A member of the Zizians cult, described by authorities as a radical collective focused on transgender ideology, veganism, and anarchism, has been charged with the first-degree murders of her parents in what prosecutors say was a planned execution.
Michelle Zajko, 33, a biological female who is “transitioning” to male, was charged on Wednesday in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with two counts of first-degree murder in the December 31, 2022, shooting deaths of her father, Richard Zajko, 71, and mother, Rita Zajko, 69.
The murders occurred at the couple’s home in Chester Heights on the alleged killer’s 30th birthday.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse announced the charges at a press conference, stating that an exhaustive multi-year investigation had pieced together evidence showing Michelle Zajko was “at least in part responsible” for the deaths and did not act alone.
“We don’t have a smoking gun. It is piece after piece after piece of evidence that’s been collected painstakingly over years,” Rouse said. “But we are finally at the point where we can say beyond a doubt that Michelle Zajko was at least in part responsible for the death of her parents.”
Rouse confirmed prosecutors believe others were involved in the grisly killings.