AN alleged cult spawned from the social media generation used a brutal killing spree to disconnect from reality, an expert told The U.S. Sun.
Court hearings for the group named The Zizians— a mix of anarchist, vegan, transgender computer geeks who are linked to six grisly deaths across the US — began in explosive fashion this week.
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Handcuffed and in a wheelchair, Alexander “Somni” Leatham, a trans woman, was forcibly removed from a California courtroom after claiming a police officer had told her she “deserved to be shot” because she transitioned, SFGate reported.
“The court has been hormonally detransitioning me for a quarter of a decade as part of a state-sponsored conversion therapy program,” she told the court.
“I am not suicidal. I have never been suicidal. If I am killed in police custody, it was murder.”
Leatham, 29, and fellow radical rationalist Suri Dao are facing murder and aggravated mayhem charges in connection to the death of fellow cult member Emma Borhanian three years ago.
She was killed in 2022 following a dispute with landlord Curtis Lind over unpaid rent in what became the first death to be tied to the alleged cult.
Earlier this year, prosecutors named Jack “Ziz” LaSota as the alleged mastermind behind the Zizians and tied the group to four murders across Vermont, Pennsylvania, and California, as well as the deaths of two of their own members.
The violent saga began in 2016 when LaSota, based in San Francisco, became active in the rationalist movement — a community focused on human cognition and AI risks.
With deep roots in tech — some members have worked at NASA and Google — the Zizians blended AI skepticism with radical anarchism.
Their beliefs appear to have veered into the more bizarre, including LaSota’s theory that the two hemispheres of the brain have different genders, values, and often want to kill each other.
The cult’s ideology also appears to be rooted in a fear that AI would reshape the world in dangerous ways.
LaSota’s own writings frequently spoke about “stripping away morality” and how “evil people gang up to kill the good.”
Former police detective Mike King, who exposed the Zion cult in Utah in the 1990s, explained how the group’s members were tied together through efforts to disconnect from reality, and how LaSota herself has avoided carrying out some of the more violent acts they’ve been accused of.
“If Ziz is truly a cult leader,” King told The U.S. Sun, “she doesn’t want to be surrounded by projects. She wants people who can carry the message.”
Unlike many cults, the Zizians weren’t made up of lost souls or desperate outcasts — they were intelligent, pseudo-intellectuals who appear to have felt fundamentally incompatible with modern society, he claimed.
“This wasn’t born of poverty or ignorance,” King said. “It came from a shared disillusionment.”
King also dismissed the idea of brainwashing.
“I don’t care what your reason for doing it is. It’s about behavior,” he continued.
“This was a group that grew up when computers mattered more than people. When fantasy overtook reality.
“In other cults, it’s money or sex. In this one, it was code and ideology — shaping the AI-driven world to come. And the scary part? They thought they could.”
BRUTAL KILLINGS
Prosecutors allege that Leatham and Dao’s actions led directly to Borhanian’s murder in an attack that left Lind, 82, injured and missing an eye after being assaulted and impaled with a samurai sword.
Lind — the only witness to the attack — was murdered in January 2025 just weeks before he was due to testify against them.
Another alleged cult member Maximilian Snyder, 22, pleaded not guilty to killing Lind.
Dao, 24, and Leatham, 29, have been charged with attempted murder after allegedly luring Lind outside and attacking him with knives and swords.
Until that point, the group had mostly flown under the radar.
But Lind’s killing thrust them into the national spotlight.
Leader LaSota was arrested weeks later in February alongside Michelle “Jamie” Zajko, 33, and Daniel Blank, 26, and is a central figure in two other shocking homicide cases across state lines.
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BORDER AGENT KILLED
Two firearms bought by Zajko were recovered at the scene of the February arrest and tied to the murder of US Border Patrol agent David Maland on January 20 this year, according to a Maryland prosecutor.
Teresa Youngblut is accused of firing at Maland during a high-speed chase and has pleaded not guilty to federal firearms charges.
Maland, 44, was shot dead near the Canadian border after being part of a team trying to intercept Youngblut and Felix Baulkholt, another alleged cult member, during a high-speed chase.
Baulkholt was killed in the gunfight and Youngblut was captured.
Authorities say the pair fired first.
Baulkholt, though, wasn’t just a fugitive.
He was also a German-born Wall Street analyst and AI savant.
Jessica Taylor, an AI safety researcher who once dated him, said he used advanced machine learning to predict market trends.
According to Taylor, the group spiraled into what she described as a “murder gang” or “death cult,” enforcing a strict moral code.
They believed landlords were inherently evil and that animals were sacred beings that must never be harmed.
“They genuinely believed killing the ‘bad guys’ was justified,” Taylor told USA Today, adding that she cut ties in 2023 as their ideology became more extreme.
PARENTS MURDERED
Before her February arrest, Zajko was initially questioned about a horrifying Pennsylvania case in December 2022 in which her parents, Richard and Rita, were found executed in their home — each with a bullet to the head.
She was released without charge.
Also arrested at that time was Blank, who faces charges of trespassing and illegal gun possession.
LaSota was charged with obstruction the homicide investigation and disorderly conduct but was released on bail after five months in jail.
ZIZIAN SUSPECTS
Jack LaSota
Self-appointed leader of Zizians known as Ziz who studied computer science at University of Fairbanks and interned at NASA. Faked own death in 2022 in attempt to evade cops.
Emma Borhanian
Shot dead by landlord Curtis Lind in 2022. Transitioned to female at age of 21 and was a brilliant computer programmer who worked for Google before becoming disillusioned.
Maximilian Snyder
Data scientist currently awaiting trial for death of Lind. Studied computer science at Oxford University from 2020 to 2024.
Teresa Youngblut
Studied computer science at University of Washington. Cut ties with family who reported her missing in 2024. Was seen carrying gun and had phone wrapped in aluminum foil at Vermont hotel in lead up to murder of US border patrol agent David Maland.
Alexander ‘Ophelia’ Bauckholt
German-born math genius who bagged a job at New York trading firm after university. Died in shootout with David Maland after traveling with Youngblut to Vermont.
Suri Dao
Allegedly part of group who attacked Curtis Lind when Borhanian was killed. Court records show she was in communication with LaSota.
Alexander Leatham
Investigators say the 29-year-old was responsible for stabbing Lind with a sword. Grew up in Los Angeles and has made two escape attempts while being held ahead of trial.
Michelle Zajko
Earned Master’s degree in bioinformatics from Temple University. Wrote blog in 2022 that Ziz had threatened to kill her. Her parents were shot dead at their home at end of that year. Guns bought by her were found at scene of Maland killing.
Gwen Danielson
Allegedly once a key member of Ziz’s inner circle. Taught people to try and separate two parts of brain at rationalist event in 2017 which Ziz later adopted.
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LASOTA’S BACKGROUND
In 2019, LaSota was first arrested during a protest about sexual misconduct within rationalist circles.
LaSota and others were arrested for trespassing and child endangerment, later suing Sonoma County over alleged abuse in custody.
After she split from the rationalist movement, LaSota then faked her own death in San Francisco in 2021 and began posting dark philosophical theories online under the alias of Ziz.
She resurfaced after faking her own drowning when police raided a hotel room where she and Zajko were staying to question them over the parents’ murder.
LaSota was found lying on the floor and officers reported that no one in the room would speak or open their eyes.
Her chilling mugshot showed her still refusing to open her eyes.
King, reflecting on decades of experience, predicts much of the legal attention will stay focused on LaSota as the case plays out.
“I’ve always feared the follower more than the leader,” he said.
“Because they’re not thinking anymore — just trying to prove their loyalty. That’s when it gets dangerous.”
SIX DEATHS TIED TO THE ZIZIAN ‘CULT’
- Alleged member Emma Borhanian was the first to die in November 2022 after being killed by landlord Charles Lind. He said he was acting in self-defense after an attack by the group
- Alleged member Michelle Zajko’s parents’ shooting death in December 2022
- Landlord Charles Lind stabbed to death in January 2025, weeks before he was to testify against some of the alleged members
- Border agent David Maland in January 2025. Alleged member Alexander ‘Ophelia’ Bauckholt also died in the shootout
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LEGAL BATTLES
Now, the Zizians have gone from obscure internet fringe to a headline-grabbing menace.
King believes the perpetrators will face long prison terms, but says prosecutors will face challenges in deciding how to charge them.
He recalls how Zion leader Arvin Shreeve was only charged with four counts of child abuse, despite dozens of alleged victims over ten years.
That, in part, was to spare the victims the agony or reliving their own hell in court.
The warped ringleader was sentenced to 20 years in prison and died in 2009.
The next Zizian hearing will be held on April 22, 2025, where the judge is expected to set a final date for the motion to consolidate, which he says must be dealt with before the trial can proceed.
“It’s tragic,” King said. “In the U.S., sentencing can be mind-boggling. Someone might serve less time for murder than another person gets for financial fraud.”
“And when it comes to murder — is it manslaughter? Premeditated? Something in between? There are so many options. The challenge is deciding which charges will stick.”
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