CultNEWS101 Articles: 6/10/2025 (Snap Evaluations, Book Review, Repressed Memory, Recovery Workshop)

Snap Evaluations, Book Review, Repressed Memory, Recovery Workshop

The Conversation: Stop the 'good' vs 'bad' snap judgments and watch your world become more interesting

'The Art of the Interesting' explores " ... the ways the evaluative perspective squashes your ability to experience psychological richness and other positive dimensions of life. The more you instinctively react with a "good" or a "bad," the less of the world you take in. You'll be less likely to engage your mind, exercise curiosity and have interesting experiences."

" ... Evaluation narrows your mind

When you instinctively label something as good or bad, you focus only on the features that make that thing good or bad."

" ... When snap evaluations reign, you effectively shut yourself off from a wide range of possible experiences. When everything around you is just good or bad, nothing can be perplexing, mysterious or intriguing. Nothing can be simply new, or simply challenging, or simply stimulating. Nothing is interesting, for your mind has filtered out these possible sources of cognitive engagement. It sees what it expects, and nothing else.

Open your mind for more psychological richness

Snap evaluations narrow your perspective and limit your mind's potential to connect and engage with other aspects of your experiences. But you can unlock this potential simply by resisting any instinct to judge and instead viewing the world without trying to evaluate what you see."

ICSA Reviews: "Memory Warp: How the Myth of Repressed Memory Arose and Refuses to Die", reviewed by Joe Szimhart

" ... Memory Warp is structured in a way that guides readers through the history, development, and impact of the recovered memory movement. Pendergrast begins by revisiting cases from the 1980s and 1990s, a period when the belief in repressed and recovered memories gained significant traction. He provides detailed accounts of individuals and families affected by these memories, highlighting the often-devastating consequences.

The book also explores the role of therapists and the methods they use to uncover supposedly repressed memories. Pendergrast critically examines techniques such as hypnosis, guided imagery, and other suggestive practices, questioning their validity and the scientific basis behind them. He presents compelling evidence that these methods can create false memories, leading to a phenomenon known as False Memory Syndrome (FMS)."

HEART (healing from emotional, anger, and relational trauma)

HEART (healing from emotional, anger, and relational trauma) is an educational support group that offers a safe place tpo focus on healing with positive strategies to deal more effectively with anger and other emotions, coercive control, traumatic narcissism & gaslighting as part of an ongoing discussion.  The next series continues Monday, July 14 at 12:30 pm and Wednesday, July 16 at 7:30 pm for 4 sessions each. For more information, schedule, and registration, call or text 516-547-4318 or email paul.engel@flushingjcc.net or email paul.engel@flushingjcc.net.

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

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The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 6/11/2025 (Legal, Lori Daybell, Meditation, Sudarshan Kriya)

Legal, Lori Daybell, Meditation, Sudarshan Kriya 

Court TV: Jury Seated in Lori Daybell's Cult Mom Conspiracy Trial

Lori Daybell is representing herself at trial in Arizona on charges she conspired in an attempt to kill her ex-nephew-in-law.

"Prosecutors allege Lori and her brother, Alex Cox, planned to kill Brandon Boudreaux in October 2019. Court documents allege Cox drove a Jeep that belonged to Lori's deceased husband, Charles Vallow, from Rexburg, Idaho, to Gilbert, Arizona, then shot at Boudreaux outside his home on Oct. 2. Boudreaux was not injured in the incident.

At the time of the shooting, Boudreaux was recently separated from Lori's niece, Melani Pawlowski. According to police reports, Lori and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell, along with Cox, told Pawlowski that Boudreaux had a "dark" soul when they allegedly began plotting his murder. Boudreaux previously testified about the shooting during Chad's Idaho trial."

Jewish Journal: Rabbi Aryeh Siegel on His Halachic Meditation Book, 'Kosher Calm'

"The year was 1971. Aryeh Siegel was a graduate student at Berkeley, and he had just learned about Transcendental Meditation, known as TM. Developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, TM involved silently repeating a mantra in one's head as a form of meditation, and it quickly caught on amongst young people and celebrities.

After becoming a TM teacher and a senior member of the organization, Siegel found that it was corrupt and, as he put it, a cult. He also learned that the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, a huge spiritual leader at the time, was against Jews practicing TM and other forms of meditation with Eastern religion roots, as it was not in line with Jewish law. However, the Rebbe still saw the value in meditation in general, and how it could help people; there just had to be a kosher way to do it.

This was the inspiration for Siegel to write a book. Now, he's released "Kosher Calm: Meditation & Self-Help Tools For Health & Healing Inspired by the Teachings of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe" to urge his fellow Jews to meditate while staying true to their values.

"Beginning in 1962, the Rebbe urged Jewish mental health professionals to create kosher meditation protocols, though those protocols never materialized," Siegel told The Journal. "My book is my attempt to finally answer that call. Drawing on my expertise in meditation, I share a simple, yet effective, technique fully aligned with Torah law, along with additional tools for stress relief and building emotional resilience."

"Kosher Calm" includes a curated selection of letters from the Lubavitcher Rebbe's extensive correspondence on the critical need for therapeutic meditation. Chapters cover topics like how to prepare to meditate, managing restlessness, mind-body techniques that help with certain health conditions, and mindfulness.

In the chapter on learning how to meditate, Siegel takes readers step by step; he also posts meditation videos on his YouTube channel for visual help. After instructing readers on how to meditate, he writes, 'During your session, you might have experienced moments of deep peace interspersed with periods of mental activity. Some people find that their awareness stays on the surface, dwelling on everyday thoughts. Others drift between states of calm and mental chatter. Whatever you experienced is exactly what needed to happen.'"

Medium: Merchant Navy Veteran Warns Of Health Risks from Fast Breathing Exercises, Questions Sudarshan Kriya

"Ajit Vadakayil, a retired Indian Merchant Navy captain and expert in maritime physiology, has raised red flags about Sudarshan Kriya — a core breathing practice taught in the Happiness Program of the Art of Living (AOL) foundation.

Citing his professional background in oxygen management and respiratory safety protocols, Vadakayil cautions that fast, forceful, or rapid breathing techniques may lead to hyperventilation and pose serious long-term health risks. He questions the widespread promotion of such practices, including Sudarshan Kriya, warning they may do more harm than good to some people in the long term."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

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The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

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Founder of Sexual Wellness Company “OneTaste” and Former Head of Sales Convicted of Forced Labor Conspiracy

Press Release

Monday, June 9, 2025

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York

Defendants Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz Used Deception and Abuse to Obtain Their Victims’ Labor and Services

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, a federal jury convicted Nicole Daedone, the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of OneTaste, Inc. (OneTaste), a sexual wellness education company, and Rachel Cherwitz, the company’s former head of sales, of forced labor conspiracy in connection with their coercive scheme to obtain the labor and services of certain OneTaste employees.  To achieve their goal, the defendants and their co-conspirators subjected the victims to economic, sexual, emotional, financial, and psychological abuse, as well as surveillance, indoctrination, and intimidation.  The verdict was returned after a five-week trial before United States District Judge Diane Gujarati.  When sentenced, Daedone and Cherwitz each face up to 20 years in prison.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the verdict.

“The jury’s verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labor and services for the defendants’ benefit,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “I commend the witnesses who testified at trial notwithstanding the trauma that they experienced at the defendants’ direction.  It is my hope that the just conclusion of this process will bring them closure, and that future charlatans think twice about exploiting human beings in this manner.”

“Today's verdict sends a clear message— controlling your labor force by relying on lies, manipulation, and abuse is a crime. The victims in this case were offered sexual empowerment and wellness as a pathway to healing past trauma, but instead received various forms of abuse and manipulation on behalf of Daedone and Cherwitz for the financial benefit of OneTaste. The FBI will continue to ensure those responsible for forced labor schemes are made to answer for their crimes,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia.

OneTaste was a privately held company founded by Daedone in 2004.  Its principal place of business was San Francisco, California, and it operated at various locations within New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, and London.  OneTaste promoted itself as a sexually focused wellness education company that offered hands-on classes on “orgasmic mediation” (OM), which involved stroking a woman’s genitals for 15 minutes.  OneTaste generated revenue by providing courses, coaching, OM events, and less-publicized courses in other sexual practices in exchange for a fee.  

As proven at trial, between 2006 and May 2018, Daedone and Cherwitz obtained the labor and services of multiple young women who had turned to OneTaste for healing and spirituality by coercing them to perform labor, including sexual labor, for the defendants’ benefit.  OneTaste advertised that its courses and teachings could heal past sexual trauma and dysfunction.  Daedone and Cherwitz used abusive and manipulative tactics designed to control OneTaste members by making them emotionally and psychologically dependent on OneTaste, including encouraging them to incur debt by opening lines of credit to finance the expensive courses, subjecting them to constant surveillance in communal homes, collecting sensitive information about their prior trauma and sexual histories, depriving them of sleep, and subjecting them to sexual abuse.

Once they had secured the loyalty and indebtedness of certain OneTaste members, Daedone and Cherwitz engaged in abusive employment practices.  They directed OneTaste members to work long hours seven days per week with little or no compensation; that work included manual labor and the provision of sexual services.  For example, Daedone and Cherwitz coerced their victims to sexually service OneTaste’s current and prospective investors, clients and employees for the financial benefit of the company.  Three witnesses testified about how they were coerced into becoming a “handler” for OneTaste’s initial investor, who was also Daedone’s boyfriend, which required them to live with him, perform demeaning sex acts at his direction, and cook for him.  Multiple other witnesses testified that they were coerced under threat of termination, demotion, ostracism, and financial and spiritual ruin by Daedone and Cherwitz into performing various sex acts with OneTaste’s potential clients and investors. In 2017, Ms. Daedone sold OneTaste—a company built on the backs of coerced and unpaid or substantially underpaid labor—for $12 million.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Kayla C. Bensing, Kaitlin T. Farrell, Nina C. Gupta, and Sean Michael Fern are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Liam McNett and Marlane Bosler.

The Defendants:

NICOLE DAEDONE

Age:  57

New York, New York

RACHEL CHERWITZ

Age:  44

Philo, California

Contact

John Marzulli

Denise Taylor

United States Attorney’s Office

(718) 254-6323

The Secret Practice: Eighteen Years on the Dark Side of Yoga: A Memoir

The Secret Practice: Eighteen Years on the Dark Side of Yoga: A Memoir

"Joelle Tamraz was barely past twenty when she traveled to India in search of spiritual enlightenment. In Rishikesh, the home of yoga, she met an alluring older man who offered to teach her a secret practice. This encounter would realign her next twenty years. Joelle was controlled emotionally, financially, socially, and physically until she was finally able to break the cycle of abuse.

Despite signs there was more to her Arun than his winning smile, she persisted in seeing him as her spiritual master, soul mate, and key to her destiny. Until one day she dared to open her eyes and change her pose to one of strength and harmony.

From darkness to light, from dependency to self-awareness, from psychological need to genuine love, her memoir is at once an exposé of a malignant narcissist, the exploration of a marriage, and the exhaustion of a disciple’s faith.

Heartfelt, gripping, and illuminating, The Secret Practice is a powerful story of falling prey to, and awakening from, the dark side of yoga and spirituality."

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Practice-Eighteen-Years-Memoir-ebook/dp/B0CB91V9MN/

CultNEWS101 Articles: 6/9/2025 (Conference, Interventions, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ramayana University, India, Transcendental Meditation)

Conference, Interventions, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ramayana University, India, Transcendental Meditation

Info-Secte / Info-Cult and International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) will host the next upcoming annual conference in Montreal, Canada: July 2-5, 2025

A Collaborative Approach to Addressing a Loved One's Cult-related Involvement (Patrick Ryan, Joseph Kelly, Doni Whitsett, Rosanne Henry)
Abstract: This presentation reflects the growing awareness in the anti-cult community that it often "takes a village"to respond appropriately and effectively to cult involvement and that each discipline brings different and essential expertise to bear on the issue. This talk will explore the vital elements of our collaborative approach (mental health professionals, former members, and exit counselors) using examples to illustrate these elements.A case presentation with a round table discussion from various perspectives, including interventionists,mental health professionals, research, and sociology.

Mr. Kelly has also facilitated ICSA workshops for ex-members and families (1996-2018),  has lectured extensively on cult-related topics and has been a cult intervention specialist (thought reform consultant/exit counselor, mediator) since 1989. He is the co-author of "Ethical Standards for Thought Reform Consultants," and has presented 50 programs about hypnosis, inner-experience, trance induction techniques, communicating with cult members, conversion, cult intervention, exit counseling,intervention assessment, mediation, religious conflict resolution, thought reform consultation, easter ngroups, transcendental meditation and workshops for educators, families, former members and mental health professionals at ICSA workshops/conferences. Mr Kelly received the Lifetime Achievement Award (2023) from ICSA.

Mr Patrick Ryan is a graduate of Maharishi International University (Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Eastern religious systems) and has been a cult intervention specialist (thought reform consultant/exit counselor, mediator) since 1984. He was the founder and former head of TM-EX, the organization of ex-members of Transcendental Meditation. He was the editor of AFF News, a news publication for former cult members (1995-1998), has contributed to the Cult Observer, AFF's book, Recovery From Cults, is co-author of "Ethical Standards for Thought Reform Consultants," and has presented 50 programs about hypnosis, inner-experience, trance induction techniques, communicating with cult members, conversion, cult intervention, exit counseling, intervention assessment, mediation, religious conflict resolution, thought reform consultation, easter ngroups, transcendental meditation and workshops for educators, families, former members and mentalhealth professionals at ICSA workshops/conferences. Mr. Ryan received the AFF Achievement Award (1997) from AFF, the Leo J. Ryan "Distinguished Service Award" (1999) from the Leo J. Ryan Foundation, and a Lifetime Achievement Award (2011) from ICSA.

Rosanne Henry, MA, LPC, emeritus director of ICSA, is a psychotherapist practicing in Littleton, Colorado.For more than thirty years she has been active in the cult-education movement, working closely with the former Cult Awareness Network and ICSA. She served on the Board of Directors of ICSA from 2004 to2018 and was Chair of ICSA's Mental Health Committee. She cofacilitated ICSA's recovery workshops for25 years. In her private practice, Rosanne specializes in the treatment of cult survivors and their families.She is a former member of Kashi Ranch. In 2010, Ms. Henry received ICSA's Margaret T. Singer Award(shared with the other Colorado workshop facilitators). She is also coauthor (with Carol Giambalvo) of "The Colorado Model" (ICSA Today, 1[1], 2010); coauthor (with Leona Furnari) of "Lessons Learned FromSGAs About Recovery and Resiliency" (ICSA Today, 2[3], 2011); and co-editor (with Lorna Goldberg, WilliamGoldberg, and Michael Langone) of ICSA's Cult Recovery: A Clinician's Guide to Working With Former Members and Their Families, published in 2017.

Doni Whitsett, PhD, LCSW, is a Clinical Professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Workwhere she teaches various courses in practice, behavior, mental health, and human sexuality. She has been working with cult-involved clients and their families for over 20 years and gives lectures to students and professionals on this topic. She has presented at national and international conferences in Madrid,Poland, Canada, and in Australia, where she helped organize two conferences in Brisbane. Her talks have included The Psychobiology of Trauma and Child Maltreatment (2005, Madrid) and Why Cults Are Harmful: A Neurobiological View of Interpersonal Trauma (2012, Montreal). Her publications include The Psychobiology of Trauma and Child Maltreatment (Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 3, 2006), A SelfPsychological Approach to the Cult Phenomenon (Journal of Social Work, 1992), Cults and Families(Families in Society, Vol. 84, No. 4, 2003), which she coauthored with Dr. Stephen Kent, and Why cults are harmful: Neurobiological speculations on interpersonal trauma. ICSA Today, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2014. Dr.Whitsett also has a specialty in Sexuality and was awarded a Fulbright Specialist Scholarship in 2016 to study, teach, and do research on this topic in China.

Hindustan Times Haryana: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday gave its nod to the proposal for setting up Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ramayana University

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday gave its nod to the proposal for setting up Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ramayana University, Ayodhya, and two other private universities in the state, including Bhakti Vedanta University, Mathura, and Ajay Kumar Garg University, Ghaziabad. The establishment of the university in Ayodhya is proposed by the sponsoring institution Maharishi Ramayan Vidyapeeth Trust, Delhi on 20.2569 acres of land in Ayodhya Nagar area. In Continuation of this proposal, a letter of intent has already been issued on May 18, 2023. Now for the establishment of the university, the name of the university will be included in the schedule of the Act by bringing the Uttar Pradesh Private University (Amendment) Ordinance 2025.The establishment of the university in Mathura is proposed by the International Society forKrishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on 50.8870 acres of land in village Azhai Khurd in Chhata tehsil. A high-level panel had recommended the issuance of a letter of intent in October 2024.

The establishment of the university in Ghaziabad is proposed by the Indian Institute of Society on 26.2656 acres of land in Dasna village. The high-level committee found the proposal suitable for the letter of intent on November 10, 2023. Higher education minister Yogendra Upadhyay said these decisions have been taken in full compliance with the procedures prescribed under the Uttar Pradesh Private University Act, 2019 and its related Rules-2021. Through these universities, diversity, innovation and global level educational facilities will be developed in the field of higher education in the state.

Global Peace Initiative: Celebrating our Royal and Divine Raj Rajeshwari Ma on Vimeo

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Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

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Rabbi Aryeh Siegel on His Halachic Meditation Book, ‘Kosher Calm’

Kylie Ora Lobell
Jewish Journal
June 5, 2025

The year was 1971. Aryeh Siegel was a graduate student at Berkeley, and he had just learned about Transcendental Meditation, known as TM. Developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, TM involved silently repeating a mantra in one’s head as a form of meditation, and it quickly caught on amongst young people and celebrities. 

After becoming a TM teacher and a senior member of the organization, Siegel found that it was corrupt and, as he put it, a cult. He also learned that the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, a huge spiritual leader at the time, was against Jews practicing TM and other forms of meditation with Eastern religion roots, as it was not in line with Jewish law. However, the Rebbe still saw the value in meditation in general, and how it could help people; there just had to be a kosher way to do it.

This was the inspiration for Siegel to write a book. Now, he’s released “Kosher Calm: Meditation & Self-Help Tools For Health & Healing Inspired by the Teachings of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe” to urge his fellow Jews to meditate while staying true to their values.

“Beginning in 1962, the Rebbe urged Jewish mental health professionals to create kosher meditation protocols, though those protocols never materialized,” Siegel told The Journal. “My book is my attempt to finally answer that call. Drawing on my expertise in meditation, I share a simple, yet effective, technique fully aligned with Torah law, along with additional tools for stress relief and building emotional resilience.”

“Kosher Calm” includes a curated selection of letters from the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s extensive correspondence on the critical need for therapeutic meditation. Chapters cover topics like how to prepare to meditate, managing restlessness, mind-body techniques that help with certain health conditions, and mindfulness. 

In the chapter on learning how to meditate, Siegel takes readers step by step; he also posts meditation videos on his YouTube channel for visual help. After instructing readers on how to meditate, he writes, “During your session, you might have experienced moments of deep peace interspersed with periods of mental activity. Some people find that their awareness stays on the surface, dwelling on everyday thoughts. Others drift between states of calm and mental chatter. Whatever you experienced is exactly what needed to happen.”

According to Siegel, who lives in Los Angeles, meditation can not only help relieve stress but also help with preventing physical ailments. “When you’re stressed, your body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ system kicks in, releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol,” Siegel said. “While this helps in emergencies, constant modern stressors mean your body rarely gets a break. Chronic stress can cause health issues, weaken your immune system, disrupt sleep, impair memory, and cloud decision-making. It can even push people toward unhealthy habits. Since most stressors are beyond your control, meditation offers a way to break the stress cycle, calm your mind, and protect your health.”

So, what makes meditation kosher? Siegel said it must be strictly nonidolatrous, “free of Hindu mantras, foreign rituals, or religious symbols, any of which could potentially violate avodah zarah (prohibitions against idolatrous practices).” For example, to make meditation kosher, you could focus on a Hebrew word and approach meditation as a method for healing, not for worship. 

“This therapeutic approach differs from traditional Jewish spiritual practices such as hisbonenus (contemplation) or hitbodedut (secluded prayer),” said Siegel. “Rather than serving as a path to spiritual insight, the Rebbe viewed kosher meditation as designed to restore psychological balance.”

For Siegel, meditation was life-changing. He found it at a time when he was a stressed-out grad student with a new baby, sleepless nights, academic deadlines, and financial pressures. 

“That’s when meditation entered my life,” he said. “It wasn’t just a technique; it felt like a lifeline. For the first time, I experienced a sense of temporary calm that sometimes comes from fixing something, but from within.”

Siegel continued, “Meditation gave me a quiet space where I could pause, reset resulting in more clarity and resilience. It didn’t solve all my problems, but it changed how I faced them, and that, in a very real way, changed my life.”

https://koshercalm.org/

“Kosher Calm” is available on Amazon.

https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/books/381930/rabbi-aryeh-siegel-on-his-halachic-meditation-book-kosher-calm/

Judge confirms trial date for ‘Zizian cult’ murder case

Matt Simons

Courthouse News Service

June 6, 2025

After a nearly ten-minute verbal stand-off with one of the defendants at the hearing, a judge has confirmed a trial date for two transgender defendants charged with the 2022 attempted murder of their Vallejo landlord.

FAIRFIELD, Calif. (CN) — A judge on Friday confirmed the trial of two defendants in Solano County for the attempted murder of their Vallejo landlord in 2022 and the resulting death of their friend, who died of a gunshot wound during the incident.

Defendants Alexander Leatham and Suri Dao belong to a group called the “Zizians,” a loose, cult-like organization of radical vegans and computer savants who see artificial intelligence as a danger to humanity. The group has been linked to six murders across the country.

Their trial is set for October 21, 2025, in Solano County Superior Court.

The solid trial date comes after months of continued hearings and delays in the case, due in part to Leatham’s lack of cooperation with court proceedings.

During Friday’s hearing, as Leatham was led to the courtroom — as she has many times before, by multiple armed officers from the Solano County Sheriff’s Department — She shouted more than 20 times: “I waive my right to a speedy trial!”

Solano County Judge John B. Ellis addressed the interruption from the bench with a mixture of boredom and indifference that has come to define their in-court interactions.

The judge gave the order to place her in an “isolation room,” a room adjacent to the courtroom with a window where she could watch the proceedings.

“Apparently, she’s fairly insistent on waiving the trial,” Ellis quipped.

Leatham’s outbursts have become a common occurrence at these hearings, though this one was notably more subdued than usual, and Leatham barely struggled with the guards.

The pre-trial proceedings reached a fever pitch when Leatham was brought out to be re-arraigned after the judge approved a motion to consolidate Leatham and Dao's cases.

Leatham began repeating a new statement as soon as the judge brought her back to the courtroom so she could be read her charges.

“Someone, please help me! I am surrounded by trans misogynists! Someone, please help me! They are torturing me for being transgender!” Leatham shouted.

In a herculean display of willpower by both parties, Leatham and Ellis spoke at the same time, uninterrupted, for nearly ten minutes while Ellis read her charges for the record.

“Subject to penal code section C...”

“Someone, please help me!”

“...intentionally causing permanent damage or disfigurement...”

“I am surrounded by trans misogynists!”

“...It’s also alleged aggravating factors under 4.21A1, that…”

The judge entered a plea of not guilty for the defendant, lacking an answer from Leatham during their verbal stand-off.

However, Leatham stopped her repetitive statements with the only words she’s traded with the judge in open court in several months when the judge suggested he would set the trial sooner without her input. Without waiving her rights, the judge would be required to set a trial within 60 days.

“Unless you enter a plea, I’m gonna set it sooner rather than later. Alright, we’ll set the trial with no time waiver,” Ellis said.

“What the hell! I didn’t say that!” Leatham shouted.

“Well then, would you like to waive the time?” the judge asked.

“I said that like 100 times! What the hell!” Leatham said, referring to her earlier repeated statement.

Leatham was then removed from the courtroom by officers.

Dao, Leatham’s co-defendant, was much tamer by comparison. They appeared before the court remotely via Zoom, wearing a blue prison shirt. Dao was soft-spoken and cooperative with the proceedings.

The judge also granted a motion to consolidate the defendants’ cases, despite Dao’s opposition that combining the two would “gravely prejudice” their case.

In his decision, the judge referenced past attempts by Dao and Leatham to escape police custody, including attempts before and after they were sent to prison. Ellis said that he doesn’t see Leatham’s escape attempts being used against Dao at trial.

Prosecutors said that Dao gave several false names to police upon their arrest, including “Joshua of Nazareth,” and once pretended to have a seizure so they could try and escape their jail cell. There are also doubts whether “Suri Dao” is the defendant’s real name or merely one they invented on-the-spot after their arrest.

Attorney Brian Ford, who represented Dao, said Leatham’s statements were “deeply, deeply troubling.”

“I get concerned every time I hear what she’s saying, because it’s consistently about discrimination and being tortured on the basis of their gender identity,” Ford told Courthouse News.

Ford added that Leatham's claims should be investigated.

Courthouse News reached out to Leatham’s attorneys at the Solano County Alternate Public Defender’s Office to ask for a comment on her statements about police mistreatment in custody in April, but has not yet received a response.

Attorneys Shelly Saini and Carole Long of the Solano County Alternate Public Defender’s Office, who represented Leatham, declined to comment.

The Solano County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

The next hearing will be on Aug. 22, 2025, when the court will hear a motion to dismiss the charges.

Dao and Leatham are two of roughly 10 known members of a group called the Zizians — a group dedicated to the ideas of blogger Jack “Ziz” LaSota, a 34-year-old transgender woman who came to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2016. A former aspiring tech worker, LaSota came to the tech-saturated region to study the dangers that artificial intelligence could pose to humanity and developed a following among AI theorists and tech bloggers for her radical and rigorous ideas on AI, veganism and gender.

In August 2022, LaSota faked her death and disappeared from the world. She was later arrested in Maryland this February for trespassing and possession of a handgun in the vehicle.

Although “Ziz” has not been charged in any of the killings her followers have carried out, the group itself has been linked to several violent murders, including the one Dao and Leatham tried to carry out.

In 2022, prosecutors claim Dao, Leatham, and fellow Zizian Emma Borhanian faced eviction from a Vallejo lot where they rented space for the retrofitted box trucks they lived in. In an attack, the right side of his skull was shattered, and his torso was impaled with a samurai sword.

Lind ending up shooting and killing Borhanian and wounding Leatham. Though he survived, and was set to testify at Leatham and Dao’s trial, he was killed in January 2025 by another Zizian, Maximilian Snyder, who is now awaiting trial for murder.

Categories / Criminal, Regional

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 https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-confirms-trial-date-for-zizian-cult-murder-case/

Sheffield Doc Fes: Inside the Jesus Army

Sheffield Doc Fes: Inside the Jesus Army

"It began as a dream of community life, but a 1970s Christian commune soon became a nightmare of abuse, the scale of which is only just coming to light.

In the 1970s, a group of idealistic Christians, led by firebrand preacher Noel Stanton, attempted to create a heaven on Earth in rural Northamptonshire. With testimony by former members, their children and community Elders, this compelling series traces the story of the Jesus Fellowship from its hippy origins to the high-profile launch of the Jesus Army in the late 1980s, followed by its shocking demise in the 2000s. In parallel to this history, a group of former members undergo specialist post-cult counselling to help them come to terms with their indoctrination. In this first episode, despite suspicious deaths and accusations of a cult forming, nothing seems to weaken Noel Stanton’s grip on the community. But then a whistleblower speaks out about the things they’ve witnessed.

Inside the Jesus Army + Conversation

Sat 21 June 15:15 - 16:49

Showroom - Bertha DocHouse Screen 3

Book Tickets

https://www.sheffdocfest.com/film/inside-jesus-army

CultNEWS101 Articles: 6/6/2025 (Psychology of Cults, Golden Dawn, Magick)

Psychology of Cults, Golden Dawn, Magick

The Conversation: The dark psychology of how people really get drawn into cults

"Like other quirky TV shows that explore coercively controlling groups, Sirens leans into the "wackiness" of cult life. Set on a remote island, an affluent community exists under the extravagant rule of Michaela Kell aka Kiki (Julianne Moore). Her devoted followers – many of whom are employed by her – are committed to ensuring her every whim is met.

This carefully curated existence appears bizarre but flawless, until outsider Devon (Meghann Fahy) arrives looking for her sister Simone (Milly Alcock) and begins to illuminate the control and cult-like behaviour being used as tools of oppression.

It is easy to laugh along with Sirens, to get caught up in the eccentric characters and absurd rituals – from assistants being instructed to sext Kiki's partner to rituals around perfuming her underwear drawer each morning. We shake our heads at the characters' choices and reassure ourselves: "I would never fall for that, I would just leave."

But the uncomfortable truth is it's not that simple."

" ... What portrayals of cult communities in sitcoms often miss, or gloss over, is the deeply manipulative psychology behind why leaving a cult is incredibly difficult.

Research into cult experiences has shown, cults do not just trap people physically. They entrap them mentally and emotionally too."

Arizona Daily Star: 'Cult' church member molested small boy while his children napped, new victim says

" ... Former members have accused Golden Dawn of being a "cult" because of what they describe as the church's practices of excommunicating former members, isolating congregants from the outside world, manipulating members' financial and health decisions and allegedly ignoring child sexual abuse allegations for decades, an Arizona Daily Star/Lee Enterprises investigation found."

A Little Bit Culty: Is It a Spiritual Path or a Cult? Mitch Horowitz Helps Us Break It Down

" ... Historian and occult scholar Mitch Horowitz joins us to explore the space where spirituality meets personal growth, and how easily it can slip into culty territory. His latest book, Practical Magick: Ancient Tradition and Modern Practice, helps make sense of mystical ideas while encouraging intentional belief.

We dig into the red flags to watch for on the seeker's path, from peer pressure and time abuse to isolation and guru worship. We also talk about money, emotion, and how performance culture can sneak into spiritual spaces. Mitch makes the case for private exploration, critical thinking, and walking away when something doesn't feel right.

Whether you're deep into the woo or just woo-adjacent, this one's packed with insight on how to stay curious without giving your power away."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

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The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view to promote dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

Jury Seated in Lori Daybell's Cult Mom Conspiracy Trial

Court TV

June 5, 2025

PHOENIX (Court TV) — Lori Daybell is representing herself at trial in Arizona on charges she conspired in an attempt to kill her ex-nephew-in-law.

Prosecutors allege Lori and her brother, Alex Cox, planned to kill Brandon Boudreaux in October 2019. Court documents allege Cox drove a Jeep that belonged to Lori’s deceased husband, Charles Vallow, from Rexburg, Idaho, to Gilbert, Arizona, then shot at Boudreaux outside his home on Oct. 2. Boudreaux was not injured in the incident.

At the time of the shooting, Boudreaux was recently separated from Lori’s niece, Melani Pawlowski. According to police reports, Lori and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell, along with Cox, told Pawlowski that Boudreaux had a “dark” soul when they allegedly began plotting his murder. Boudreaux previously testified about the shooting during Chad’s Idaho trial.

If convicted of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in Boudreaux’s case, Lori is facing a potential sentence of life in prison. She is already awaiting another possible sentence of life in prison after an Arizona jury convicted her of conspiring to kill Charles Vallow in April.

The Arizona charges are in addition to her life sentences in Idaho. In 2023, she was convicted of murdering her two youngest children, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, and conspiring to kill her fifth husband’s first wife, Tammy Daybell. Her husband, Chad Daybell, was convicted of the same charges and sentenced to death.

https://www.courttv.com/title/jury-seated-in-lori-daybells-cult-mom-conspiracy-trial/ 

HEART (healing from emotional, anger, and relational trauma)

HEART (healing from emotional, anger, and relational trauma) is an educational support group that offers a safe place tpo ​focus on healing with positive strategies to deal more effectively with anger and other emotions, coercive control, traumatic narcissism & gaslighting as part of an ongoing discussion.  The next series continues Monday, July 14 at 12:30 pm and Wednesday, July 16 at 7:30 pm for 4 sessions each. For more information, schedule, and registration, call or text 516-547-4318 or email paul.engel@flushingjcc.net.

WYFP - Cult Talk, Knitting Cult Lady

Mortifyd
Daily Kos
May 31, 2025

Uncultured, by Daniella Mestyanek Young

" ... She grew up in the Children of God pedo cult (they regularly had sex with prepubescent girls) got out of that as a young person, and then joined the Army, which is it’s own sort of cult.  She went to Harvard to study cults and cult behavior and now educates people on cult mentality and techniques for controlling members.  She also knits constantly at high speed.

She is working on another book at the moment, and puts out regular Youtube content which is how I found her, she is mutuals with Parkrose Permaculture, who I introduced in a previous diary.   I’m enjoying the book as much as you can on a subject like that, she reads it herself and does a really good job.  "

https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/5/31/2325259/-WYFP-Cult-Talk-Knitting-Cult-Lady

CultNEWS101 Articles: 6/5/2025 (Legal, Charles Manson, Meditation, Mindfulness, OneTaste)

Legal, Charles Manson, Meditation, Mindfulness, OneTaste

ABC News: Former 'Manson family' member Patricia Krenwinkel, 77, recommended for parole over 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders

"Patricia Krenwinkel, a former follower of cult leader Charles Manson who was convicted for her role in the murders of seven people during a two-day killing spree across Los Angeles in 1969, has been recommended for parole.

It's the 16th time Krenwinkel has appeared before the parole board panel, and the second time parole has been recommended — the first being in 2022, before the decision was overturned by California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Krenwinkel, 77, is California's longest-serving female prisoner, having originally been sentenced to death in 1971 for her role in the brutal "Helter Skelter" killings, which shocked America and shone a light on the dark side of 1960s hippie counterculture.

Her sentence was commuted to life with the possibility of parole in 1972, when the state's Supreme Court ruled the death penalty was unconstitutional."

Science Alert: Meditation And Mindfulness Have a Dark Side We Often Overlook

" ... In the past eight years there has been a surge of scientific research in this area. These studies show that adverse effects are not rare.

A 2022 study, using a sample of 953 people in the US who meditated regularly, showed that over 10 percent of participants experienced adverse effects which had a significant negative impact on their everyday life and lasted for at least one month.

According to a review of over 40 years of research that was published in 2020, the most common adverse effects are anxiety and depression. These are followed by psychotic or delusional symptoms, dissociation or depersonalisation, and fear or terror."

Courthouse News Service: Government wraps 'sex cult' case in Brooklyn

"After four weeks of testimony, federal prosecutors rested their case Monday against two former leaders of OneTaste, a Bay Area company that marketed sex acts as meditation. Jurors must now decide whether the group's tactics crossed the line into forced labor conspiracy.

The company's founder, Nicole Daedone, 57, and former head of sales, Rachel Cherwitz, 44, each face one count that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

OneTaste's core product was "orgasmic meditation" or OM, pronounced like the sacred sound and spiritual symbol commonly invoked in yoga and meditation. Despite its branding, "OMing" is a far cry from those ancient practices; instead, it's a 15-minute partnered practice that involves stroking a woman's genitals — or in the case of "male OMing," giving a man a hand job.

Trial witnesses described an environment of high control with cruel and abusive managers who preached women's empowerment. Still, they ordered them to sexually serve men, via the "OM" practice and otherwise, particularly potential investors and high-paying clients.

Founded in San Francisco in 2004, the company established branches in New York City, London, Austin, Texas, and Boulder, Colorado, and later sold the city branches to franchisees. Daedone sold her shares in the business for $12 million in 2017. Her co-founder, Rob Kandell, an unindicted conspirator who testified under subpoena with government immunity, was bought out for $1.5 million three years earlier."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

Facebook

Flipboard

Twitter

Instagram

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view to promote dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.