Authorities discovered Richard and Rita Zajko dead from gunshot wounds in their Pennsylvania home in Jan. 2023. The couple’s 33-year-old child, Michelle “Jamie” Zajko, was charged with the double murder on Wednesday.
Michelle Zajko has been tied to the Zizians, a cult of trans-identifying extremists whose members have been linked to numerous killings across the country, including the death of a Vermont Border Patrol agent who was gunned down during a traffic stop in Jan. 2025.
‘We are finally at the point where we can say beyond any doubt that Michelle Zajko was at least part responsible for the death of her parents,’ the DA claimed.
Several days after the deaths of Richard and Rita Zajko, police detained Michelle Zajko, who was staying at a Pennsylvania hotel with Daniel Blank, an individual who has also been associated with the Zizians.
Inside Blank’s hotel room, law enforcement discovered a Smith & Wesson 9mm and five boxes of ammunition believed to belong to Michelle Zajko.
Blank — who has been charged with trespassing, obstruction of justice, weapons violations, drug possession, and felony drug-trafficking — was released from custody in Feb. 2026 after posting $15,000 bond. The conditions of his release require him to live alone and to submit to GPS tracking.
Police claimed that Michelle Zajko engaged in suspicious activities following the murders, such as purchasing firearms and burner phones and transferring large sums of cash.
RELATED: The Zizians’ violent spiral: A trans group tied to killings across America
Michelle Jamie Zajko. Image source Allegany County Sheriff’s Office
Michelle Zajko was also previously accused of purchasing the guns confiscated from Teresa “Milo” Youngblut and Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt, other alleged Zizian members, after the shooting death of Vermont Border Patrol agent David Maland.
Michelle Zajko is being held without bond at the Allegany County Jail in Maryland while facing charges for alleged trespassing, obstruction of justice, weapons violations, drug possession, and felony drug-trafficking charges.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse announced new charges against Zajko on Wednesday related to the murder of Richard and Rita Zajko.
“It is an exhaustive investigation that took years to put together. But we are finally at the point where we can say beyond any doubt that Michelle Zajko was at least part responsible for the death of her parents,” Rouse stated.
Rouse stated that Michelle Zajko “did not act alone” but that authorities “don’t know who her co-conspirators were.”
RELATED: Nonbinary suspect allegedly opens fire on Border Patrol agent — incident eerily similar to last year’s fatal shooting
Daniel Blank. Image source: Allegany County Sheriff’s Office
The Zajko family released a statement in response to the latest charges.
“There has been much speculation, misinformation, and disinformation about our Rick and Rita and our niece. It has been difficult and challenging to hear and read and not comment until the appropriate time. That time is now. The evidence will speak loudly and decisively for us, as it will for Rick and Rita. Now is the time for the facts and the truth to be known,” the statement read.
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