Three alleged members of the notorious 'Zizians' group have appeared before a Maryland court for a pre-trial hearing, facing charges linked to their arrest on private property last year.
Courtroom Drama and Serious Allegations
On Friday 16 January 2026, Jack LaSota, Michelle Zajko, and Daniel Blank attended a hearing in Frostburg, Maryland. They are set to stand trial on 9 February on charges including trespassing, weapons offences, and drug possession. The trio were arrested in February 2025 after a property owner discovered them living in box trucks on his land without permission.
Outside the courthouse, LaSota – a transgender woman known as 'Ziz' whom authorities label the group's leader – made accusations against prosecutors. She claimed they were "violating our speedy trial rights" and pressuring the defendants into accepting plea deals that would require perjury.
A Trail of Violence Across the United States
The hearing is just one facet of a much broader and darker story surrounding the Zizians. Described as a cult-like collective of young, highly intelligent computer scientists bound by radical views on veganism, gender identity, and AI, the group is implicated in a series of violent incidents across the country since 2022.
Authorities link the Zizians to six deaths in total. The known incidents include:
- An attack on a California landlord in 2022, which left one of their own members dead.
- The subsequent killing of that same landlord.
- The deaths of Michelle Zajko's parents in Pennsylvania later in 2022.
- A fatal highway shootout with US Border Patrol in Vermont in January 2025, which claimed the lives of member Felix Bauckholt and agent David Maland.
In the Vermont case, member Teresa Youngblut now faces the death penalty on federal murder charges after pleading not guilty. Prosecutors escalated the charges under the administration of then-President Donald Trump, as part of a push for more federal executions.
Ongoing Legal Battles and Federal Scrutiny
The legal repercussions for the Zizians are spreading across multiple states. Beyond the Maryland trespassing case, LaSota faces separate federal charges for being an armed fugitive. Zajko is charged in Vermont with lying on the application to purchase the firearm used to kill Agent Maland.
Two other members await trial for the 2022 California landlord attack, while another is charged with the landlord's murder just three days before the Vermont shootout. Zajko remains a person of interest in the investigation into her parents' deaths.
Friday's hearing dealt with logistical preparations for the February trial and motions from the defence to have the charges dismissed. The case continues to unfold, drawing significant attention due to the group's unusual ideology and the severe violence associated with its members.
