In a chilling case that has gripped the nation, a Maryland judge has ordered the suspected leader of a cult-like extremist group, Jack LaSota, 34, held without bail. LaSota, along with two associates, faces charges in Maryland while also being linked to six gruesome killings across three states.
LaSota, also known as “Ziz” online, was arrested Sunday alongside Michelle Zajko, 32, and Daniel Blank, 26. The trio was caught trespassing on private property in Frostburg, Maryland, where they had parked two box trucks and asked to camp for a month. Authorities discovered firearms in their possession, including a rifle and two handguns, one of which Zajko allegedly carried while resisting arrest.
During the hearing, the judge deemed all three suspects dangerous flight risks. Prosecutor James Elliott revealed that LaSota had previously faked her own death and was the suspected leader of an extremist group known as the “Zizians,” connected to a series of violent crimes.
The group’s suspected involvement includes a brutal attack on a California landlord in 2022, the subsequent murder of that landlord in January, and the execution of a Pennsylvania couple—Zajko’s own parents—between those events. Most recently, their names surfaced in connection with a deadly highway shootout in Vermont that left U.S. Border Patrol Agent Chris Maland and another passenger dead.
Investigators traced some of the weapons used in the Vermont killing to Zajko, who had legally purchased them. Authorities also linked Youngblut, the driver in that incident, to an ongoing California homicide investigation. Meanwhile, another group member, Maximilian Snyder, faces charges for the January 17th stabbing death of a landlord set to testify against the group.
Officials have yet to disclose a clear motive, but online writings from LaSota’s blog reference radical veganism, artificial intelligence, and anarchist ideologies. Prosecutors describe the suspects as highly intelligent individuals who met online and gradually became more violent.
The investigation is ongoing as authorities attempt to unravel the full extent of the Zizian network and its deadly agenda. The suspects are expected to remain in custody as they await trial.
