Six murders across the country have been connected to the alleged leader of an unusual vegan transgender group known as the Zizians, which includes the killing of a Border Patrol agent.
Jack “Ziz” Lasota, 34, was arrested Sunday along with Michelle Zajko, 33, and Daniel Blank, 26,
Authorities reported that on Feb. 16, LaSota and Zajko were both taken into custody for charges such as trespassing, obstructing law enforcement, and possessing a firearm in a vehicle in Frostburg, Maryland, around 2:30 p.m. Zajko faced additional charges of resisting arrest and carrying a handgun.
According to court records referenced by the Albany Times Union, Zajko purportedly purchased .40-caliber and .380-caliber handguns in Mount Tabor, Vermont, in February 2024, which were reportedly used in Maland’s murder.
David Maland, a Minnesota native and Air Force veteran, worked as a Border Patrol agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station. He spent nine years in the military and 15 working for the federal government. (U.S. Border Patrol)
Maland, a Minnesota native and Air Force veteran, worked as a Border Patrol agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station. He spent nine years in the military and 15 working for the federal government.
It is unclear what brought members of the group to Vermont.
German national Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt and Youngblut exchanged gunfire with Maland near the Canada-Vermont border on Jan. 20 during a traffic stop. Bauckholt and Maland were killed. Youngblut was injured and faces criminal charges.
Teresa Youngblut, who is charged by the FBI in connection to the shooting death of Border Patrol Agent David Maland, is seen at the Newport City Inn on Jan. 14, 2025, in Newport, Vt. (Newport City Inn photograph via AP)
What the Zizians believe
The “Zizians” were created by LaSota, who goes by the nickname “Ziz.”
The group exhibits cult behavior, according to Dar Dixon, an actor and the podcast host of “The Art of Being Dar,” who shared his cult expertise with Fox News Digital.
“The thing that I noticed about this ‘Zizian’ cult is that it hits all the major points that will set somebody up to be involved in it. You’ve got transgender human beings, all right? You’re dealing with sexuality. You’re dealing with sexual identity, and you’re dealing with sex. Anytime you do all those things, you’ve already got someone, as they say, by the tight and curlies,” he said.
“The second thing is they were on a restrictive diet. In this case, they were vegan,” he said. “So when you start to mix in the sexual aspect, then with a restrictive diet, now what you’re doing is behavior control.”
Referencing cult expert Steven Hassan’s BITE Model of Authoritarian Control, Dixon discussed how cults emotionally control their members.
“I’m sure there was a lot of sleep deprivation going on also, which affects your thoughts, which affects your emotions, which also affects your behavior and your ability to take in and process information,” he said.
“This is part of the emotional control. You’re never allowed to feel your feelings or to discuss your feelings. If you don’t step in line with the party line, you’re immediately reprimanded, sometimes severely, either verbally or physically, or you’re shunned.”
“So the culmination of sexual identity, food restriction, sleep restriction and emotional restriction, well, now I’ve got you,” he said. “I own you. And I can take you any direction I want to take you now.”
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
