(KRON) — A spree of killings throughout the nation, together with one in Vallejo, have been linked to a radical on-line group referred to as the “Zizians.”
Not a lot is understood in regards to the Zizians, however a non-verified on-line webpage devoted to the group calls it “a peculiar online cult that operates in the Bay Area.” An investigation by Open Vallejo discovered that individuals concerned within the latest Vallejo killing and the taking pictures of a Border Patrol agent in Vermont are probably linked to the group.
Who’re the Zizians?
Open Vallejo reviewed police information, spoke to an individual conversant in the group and reviewed years of Web posts as a part of its investigation into the group. It mentioned the Zizians observe a self-described “vegan Sith” ideology.
In line with SF Fist, the Zizians seem like computer-savvy and well-educated, and lots of or all of them establish as transgender or nonbinary.
The group follows “Rationalism,” an ideology described by Oxford as “the belief that all behaviour, opinions, etc. should be based on reason rather than on emotions or religious beliefs.”
Jessica Taylor, an individual conversant in the Zizians who was interviewed by Open Vallejo, instructed the publication that Zizians imagine human choices and their results are mathematically quantifiable. Veganism and animal rights are a core a part of the group’s perception, Taylor mentioned.
The Zizians observe an individual that goes by “Ziz” and ran a weblog that’s now shut down. Open Vallejo mentioned Ziz, whose authorized title is Jack LaSota, beforehand lived on the Vallejo property the place the latest homicide occurred.
LaSota was named by the San Francisco Chronicle as considered one of 4 folks arrested for protesting a Berkeley nonprofit in Sonoma County in 2019. The protestors have been allegedly sporting black robes and Man Fawkes masks as they barricaded off an space the place the nonprofit was holding an occasion.
The web site devoted to the Zizians comprises an in-depth description of their alleged basic beliefs, and the Open Vallejo piece comprises info as nicely.
Connection to Vallejo murder
Maximillian Bentley Snyder of Kirkland, Wash. was arrested on Saturday in reference to a deadly stabbing on the intersection of Lemon and Third streets in Vallejo on Jan 17.
Photograph: Vallejo PD
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Snyder is probably linked to a bunch of rationalists, which resembles the Zizians. Open Vallejo mentioned that Snyder’s social media posts present beliefs that align with these of Zizians’ although he has not been explicitly tied to the group.
Open Vallejo reported that 82-year-old Curtis Lind was the sufferer of the murder. Vallejo police instructed Open Vallejo {that a} suspect sporting a masks and black beanie stabbed Lind to dying exterior his gated property on Jan. 17.
In 2022, Lind was allegedly stabbed with a sword by folks dwelling in field vans on his property. A weblog put up on LessWrong claims that Zizians have been accountable for the assault. LaSota lived on the property in 2022 however was not arrested in reference to the assault, Open Vallejo reported.
Snyder seems to have taken out a wedding license in Washington state’s King County with Teresa Youngblut, who was charged with fatally taking pictures of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont on Jan. 20. The Related Press reported that Snyder and Youngblut have been in “frequent contact.” Synder was beforehand detained to a double-homicide in Pennsylvania.
Teresa Youngblut, who’s charged by the FBI in connection to the taking pictures dying of US Border Patrol Agent David Maland, is seen within the workplace on the Newport Metropolis Inn on Jan. 14, 2025 in Newport, Vermont, on this nonetheless body {photograph} from video launched by the inn, who confirmed her id. (Newport Metropolis Inn {photograph} by way of AP)
Youngblut and Felix Bauckholt, a German citizen who was additionally killed within the Vermont taking pictures, beforehand lived in duplexes in the identical North Carolina neighborhood. The proprietor of the Airbnb unit rented by Bauckholt reported unusual sightings there.
“The thing that struck me the most was that there was a stretcher in the living room. Like, what in the world is going on with these people?” he mentioned. “The hair on the back of my neck is still up, and I just can’t believe it’s being connected to my Airbnb.”
SF Fist mentioned a complete of six deaths have been linked to the Zizians, together with the double-homicide in Pennsylvania, the taking pictures on Jan. 20 in Vermont and the stabbing in Vallejo. KRON4 reached out to the Vallejo Police Division and the Solano County District Lawyer’s Workplace for extra details about the Zizians, and we’re awaiting responses.
The Related Press contributed to this story.
