Member of ‘Zizian’ cult, defined by vegan, animal rights, gender identity, and AI beliefs, released on bail

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A member of a faction referred to by outsiders as the Zizians, which is associated with six fatalities, was released on bail in Maryland on Friday.

According to court records and pretrial statements, Maryland police linked Jack “Ziz” LaSota, Michelle Zajko, and Daniel Blank to homicide probes in California, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. This followed a landowner discovering them residing in box trucks on a snow-covered dirt road last February.

Blank secured his release around midday Friday after posting a $15,000 bond. His lawyer, Rebecca Lechliter, offered no comment. Zajko and LaSota are still detained and are being held without the option of bail.

The terms of Blank’s release mandate that he live by himself and comply with GPS monitoring.

The number of deaths connected to the group rose to six last year following the killing of a U.S. border agent in Vermont. The trio was subsequently arrested in western Maryland’s woods on trespassing and weapons charges. Currently, seven group members are incarcerated across three states, all pending trial.

Following their arrest, Maryland State Trooper Brandon Jeffries noted that all “suspects involved are to be questioned regarding other incidents across the country and have ties with the Zizians Cult.”

Labeled “Zizians” by those outside the group, the young and highly intelligent computer scientists seem to hold extreme views on veganism, animal rights, gender identity, and artificial intelligence. Since 2022, members have been connected to the death of a fellow member during an assault, the subsequent murder of a landlord, the fatal shootings of Zajko’s parents in Pennsylvania, and a highway incident that resulted in the deaths of the border agent and another Zizian.

Jury selection was recently scheduled to begin in Cumberland, Maryland, for LaSota, Zajko, and Blank. They face charges including LSD possession, possession with intent to distribute LSD, multiple firearms offenses, trespassing, and obstructing a police officer.

The trial has been postponed until June after Zajko, who is additionally charged with resisting arrest, dismissed her attorney, briefly acted as her own counsel, and then retained a new lawyer.