A member of a transgender, vegan cult linked to the killing of a Vermont border agent was also a person of interest in the murder of their parents.
During a wellness check on Jan. 3, 2023, the bodies of 72-year-old Richard and 69-year-old Rita Zajko were found dead at their home in Chester Heights Borough, Pennsylvania. The Delaware County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the deaths, which occurred on Dec. 31, 2022, as homicides.
More than a year later, the incident remains an “active investigation” by the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP).
According to the PSP, the couple were found with a firearm inside their home. The firearm “has been linked” to a person of interest in the January 2025 shooting of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Christopher Maland.
TRANSGENDER CULT LEADER LINKED TO BORDER AGENT KILLING MAINTAINS INNOCENCE, ASKS FOR VEGAN FOOD IN JAIL
These undated photos provided by the Pennsylvania State Police show Richard and Rita Zajko, who police say were shot to death in their home in suburban Philadelphia on Dec. 31, 2022. (Pennsylvania State Police via AP)
The home in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, where Rita and Richard Zajko were murdered in December 2022. (AP Photo – Matt Rourke)
Michelle Zajko, the daughter of Richard and Rita, was linked to the firearms found in Teresa Youngblut and Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt’s vehicle during Maland’s shooting.
SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
“An investigation into the border agent shooting revealed that the weapon used in the killing of the Customs and Border Patrol agent was purchased by a person of interest in the murders of Rita and Richard Zajko,” a spokesperson with the PSP confirmed to Fox News Digital.
TRANSGENDER VEGAN ‘CULT’ MEMBERS ARRESTED
Michelle Zajko, 32, was also charged with resisting arrest and carrying a handgun. (Allegany County Sheriff’s Office)
This undated image, courtesy of Joan Maland, shows U.S. Border Patrol agent David Maland, who was killed Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, following a traffic stop in Vermont. (David Maland/Joan Maland via AP)
On Jan. 20, 2025, Maland was killed during a routine traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont, about 20 miles south of the Canadian border. Youngblut and Bauckholt were in the stopped car, opening fire on the border agent, authorities said.
GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
Bauckholt was killed in the gunfire, along with the 44-year-old border agent. Youngblut was taken into custody and faced weapons charges.
ZIZIAN LEADER JACK LASOTA: WHO IS TRANSGENDER, VEGAN CULT HEAD LINKED TO BORDER AGENT KILLING?
Maryland State Police said they arrested three members of the group — Jack Amadeus Lasota, shown here, Michelle Jacqueline Zajko and Daniel Arthur Blank — on Feb. 16 in connection with the Jan. 20 killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland. (Allegany County Sheriff’s Office)
Maland’s killing put a spotlight on the “Zizians,” a group that reportedly includes Youngblut, Bauckholt and Zajko and has been connected to at least six homicides. The group’s goal is unclear, but online writings from members span topics from “radical veganism” to transgenderism and artificial intelligence.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Jack Lasota, 34, reportedly the group’s leader, and Zajko were recently taken into custody in Maryland. They face multiple charges, including trespassing, obstructing and hindering and possession of a handgun in the vehicle.
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
Attorney Daniel McGarrigle, who is representing Lasota, referred Fox News Digital to a release by the firm. The release highlighted that Lasota is “presumed innocent unless and until the government meets its burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
