Two recent killings that occurred thousands of miles apart in the United States have been linked to a fringe group that has been described as a “death cult.”

The Context

Curtis Lind, an 82-year-old landlord in Vallejo, California, was stabbed to death near his property on January 17. Maximillian Snyder, a 22-year-old data scientist, was charged with Lind’s murder on Tuesday.

His death came after he was allegedly impaled with a samurai sword and blinded in one eye during an attack by a group of young tenants who lived in box trucks on his property. He had been called to testify against his alleged assailants in a trial in April, according to Open Vallejo, a nonprofit news organization.

Three days after Lind’s killing, Border Patrol agent David Maland was shot dead during a traffic stop more than 3,000 miles away, near the U.S.-Canada border in Vermont. Teresa Youngblut, a 21-year-old computer science student, is facing federal firearms charges in Maland’s death.

Youngblut was in a Toyota Prius with German national Felix Baukholt when they were pulled over by Border Patrol agents on January 20. Investigators surveilled them for almost a week after a hotel employee reported seeing them dressed in black tactical clothing and protecting equipment, according to an FBI affidavit. Youngblut allegedly pulled a gun on the agents, leading to a gunfight that left both Maland and Baukholt dead.

Newsweek reached out to attorneys for Snyder and Youngblut via email for comment.

What To Know

The two people charged in connection with the two killings, Snyder and Youngblut, had applied for a marriage license in Washington state in November, according to Open Vallejo.

Meanwhile, prosecutors in Vermont said in a court filing on Monday reviewed by Newsweek that the gun used by Youngblut and one that Baukholt carried were purchased by a third person who is a person of interest in a double homicide investigation in Pennsylvania.

Both Youngblut and the buyer “are acquainted with and have been in frequent contact with” someone who was detained during the Pennsylvania investigation and who is also a person of interest in a homicide investigation in Vallejo, U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher wrote in the motion.

Snyder and Youngblut appear to be followers of a fringe online group called the “Zizians”—an offshoot of the Rationalist movement that started in the Bay Area, Open Valley reported, citing the pair’s social media posts, police records and an interview with someone familiar with the group.

Jessica Taylor, a friend of Baukholt, told the outlet that Zizians are a “murder gang” that believes in timeless decision theory. Veganism and animal rights are also important to the group’s ideology.

On social media, Taylor said she had warned Baukholt, who she said went by Ophelia, about Zizians. “I remember warning Ophelia that Zizians were a death cult with a high local death rate,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on January 22.

Newsweek reached out to Taylor via direct message on X for comment.

An anonymous post warning about the group LessWrong.com, a Rationalist forum, said the alleged assailants who attacked Lind in 2022 are associates of the group’s namesake “Ziz,” whose legal name is Jack LaSota, according to Open Vallejo.

LaSota was not arrested in connection with the attack on Lind but did live on his property. The outlet also reported that LaSota is not mentioned in records related to either of the killings.

Newsweek could not immediately reach LaSota for comment.

What People Are Saying

Curtis Lind’s family, in a post on GoFundMe: “His murder was a senseless act. He was a senior citizen trying to live his life to the best of his abilities despite how much he was going through physically and mentally after being attacked 2 years ago.”

David Maland’s family, in a statement: “He was a devoted agent who served with honor and bravery. He had a tremendous respect and pride for the work he did; he truly embodied service over self.”

What Happens Next

Youngblut is facing one count of using a deadly weapon while assaulting a Border Patrol agent and one count of using and discharging a firearm during that assault. She is scheduled to appear in court for a detention hearing on Thursday.

Snyder is being held without bail in the Justice Center Detention Facility in Fairfield, California. His next court appearance is scheduled for February 6.