US Edition
Competency Review Ordered for Leader of Cultlike Zizians Group that Has Been Linked to 6 Deaths
- On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge James Bredar granted a late Wednesday motion for a competency evaluation and said LaSota will be held in federal custody during the process.
- Authorities say the group's members have been tied since 2022 to six deaths across California, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, following their Feb. 16, 2025 arrest in Frostburg, Maryland.
- Defense attorney Gary Proctor wrote there is reasonable cause to believe LaSota is mentally incompetent and said she has shown an inability to follow proceedings, while LaSota told the judge she wants to represent herself.
- The judge said a future scheduling conference will be set after LaSota's mental competency is determined, raising doubt about the trial proceeding as scheduled.
- Prosecutors replied that officers had probable cause and conducted a protective sweep, noting all three defendants face state trespassing and illegal gun and drug possession charges, while LaSota faces federal illegal gun-possession-by-a-fugitive and obstruction allegations.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Competency review ordered for Jack ‘Ziz’ LaSota, who rejects ‘Zizian’ and ‘cult’ labels
A lawyer representing the leader of the cultlike Zizians group that has been linked to six deaths told a judge Thursday that there is reason to believe his client is mentally incompetent to stand trial. Jack LaSota, a transgender woman who goes by “Ziz,” was supposed to be in federal court for a two-day hearing on whether to suppress evidence collected as a result of her arrest in Frostburg, Maryland, last year. Instead, U.S. District Court Judg…
Competency review ordered for leader of cultlike Zizians group
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Leader of cultlike group linked to 6 deaths to be assessed for mental competency
A lawyer representing the leader of the cultlike Zizians group that has been linked to six deaths told a judge Thursday that there is reason to believe his client is mentally incompetent to stand trial.
Winnipeg Free Press
The IndependentLawyers for Jack 'Ziz' LaSota seek competency review while rejecting 'Zizian' and 'cult' labels
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