7 Zizians Charged in 3 States After Border Agent's Killing

The group's violent ties span multiple states, but their prosecutions have stalled amid delays and little action in other cases.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Seven people with ties to the group known as Zizians remain jailed in three states, but so far none of their criminal cases have gone to trial. A year after a U.S. border agent was killed, the Zizians are facing charges ranging from possession of LSD to murder, with their lawyers arguing they are victims of injustice.

Why it matters

The Zizians, a group of young, highly intelligent computer scientists, have been linked to a string of violent incidents across the country, including the death of one of their own, the killing of a landlord, the shooting deaths of a member's parents, and a highway shootout that left a border agent dead. Their cases highlight the challenges law enforcement faces in prosecuting a coordinated group with radical beliefs.

The details

Police in Maryland quickly connected Jack 'Ziz' LaSota, Michelle Zajko and Daniel Blank to homicide investigations in California, Pennsylvania and Vermont after a landowner found them living in box trucks. The three are charged with possession of LSD, gun violations, trespassing and hindering a police officer in Maryland. Zajko is also accused of supplying guns used in a fatal shootout in Vermont that left a border agent and another Zizian dead. Two other Zizians, Suri Dao and Alexander Leatham, are charged in a 2022 attack in California that left another member dead, while Maximilian Snyder is charged with killing the landlord three years later.

  • On February 16, 2025, LaSota, Zajko and Blank were arrested in western Maryland.
  • In January 2025, the Vermont shootout occurred just hours after President Donald Trump's second inauguration.

The players

Jack 'Ziz' LaSota

The apparent leader of the Zizians, LaSota has a May trial date in Baltimore federal court on a charge of being an armed fugitive.

Michelle Zajko

Zajko is charged with possession of LSD, gun violations, trespassing and resisting arrest in Maryland, as well as supplying guns used in a fatal shootout in Vermont.

Daniel Blank

Blank is charged with possession of LSD, gun violations, trespassing and hindering a police officer in Maryland.

Teresa Youngblut

Youngblut is accused of opening fire on Border Patrol Agent David Maland during a traffic stop in Vermont, before another agent wounded her and killed her companion, Felix Bauckholt.

Suri Dao and Alexander Leatham

Dao and Leatham are charged in a 2022 attack on a landlord in California that left another Zizian member, Emma Borhanian, dead.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“In the interest of Hope, Justice and Truth, for the good of all people, and for the establishment of a true peace, the defense moves to dismiss this case.”

— Michelle Zajko (Court filing)

“It is an act of obscene cruelty, despotism & the mark of a tyrannical regime to use a bad faith investigation & the threat of phony charges to conceal exculpatory evidence, threaten witnesses into silence, or threaten to put an innocent person to death, all to protect a murderous border patrol human.”

— Michelle Zajko (Court filing)

What’s next

The judge in Teresa Youngblut's Vermont case has suspended deadlines for pretrial motions, citing the complexity of the capital case and noting that the exchange of evidence 'will include material related to investigations into other individuals in multiple jurisdictions.'

The takeaway

The Zizians' cases highlight the challenges law enforcement faces in prosecuting a coordinated group with radical beliefs, as their trials have been repeatedly delayed and their lawyers argue they are victims of injustice. The group's violent ties span multiple states, raising concerns about the potential for further unrest if their cases are not resolved.