Berkeley leader of a cultlike group, the 'Zizians,' linked to 6 killings due in court

BALTIMORE, Md. - The leader of a cultlike group known as the Zizians that is linked to six killings in three states is due in a Maryland courtroom Tuesday along with two others.

Jack Lasota, 34, of Berkeley, California, was arrested Sunday along with Michelle Zajko, 32, of Media, Pennsylvania, and Daniel Blank, 26, of Sacramento, California. 

They face charges including trespassing, obstructing and hindering and possession of a handgun in a vehicle.

A bail hearing for the two is scheduled for Tuesday at Allegany District Court in Cumberland, Maryland.

The Zizians have been tied to the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January and five other homicides in Vermont, Pennsylvania and Vallejo, California, where 80-year-old Curt Lind, a property owner, was stabbed with a sword. 

Lasota, Zajko and Blank were arrested in Frostburg, Maryland, about 150 miles west of Baltimore on Sunday afternoon. They were transported to a county detention center where they are being held, Maryland State Police said in a statement.

A LinkedIn page that appears to be Blank's listed him as a graduate of Monte Vista High School and UC Berkeley with a degree in computer science. He recently worked as a software engineer. His last known address is in Sacramento, though his parents reportedly live in the East Bay.

Blank’s father, Alexander, told KTVU' via text that he believes his son became a victim of a cult. 

He added that Blank is not accused of any serious crimes. He wrote, "Daniel used to be very gentle and sensitive... incapable of violence." 

The family asked for privacy at this time. 

Maland, 44, was killed in a Jan. 20 shootout following a traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont, a small town about 20 miles from the Canadian border.

Officials have offered few details of the cross-country investigation. 

Associated Press interviews and a review of court records and online postings tell the story of how a group of young, highly intelligent computer scientists, most of them in their 20s and 30s, met online, shared anarchist beliefs, and became increasingly violent.

Their goals aren’t clear, but online writings span topics from radical veganism and gender identity to artificial intelligence.

At the middle of it all is "Ziz," who appears to be the leader of the strange group members who called themselves "Zizians." She has been seen near multiple crime scenes and has connections to various suspects.

LaSota published a dark and sometimes violent blog under the name Ziz and, in one section, described her theory that the two hemispheres of the brain could hold separate values and genders and "often desire to kill each other."

LaSota, who used she/her pronouns, and in her writings says she is a transgender woman, railed against perceived enemies, including so-called rationalist groups, which operate mostly online and seek to understand human cognition through reason and knowledge. Some are concerned with the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.

LaSota, 34, has not responded to multiple Associated Press emails in recent weeks, and her attorney Daniel McGarrigle declined to comment when asked whether she is connected to any of the deaths. Before her weekend arrest, she missed court appearances in two states, and bench warrants have been issued for her arrest.

Reached on Monday, McGarrigle would only confirm that he has represented LaSota and wouldn't confirm her arrest or any details of the latest case.

UC Berkeley professor Poulomi Saha, who teaches a class on cults in pop culture, shared her thoughts on the case.

"I think we're witnessing a really interesting phenomenon—a group that seems to have its life primarily on the internet. As more people build communities and form intense relationships online, we're seeing a shift in how we understand social dynamics," said Saha.