Who are The Zizians?
- 17GEN4
- Mar 19, 2025
- 3 min read
The Zizians are a small, loosely organized group that has garnered significant attention due to their alleged involvement in a series of violent incidents across the United States between 2022 and 2025. Named after their apparent leader, Jack Amadeus "Ziz" LaSota, a 34-year-old transgender woman who uses she/her pronouns, the group is composed primarily of young, highly educated individuals, many of whom are computer scientists with ties to the San Francisco Bay Area. The Zizians are not a formally structured organization with a clear membership or hierarchy; rather, they are described as an offshoot of the rationalist community—a movement focused on reason, cognition, and often the implications of artificial intelligence (AI).
Background and Beliefs
LaSota, who graduated with a computer science degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2013 and later moved to the Bay Area, began publishing a blog under the name "Ziz" around 2016. Her writings explore complex and unconventional ideas, including a theory that the two hemispheres of the brain could hold separate values and genders, potentially in conflict with each other. The group's ideology appears to blend radical veganism, anarchism, and a reinterpretation of rationalist principles, often emphasizing animal rights and gender identity. Some members, including LaSota, have advocated for extreme practices like unihemispheric sleep (a form of sleep deprivation), which reportedly led to a member's suicide in 2018.
The Zizians’ philosophy, as pieced together from online postings and interviews, lacks a clear, cohesive goal but includes themes of rejecting societal norms—like paying rent—and challenging perceived enemies, such as mainstream rationalist groups. LaSota’s blog has been described as dark and rambling, with musings on morality, sociopathy, and the potential for "evil people" to dominate society. This ideological mix seems to have attracted a small following of "vulnerable and isolated" individuals, many of whom identify as transgender or nonbinary and share a background in tech.
Alleged Criminal Activities
The Zizians came under scrutiny following their alleged connection to at least six deaths across California, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Key incidents include:
November 2022, Vallejo, California: A landlord, Curtis Lind, was attacked by Zizian associates Emma Borhanian, Alexander Leatham, and Suri Dao over a rent dispute. Lind shot Borhanian dead and wounded Leatham in self-defense, losing an eye in the process. LaSota was present but not charged.
December 31, 2022, Pennsylvania: Richard and Rita Zajko, parents of Zizian member Michelle Zajko, were found shot dead in their home. Michelle Zajko is a person of interest in the case.
January 17, 2025, Vallejo, California: Curtis Lind was stabbed to death, allegedly by Maximilian Snyder, a Zizian associate, possibly to prevent Lind from testifying against Dao and Leatham.
January 20, 2025, Vermont: U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland and Zizian associate Felix "Ophelia" Bauckholt died in a shootout following a traffic stop. Teresa Youngblut, another member, was charged with firearms offenses related to the incident.
Arrests and Investigation
On February 16, 2025, LaSota, Michelle Zajko, and Daniel Blank were arrested in Frostburg, Maryland, on charges including trespassing, obstructing police, and firearm possession after attempting to camp on private property in box trucks. LaSota was ordered held without bail, deemed a flight risk and public safety threat. The FBI has since led a sprawling investigation, including searches in North Carolina, though it has released few official details. Four other alleged members are in custody on murder charges, while some remain at large.
Lifestyle and Perception
The Zizians have lived an itinerant lifestyle, often in trailers or box trucks, after abandoning a tugboat in Alaska meant to serve as a low-cost housing solution. Their actions—like refusing to pay rent or protesting rationalist events (e.g., a 2019 incident in California)—suggest a rejection of conventional systems. While often labeled a "cult" due to LaSota’s charismatic influence and the group’s unorthodox beliefs, experts note it lacks the centralized structure of traditional cults. Instead, their connections seem to have formed online, making their shift to violence difficult to trace.
As of March 19, 2025, the investigation continues, with authorities exploring the group’s motives and the extent of their network. The Zizians remain a subject of fascination and debate, with their blend of intellectualism, radicalism, and alleged violence defying easy categorization. Whether they represent a coherent movement or a collection of disillusioned individuals drawn to LaSota’s ideas remains unclear.
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