Michelle Zajko, 32, has been charged with orchestrating the murders of her parents, Richard and Rita Zajko, in their Delaware County, Pennsylvania, home on December 31, 2022, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Authorities stated Zajko did not act alone in the killings and that her co-conspirators are currently unknown.
Prosecutors believe Zajko killed her parents shortly after becoming involved with the Zizians, a radical group described as a vegan, transgender, and anti-artificial intelligence cult. The group is led by Jack "Ziz" LaSota and has been linked to multiple killings across three states.
In addition to the charges related to her parents' deaths, federal authorities have arrested Zajko for allegedly supplying firearms to other Zizian members. These weapons are believed to have been used in the January 2025 killing of border patrol agent David Maland, 44, in Vermont. Federal agents arrested Zajko for her alleged role in supplying guns to cult members Teresa Youngblut and Ophelia “Felix” Baukholt, who are implicated in Maland's death.
Zajko is facing charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with her parents' deaths. Prosecutors indicated that Richard and Rita Zajko were murdered on their daughter's birthday, and that they had attempted to reconcile with her before the incident. The couple was shot to death in their $1 million home.
Michelle Zajko is the fifth member of the Zizian group to be charged with murder. The cult, founded by LaSota, a 34-year-old blogger and former computer engineer, promotes a philosophy of "vegan anarchotranshumanism" and expresses a desire to protect the world from AI. LaSota himself is currently in jail in Maryland facing various charges including trespassing, weapons offenses, and drug possession.
The Zizians have been implicated in at least six killings. Five followers are currently awaiting trial for murder charges, including three individuals involved in the death of Curtis Lind, a California man who was killed after attempting to evict Zizian squatters from his property. An image depicting alleged Zizian members and locations of deaths linked to the group was released by investigators.