Annie Elise

Since there are a few trials that are going to be happening in the next months and years, I'm going to definitely be keeping tabs on the case and tabs on everybody involved.

But it is genuinely one of the more disturbing and senseless stories that I have come across lately.

Because the violence, it didn't come from money or jealousy or revenge.

It kind of came from just like this warped, rooted belief system that was fueled by internet rabbit holes and this one singular person's delusion that they were on some sort of righteous mission.

The Zizians weren't robbing anyone.

They weren't targeting their enemies.

They were just kind of out for blood, out for vengeance, believing that they were cleansing the world because of some sort of hierarchy or some sort of like higher vegan ideology.

And now six people are dead for it, which I just feel horrible for the victims and their families because these are people who had absolutely nothing to do with any of this.

They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And it's really terrifying to think about when you break it down and think how quickly this group moved from just like radical ideas to real world violence and how easy it seemed to convince these young 20-year-olds who were idolistic people that murder was justified.

I also keep thinking about the younger followers, too, because every single life that the Zizians took, there's another life that is ruined by falling into this cult.

Daniel, for instance, he hadn't seen his family in up to two years.

He then sent them that horrific graphic video about killing animals and just vanished, only to turn up in that hotel room with Ziz, then get arrested on weapons and trespassing charges.

So now he's likely going to spend some time in prison.

Same with Michelle, Alexander, Suri, and Ziz herself.

But it's like, for what?

What is the greater purpose here?

So I don't know.

This case is just a really scary reminder of how far ideology can go when it's like unregulated and unchecked.

And when people start isolating themselves online in these message boards, these forms, and stop living in reality and stop living in the real world.