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

Alleged members of the Zizians group face homicide and other charges in California, Pennsylvania, and Vermont

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A year after a U.S. border agent was killed in Vermont, seven alleged members of the Zizians group are jailed in three states and awaiting trial. Police in Maryland connected Jack 'Ziz' LaSota, Michelle Zajko, and Daniel Blank to homicide investigations in California, Pennsylvania, and Vermont after the group was found living in box trucks on a remote dirt road last February. The Zizians, described as young and highly intelligent computer scientists, have been tied to several violent deaths since 2022, including the killing of one of their own, a landlord, Zajko's parents, and the border agent.

Why it matters

The Zizians case highlights the challenges law enforcement faces in investigating a loosely connected group with radical beliefs and ties to violent crimes across multiple jurisdictions. The prosecution of the Zizians has been slow, with trial delays and little action in other related cases, raising questions about the ability of the justice system to handle such complex, multi-state investigations.

The details

Police in Maryland arrested LaSota, Zajko, and Blank on February 16, 2025, after a landowner found them living in box trucks at the end of a snow-covered dirt road. The three were charged with possession of LSD, gun violations, trespassing, and hindering a police officer. Zajko is also accused of supplying the guns used in a fatal shootout in Vermont in January 2025, in which Border Patrol Agent David Maland was killed. Zajko has made allegations of rights violations and lies by police and prosecutors in her handwritten filings, arguing the group is being unjustly targeted.

  • On February 16, 2025, LaSota, Zajko, and Blank were arrested in Maryland.
  • In January 2025, a fatal shootout in Vermont left Border Patrol Agent David Maland dead.

The players

Jack 'Ziz' LaSota

One of the alleged members of the Zizians group, arrested in Maryland and charged with possession of LSD, gun violations, trespassing, and hindering a police officer.

Michelle Zajko

One of the alleged members of the Zizians group, arrested in Maryland and charged with possession of LSD, gun violations, trespassing, hindering a police officer, and lying to a Vermont gun dealer. She is also accused of supplying the guns used in the fatal shootout in Vermont.

Daniel Blank

One of the alleged members of the Zizians group, arrested in Maryland and charged with possession of LSD, gun violations, trespassing, and hindering a police officer.

Teresa Youngblut

An alleged member of the Zizians group, accused of opening fire on Border Patrol Agent David Maland during a traffic stop in Vermont, leading to a shootout in which she was wounded and her companion, Felix Bauckholt, was killed.

David Maland

A U.S. Border Patrol agent who was killed in a shootout with alleged Zizians members in Vermont in January 2025.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“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)

“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 Teresa Youngblut's case in Vermont 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 Zizians case highlights the challenges law enforcement faces in investigating a loosely connected group with radical beliefs and ties to violent crimes across multiple states. The slow pace of prosecutions and the group's allegations of injustice raise questions about the ability of the justice system to effectively handle such complex, multi-jurisdictional cases.