Radical vegans tied to alleged deadly Charles Manson-like cult disrupt court
Two members of the Zizians — a radical vegan cult led by a figure described as a modern-day Charles Manson — disrupted their court hearing this week when one launched a frenzied tirade and the other appeared unresponsive in a wheelchair.
Alexander Leatham, 30, and Suri Dao, 23 — both of whom identify as transgender — appeared at a pre-trial proceeding in Solano County, California, on Monday. They face charges in the brutal attempted murder of 82-year-old Curtis Lind, who was attacked with a samurai sword after asking the suspects to leave his property in 2022.
Leatham, a member of a cult linked to six U.S. murders, interrupted the court session by shouting at the judge, accusing Lind of killing another alleged attacker, Emma Borhanian. Dao, who uses they/them pronouns, was pushed into the courtroom in a wheelchair. Dao’s attorney described them as “vegetative” due to significant weight loss from restrictive anorexia.
The pair’s next hearing is scheduled for Monday, December 8.
Leatham and Dao have a history of chaotic courtroom behavior. In an April proceeding, Leatham claimed she was being forcibly “de-transitioned” with hormone therapy, alleging a long-running conspiracy against transgender people. Prosecutors say the trio — Leatham, Dao, and Borhanian — had been squatting on Lind’s land when the 82-year-old told them to leave.
Authorities say Lind was inspecting a leak in Dao’s trailer when he was struck in the head and blacked out. He later woke up with approximately 50 stab wounds and a samurai sword lodged in his torso, with the three suspects standing over him. Lind, however, was able to defend himself, firing a gun that wounded Leatham and killed Borhanian. Prosecutors described his actions as self-defense.
Despite surviving that attack, Lind was allegedly murdered later by another Zizian, Maximilian Snyder, who prosecutors say wanted to prevent him from testifying against Leatham and Dao. Snyder faces separate homicide charges.
The Solano County Superior Court is working to consolidate the cases against Dao and Leatham and set a trial date. Leatham previously caused disruptions at hearings, including one in March where she repeatedly claimed the trial was part of a “genocide of transgender people” before being placed in an isolation room.
The Zizians’ alleged violence extends beyond California. Authorities say cult founder Jack “Ziz” LaSota, a 34-year-old trans blogger and engineer from Berkeley, is tied to six deaths across three states. Last year, Snyder’s fiancé, Teresa “Milo” Consuelo Youngblut, and German national Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt allegedly shot and killed federal agent David Maland in Vermont after he stopped their car near the Canadian border. Maland returned fire, killing Bauckholt and wounding Youngblut before dying from his injuries.
Investigators say the suspects’ weapons were acquired by Zizian member Michelle Zakjow, 32, a trans man who had been wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of his parents in Pennsylvania. In February, Delaware police arrested Zakjow, fellow Zizian Daniel Blank, and Ziz herself, who had attempted to fake her death in 2022. They face charges including trespassing, obstructing justice, and illegal possession of a handgun in a vehicle. Pennsylvania authorities said they believed they had sufficient evidence to charge Zakjow with his parents’ murder, though the Delaware County DA’s office said more documentation was required.
About Post Author
