Crazy trans “Zizian” cult implicated in killing of border agent & multiple other murders
“They’re transgender, they’re vegan, they’re afraid of AI—and they’re killers!”—video linked at end highly recommended
This is not about AIDS; it’s more of a human interest story, but I thought it was both fascinating and alarming, and wanted to alert you to this.
I won’t be adding a lot of commentary to this, because the story is so crazy it needs to stand alone. Recently, a trans-identifying man named Jack LaSota was arrested for “trespassing, obstructing and hindering and possession of a handgun in the vehicle,” and is linked to six killings, including one of a border patrol agent. He is apparently the leader of a cult of trans-identifying individuals (who also happen to be vegan, and LaSota is apparently demanding vegan food while in jail) named the Zizians. Evidently, he started this “community” online while working in tech in the Bay Area, but eventually moved it to an IRL commune circa 2019 when his dream job failed to materialize. Apparently they’re also “anarchists & rationalists,” or something.
To add to the weirdness, at one point in 2022, LaSota (also known as “Ziz”) also effectively faked his own death in a boating accident. There was even an obituary published locally. I’m not sure exactly how that was resolved.
Here’s an article from the BBC, which mostly discusses the killing of the border agent, the latest in the Zizians’ string of misadventures:
This gun battle, in which a border patrol agent and a member of the Zizians died, occurred in January 2025. It happened during an immigration inspection (which I’ve experienced myself) some miles from the Canadian border. When the police raided their car, they found some crazy things, including multiple cell phones wrapped in foil—say what? Here’s some information about LaSota’s demands in jail:
The apparent head of a radical transgender cult linked to six killings, including a U.S. Border Patrol agent, told a Maryland judge last week, "I haven’t done anything wrong" while pleading for access to vegan food behind bars.
"I might starve to death if you cannot answer me," Jack Amadeus LaSota, 34, who goes by "Ziz," told Judge Erich Bean during a bail hearing in Allegany County District Court in Maryland on Feb. 18, according to audio obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. "I need the jail to be ordered for me to have a vegan diet. It’s more important than whatever this hearing is."
[…]
He continued, saying that he might be in a "mild state of delusion" due to a lack of vegan options in the Allegany County Detention Center and that he is not a flight risk since he is homeless.
There’s not much to say about this; it’s pretty ridiculous. He might die? Is he deadly allergic to animal products?
LaSota and his affiliates face multiple charges, including trespassing and possession of a handgun. Their arrests brought attention to the "Zizian" cult – a group of radical young people who mostly identify as transgender, who are known for their affinity for veganism and their link to violent killings.
The Zizians' violence was most recently linked to the Jan. 20 killing of Vermont Border Patrol Agent David Christopher Maland, 44.
So the person that allegedly killed the border agent was a member of the Zizians named Teresa Youngblut, also known as “Milo,” who evidently uses “xe/xem/xyrs” on social media.
LaSota and two other reported Zizian members, Michelle Jacqueline Zajko, 32, of Media, Pa., and Daniel Arthur Blank, 26, of Sacramento, Calif., were arrested on Feb. 16 in Maryland.
[…]
Prosecutors in Vermont have charged one of LaSota’s associates, Teresa Youngblut, 21, in connection with a shootout that left Maland dead.
TRANSGENDER VEGAN ‘CULT’ MEMBERS ARRESTED
Youngblut was driving with German national Felix Bauckholt, also a reported member of the "Zizians," when the pair were pulled over by federal agents on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont. According to police, the two opened fire on agents. Bauckholt was killed, and Youngblut was wounded. Youngblut has pleaded not guilty in the case.
[…]
Zajko is also a "person of interest" in the 2022 deaths of her parents, Richard and Rita Zajko, in Media, Pa. No one has been charged in their killings, according to authorities.
It’s interesting that these cult members seem to be mostly computer scientists who apparently are “afraid of AI.” These people are all highly educated, dare I say nerdy, and as a person that went through graduate school in mathematics, I can attest that these types of educational interests tend to attract people that are unusual, shall we say. The whole story is deeply weird. The story about the killings of the parents is extremely opaque; there’s not much information around that as far as I can find.
Regarding the effects of cults on individuals:
"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."
Well, it remains unclear what will happen with the Zizians moving forward. LaSota I believe remains in custody and Youngblut has pled not guilty. Here’s another article from the New York Post:
The case of the radical ‘Zizian’ vegan trans cult and the shooting death of a Border Patrol agent
The murder of a US Border Patrol agent near the Canadian border appears to be linked to a radical leftist trans militant cult accused of killings across the country.
Around a week before the Jan. 20 attack, federal law enforcement had been surveilling German national Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt and University of Washington student Teresa “Milo” Consuelo Youngblut.
[…]
Authorities now say the guns used by Youngblut and Bauckholt are owned by a person of interest in other murders — and connected to a mysterious cult of transgender “geniuses” who follow a trans leader named Jack LaSota, also known by the alias “Ziz.”
Bauckholt was a biological male who identified as trans and used feminine pronouns. He was an award-winning youth math genius from Freiburg, Germany, who later graduated from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
A cult of transgender geniuses? That’s a new one on me. Also, regarding Waterloo University, which is the premier school in Canada for mathematics, it also has the distinction of being the university in Canada with the highest suicide rate among students. There’s a life lesson there. Regarding Teresa/Milo Youngblut of the gun battle, because it’s important to understand in the context of the greater story:
Youngblut’s family had reported her missing to Seattle police in May 2024. Her family said she was in a controlling relationship and cut off contact, according to the police report. Her social media account on BlueSky shows she followed some Antifa-aligned far-left accounts.
[…] In November 2024, Youngblut filed a marriage application with a 22-year-old fellow Lakeside alumnus named Maximilian Bentley Snyder.
Last week, Snyder, an “any pronouns” computer science whiz from a wealthy Seattle family, was arrested in Vallejo, Calif., for the murder of an elderly key witness set to testify in an upcoming attempted murder trial against alleged members of the trans extremist group.
The arrest has revealed previously hidden close associations between Youngblut, Bauckholt and a cult linked now to four killings.
The “elderly key witness” I believe is the landlord that was stabbed and lost an eye in the process. The Zizians had defaulted on their rent and were being evicted prior to this attack, which precipitated the attack.
That group, the “Zizians,” are highly educated trans vegan “rationalists” who hold fringe, esoteric ideological beliefs about transhumanism and animal rights.
Their leader, Jack “Ziz” LaSota, is a biological male who identifies as a woman. He also used the name Andrea Phelps, and is accused of influencing followers to kill. LaSota’s archived prolific blog writings ramble about the use of violence and radical anarchist tactics to achieve various ends.
There’s actually quite a lot more lore in this story, but this post would be way too long and I wanted to hit the high points.
I think we’ve about seen enough at this point. What is going on here? Why would you be a vegan and yet want to murder other human beings? Why would someone become involved in such a cult—what is the psychology behind that? Why are they all trans? If you watch the video below, you’ll see that they were into some bizarre practices including attempting to sleep with one eye open, and many of which appeared to involve sleep deprivation and other strategies that are torture-adjacent.
If you want a more in depth analysis of this crazy situation, the video below is pretty good. This is very fishy indeed. Let me know what you think in the comments—any insights about cults would be much appreciated!
I’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming moving forth; my internet has been out for a week so I thank you for your patience.
A case of BORDERline personality disorder?
What does this have to do with AIDS? Nothing.