Maryland State police have arrested two individuals, Jack “Ziz” Lasota and Michelle Zajko, in connection with a series of homicides across the country, including incidents in California, Pennsylvania, and the shooting of a U.S. border patrol agent in Vermont. Authorities believe Zajko supplied the guns used in the shooting of Border Patrol agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January. Both Lasota and Zajko had previously been questioned in relation to the shooting deaths of Zajko’s parents in Pennsylvania but were never charged or arrested.
The cases have gained attention due to the fact that some of those involved were transgender and vegan, which experts find to be an unusual combination. Court records and interviews suggest that the group lived in box trucks and operated similarly to a small religious group.
Members of the group, known as the Zizians, have been described as being part of a “death cult” or “murder gang” due to their adherence to a moral code that is at odds with mainstream norms. The group’s behavior is said to be influenced by a charismatic leader, leading followers to engage in extreme acts that they may not otherwise commit.
University of California, Berkeley Professor Poulomi Saha, who studies the behavior of cult-like groups, believes that the Zizians were drawn together through online connections and group psychology, which enabled them to engage in violent acts. The FBI is working with Maryland State police on the case, which involves multiple homicides and a complex web of connections between the individuals involved.
