7 Zizians Face Criminal Charges in 3 States After Border Agent's Killing

The group linked to multiple violent deaths is now jailed and awaiting trial across the country.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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A year after a U.S. border agent was killed and three members of the group known as Zizians were arrested on trespassing and gun charges in Maryland, seven of the group's members are now jailed in three states and awaiting trial. The Zizians, described as young and highly intelligent computer scientists, have been tied to a string of violent incidents across the country since 2022, 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 the border agent and another Zizian dead.

Why it matters

The Zizians have been linked to a series of violent incidents and deaths across multiple states, raising concerns about the group's radical beliefs and potential threat to public safety. The ongoing legal proceedings and investigations into the group's activities could shed light on the nature of their organization and ideology.

The details

Police in Maryland quickly connected three Zizians - Jack 'Ziz' LaSota, Michelle Zajko, and Daniel Blank - to homicide investigations in California, Pennsylvania, and Vermont after they were found living in box trucks on a remote dirt road in February 2025. The three are now charged with drug and weapons violations, as well as trespassing and hindering a police officer. Two other Zizians, Suri Dao and Alexander Leatham, are charged in a 2022 attack in California that left another member dead, while another member, Maximilian Snyder, is charged with killing the landlord three years later. The group's apparent leader, LaSota, also faces a federal charge of being an armed fugitive.

  • On February 16, 2025, LaSota, Zajko, and Blank were arrested in Maryland.
  • In January 2025, a border agent was killed and another Zizian died in a shootout in Vermont.
  • In December 2022, Zajko's parents were killed in Pennsylvania.
  • In 2022, a Zizian member was killed during an attack on a landlord in California.

The players

Jack 'Ziz' LaSota

The apparent leader of the Zizians group, who is charged with being an armed fugitive.

Michelle Zajko

A Zizian member charged with drug and weapons violations, as well as resisting arrest, in Maryland. She is also a person of interest in the killing of her adoptive parents in Pennsylvania.

Daniel Blank

A Zizian member charged with drug and weapons violations, as well as trespassing and hindering a police officer, in Maryland.

Suri Dao

A Zizian member charged in a 2022 attack in California that left another member dead.

Alexander Leatham

A Zizian member charged in a 2022 attack in California that left another member dead.

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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)

“Renee Good is probably dead because the regime has so far been able to get away with murdering Ms. Bauckholt & framing Youngblut.”

— Michelle Zajko (Court filing)

What’s next

The judge in the Vermont case has suspended deadlines for pretrial motions, citing the complexity of the capital case and the need to review evidence related to investigations into other individuals in multiple jurisdictions.

The takeaway

The ongoing legal proceedings against the Zizians group highlight the growing concerns about the group's radical beliefs and potential threat to public safety, as well as the challenges faced by law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting a network of suspects across multiple states.