022 attack in California that resulted in another member’s death. Zaiko has emerged as a person of interest after the suspicious deaths of their parents later that year, with another group member also charged in connection to a homeowner’s murder just days before the Vermont incident.
