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Richard Zajko (72) and Rita Zajko (69) were murdered in their Chester Heights, Pennsylvania home on December 31, 2022. The victims were the parents of Jamie Zajko, an associate of J. LaSota. The case became part of a broader series of connected investigations involving LaSota's associates, including arrests and violent incidents spanning from California to Vermont.

Several individuals became persons of interest in the investigation:

Jamie Zajko: Daughter of the victims and owner of a firearm consistent with the murder weapon
J. LaSota: Associate of Jamie Zajko, arrested near Philadelphia shortly after the murders
Daniel Blank: Zajko's roommate, found with LaSota during their arrest
Ophelia Bauckholt: Reportedly flew into the United States hours before the murders

The case gained additional significance when it was later connected to other violent incidents, including the January 2025 murder of Curtis Lind in Vallejo, California, and a fatal shootout with border patrol agents in Vermont.

The Murders

Content warning: description of a murder.

According to police reports, on December 31, 2022, Ring doorbell camera footage from a neighbor across the street captured an unknown vehicle pulling into the Zajkos' curved driveway at 11:29 PM. One minute later, screams were heard on the surveillance feed, including someone yelling "Mom!" and "Oh my God! Oh, God, God!" The screaming lasted approximately 24 seconds. Movement was then seen at the front door, with subjects entering the house. An upstairs light turned on, and about nine minutes later, two individuals were seen exiting through the front door, entering the car, and leaving the property.

Autopsies conducted on January 4, 2023, determined that Rita Zajko died from a single gunshot wound to the back of her head, while Richard Zajko had wounds to his right hand and right temple. A "jacketed hollow point-type" bullet was recovered from his skull as evidence.

Investigation

The Pennsylvania State Police stated the homicides did not appear to be a "random act of violence." The victims were landlords who owned several rental properties in Aston.

Police discovered that on the day of the murders, Rita Zajko had sent a text message to her daughter Michelle "Jamie" Zajko using the encrypted app Signal regarding savings bonds for which Jamie was reportedly the intended recipient. Jamie did not respond to this message.

On January 5, 2023, state troopers interviewed Jamie Zajko at her home in Orleans, Vermont, where she lived with roommate Daniel Blank. Zajko claimed she had an alibi, stating she had been home with Blank from December 29, 2022, to January 1, 2023. She told investigators she had not been to Pennsylvania since the start of COVID and had not spoken to her parents since January 2022.

During the interview, investigators examined a Smith & Wesson pistol owned by Jamie Zajko. Later analysis determined this handgun was "one firearm manufacturer type capable of producing" the markings found on the bullet recovered from Richard Zajko's head. The ammunition purchased by Jamie Zajko was also noted to be "of the same manufacturer and type as that of the spent casings" recovered at the crime scene.

Arrests and Related Developments

On January 12-13, 2023, while executing a search warrant related to the homicides at a hotel near the Philadelphia airport, police found Jack LaSota and Daniel Blank in a hotel room. LaSota was arrested for "obstructing administration of law or other governmental function" and "disorderly conduct."

Court documents filed in January 2025 revealed that Felix "Ophelia" Bauckholt had "flew into the United States in the hours preceding that Pennsylvania homicide." The same documents noted connections between the case and other violent incidents, including the Vallejo stabbing suspects Suri Dao and Somni Leatham.

Background

According to blog posts attributed to Jamie Zajko, she had a troubled relationship with her parents, describing alleged abuse and claiming they had forced her to eat meat against her will and threatened her with institutionalization. A rationalist community member reported that the Zajkos had "at least several million dollars worth of assets and Jamie was their only child."

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Zajko Family Double Homicide