"Called "Zizians" by outsiders, the young, highly intelligent computer scientists appear to share radical beliefs about veganism, animal rights, gender identity and artificial intelligence. Since 2022, members have been tied to the death of one of their own during an attack on a California landlord, the landlord's subsequent killing, the shooting deaths of Zajko's parents in Pennsylvania, and a highway shootout in Vermont that left the border agent and another Zizian dead."
"Blank was bailed out Friday at about noon after posting $15,000. Blank's attorney Rebecca Lechliter declined comment. Zajko and LaSota remain in custody and are being held without bail. Blank's release includes conditions that he must live alone and submit to GPS tracking. Maryland state Trooper Brandon Jeffries wrote after their Feb. 16, 2025 arrests that all the "suspects involved are to be questioned regarding other crimes that have occurred across the country and have ties with the Zizians Cult.""
A member of a group known as Zizians linked to six deaths was released on bail in Maryland after posting $15,000. Police connected Jack "Ziz" LaSota, Michelle Zajko and Daniel Blank to homicide investigations in California, Pennsylvania and Vermont after a landowner found them living in box trucks at the end of a snow-covered dirt road in February 2025. Blank's release requires him to live alone and submit to GPS tracking, while Zajko and LaSota remain held without bail. Since 2022, the group has been tied to multiple killings, including a Vermont border agent's death. Seven members are jailed across three states awaiting trial on charges including possession and intent to deliver LSD, multiple gun violations, trespassing and hindering a police officer; jury selection in Cumberland, Maryland was delayed.
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