Latest news with #OpenVallejo
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
The Woman Accused of Running a Murderous Cult Linked to Roko's Basilisk Faked Her Own Death Before "Coming Back to Life"
The leader of an alleged cult informed by the murderous hypothetical artificial superintelligence of "Roko's Basilisk" once faked her death in the months before the first of several killings that have been linked to her followers. As The Guardian notes, Jack "Ziz" LaSota — the alleged leader of the "Zizians," a militantly vegan group of computer scientists who have now been linked to six deaths in three states — was believed to be dead after her sister and friend claimed that she'd fallen from her sailboat in the San Francisco Bay. After a 30-hour search that involved the Coast Guard and multiple fire departments, LaSota's "body" was never found. Though the nature of her alleged death-faking scheme is unclear, Ziz was nevertheless considered dead by her family, who published an obituary for her in her hometown newspaper in Alaska. In an interview with the Silicon Valley nonprofit news site Open Vallejo in January, Coast Guard official Hunter Schnabel explained that the branch doesn't have the authority to declare a person's death and "isn't going to investigate" further — a convenient procedural situation that would make it easy for someone who "didn't want to be found" to "disappear." A few months after that purported boating accident, Ziz seemingly sprang back to life when she was arrested at the scene of a different disaster: the sword stabbing of then-80-year-old Curtis Lind, a man who owned the property where some of her friends (or followers, depending on how you see it) were living days before they were set to be evicted for failing to pay rent. The landlord lost his eye during the attack, and two of Ziz's alleged associates, Suri Dao and Alexander Leatham, were charged with his attempted murder. More than two years later, Lind was stabbed again — this time fatally — ahead of his upcoming testimony against Dao and Leatham. It remains unclear who killed him or why, but his murder happened just a day after prosecutors noted that he was the sole witness to his initial stabbing and that the people accused of it were "extremely dangerous." In Lind's case, and that of the five others involving Zizians, it does not appear that the group's leader was directly involved. As this story unravels, it looks a lot like LaSota is a Charles Manson type: a charismatic leader whose ideas might have infected the minds of her followers to the point that they were willing to go to extremes for the woman who believes, among other startling things, that she is one of the only righteous people alive. More on Ziz: Alleged Leader of Roko's Basilisk Murder Cult Says She Did Nothing Wrong, and Would Appreciate Some Vegan Food in Jail
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
‘Zizian' cult suspect's friend says group was preparing for violence
(NewsNation) — Just one day after alleged 'Zizian' leader Jack LaSota was arrested, investigators say radical veganism, artificial intelligence and transgender identity connected members to the so-called 'death cult.' Authorities say the group is connected to the shooting death of Border Patrol agent David Maland and five others. The alleged crimes occurred in Vermont, Pennsylvania and California over the last three years. NewsNation reviewed court records in the recent arrest of the cult leader that tells the story of how the group of young, highly intelligent computer scientists met online and shared anarchist beliefs. Alleged Zizian 'death cult' leader arrested: Police Their violent rampage started in 2022 when police say 82-year-old Curtis Lind was stabbed with a sword by three members of the Zizian cult, local news media site Open Vallejo reported. Lind lost an eye in the attack and was later allegedly killed by the cult members who were squatting on his Solano County, Calif., property. NewsNation senior national correspondent Brian Entin spoke with one of Lind's closest friends anonymously about the tragedy. 'Basically, what led to it was the idea, I think, that these transgender, homicidal, computer scientist vegans thought that they could get away with not paying him any rent,' Lind's friend told NewsNation in a phone call. The friend said he took multiple computers from box trucks on the property containing what he believes to be instruments for surgery owned by the members, including scalpels. Border agent's slaying could be tied to 'death cult': Police After Maland's death, investigators found pistols, ammunition, night vision goggles, face respirators, a ballistic helmet, shooting range targets and radios in the suspect's car. Jessica Taylor, who knew a member of the Zizian group, tells NewsNation her friend dropped off the radar before joining the cult. 'It seems like, based on what was in the car, they might have been preparing for some sort of operation or violence of some form,' Taylor said. 'In terms of having bullets and walkie-talkies and wanting not to be observed.' The group is reportedly comprised of students who studied artificial intelligence and computer science. The Zizians are named for LaSota, a computer engineer, who goes by the nickname 'Ziz.' Federal investigators are looking into whether Maland's killing is part of a series of deaths linked to the Zizians. The Associated Press reported that LaSota uses she/her pronouns and says in her writings that she is a transgender woman. LaSota reportedly railed against perceived enemies in writings, including so-called rationalist groups, which operate mostly online and seek to understand human cognition through reason and knowledge. Police believe that LaSota faked her death in 2022 and is now wanted in two states, according to the media site Open Vallejo. The site reported LaSota was detained by police after a stabbing death in Northern California. LaSota's attorney, Daniel McGarrigle, declined to comment when asked whether LaSota is connected to any of the deaths. Before LaSota's weekend arrest, LaSota missed court appearances in two states, and bench warrants were issued. LaSota was ordered held without bail after appearing in court Tuesday. NewsNation's Jeff Arnold and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
Who are the ‘Zizians?' Recent deaths linked to Bay Area ‘cult'
(KRON) — A spree of killings across the country, including one in Vallejo, have been linked to a radical online community called the 'Zizians.' Not much is known about the Zizians, but a non-verified online webpage dedicated to the group calls it 'a peculiar online cult that operates in the Bay Area.' An investigation by Open Vallejo found that people involved in the recent Vallejo killing and the shooting of a Border Patrol agent in Vermont are possibly connected to the group. Open Vallejo reviewed police records, spoke to a person familiar with the group and reviewed years of Internet posts as part of its investigation into the group. It said the Zizians follow a self-described 'vegan Sith' ideology. According to SF Fist, the Zizians appear to be computer-savvy and well-educated, and many or all of them identify 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, a person familiar with the Zizians who was interviewed by Open Vallejo, told the publication that Zizians believe human decisions and their effects are mathematically quantifiable. Veganism and animal rights are a core part of the group's belief, Taylor said. The Zizians follow a person that goes by 'Ziz' and ran a blog that is now shut down. Open Vallejo said Ziz, whose legal name is Jack LaSota, previously lived at the Vallejo property where the recent murder happened. LaSota was named by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of four people arrested for protesting a Berkeley nonprofit in Sonoma County in 2019. The protestors were allegedly wearing black robes and Guy Fawkes masks as they barricaded off an area where the nonprofit was holding an event. The website dedicated to the Zizians contains an in-depth description of their alleged fundamental beliefs, and the Open Vallejo piece contains information as well. Maximillian Bentley Snyder of Kirkland, Wash. was arrested on Saturday in connection with a fatal stabbing at the intersection of Lemon and Third streets in Vallejo on Jan 17. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Snyder is possibly connected to a group of rationalists, which resembles the Zizians. Open Vallejo said that Snyder's social media posts show beliefs that align with those of Zizians' though he has not been explicitly tied to the group. Open Vallejo reported that 82-year-old Curtis Lind was the victim of the homicide. Vallejo police told Open Vallejo that a suspect wearing a mask and black beanie stabbed Lind to death outside his gated property on Jan. 17. In 2022, Lind was allegedly stabbed with a sword by people living in box trucks on his property. A blog post on LessWrong claims that Zizians were responsible for the attack. LaSota lived on the property in 2022 but was not arrested in connection with the attack, Open Vallejo reported. Snyder appears to have taken out a marriage license in Washington state's King County with Teresa Youngblut, who was charged with fatally shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont on Jan. 20. The Associated Press reported that Snyder and Youngblut were in 'frequent contact.' Synder was previously detained to a double-homicide in Pennsylvania. Youngblut and Felix Bauckholt, a German citizen who was also killed in the Vermont shooting, previously lived in duplexes in the same North Carolina neighborhood. The owner of the Airbnb unit rented by Bauckholt reported strange 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 said. '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 said a total of six deaths have been linked to the Zizians, including the double-homicide in Pennsylvania, the shooting on Jan. 20 in Vermont and the stabbing in Vallejo. KRON4 reached out to the Vallejo Police Department and the Solano County District Attorney's Office for more information about the Zizians, and we are awaiting responses. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
