Trans vegan cult member linked to Vermont border agent killing was person of interest in parents' murders
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.
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.
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"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.
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.
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Bauckholt was killed in the gunfire, along with the 44-year-old border agent. Youngblut was taken into custody and faced weapons charges.
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.
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.
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."
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3 hours ago
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On trial: Who is Donna Adelson, matriarch of family implicated in Dan Markel murder?
The quest for justice for an acclaimed Florida State University law professor and the trial of Donna Adelson is set to begin once again in a Florida capital city courtroom. More than ten years ago, two hired Miami killers fatally shot Dan Markel in his Tallahassee garage. The contract killing came after an acrimonious divorce and a court ruling that his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, couldn't relocate from Tallahassee with their children to be with the rest of her family in South Florida. So far, Markel's former brother-in-law, Charlie Adelson, Adelson's former girlfriend Katherine Magbanua, and the two men Adelson hired have all been sentenced to prison in connection with the murder-for-hire plot. The complicated, sensational case, which The Tallahassee Democrat has chronicled from the beginning, involved lengthy investigations by Tallahassee police and the FBI, a confession, wiretaps, recorded conversations, four trials, features on Dateline and 20/20, and was the subject of a popular true-crime podcast. The matriarch of the prominent South Florida family implicated in the conspiracy will be back in the spotlight Aug. 19 after her 2024 trial was derailed. In September of that year, on the first day of jury selection, Adelson's lead attorney, Dan Rashbaum of Miami, abruptly withdrew – a move that upended the trial before it could begin. All three of her attorneys exited or were removed after Charlie Adelson, who is appealing his conviction, announced he would not waive any conflicts of interest involving Rashbaum's representation of him during his trial last year and his mother. Donna Adelson has since hired two local attorneys: A former prosecutor turned judge and a well-known local lawyer to represent her. Here's what we know. Who is Donna Adelson? Donna Sue Adelson, 74, is married to Dr. Harvey Adelson, retired dentist and founder of the Adelson Institute for Aesthetics and Implant Dentistry in Tamarac, Florida. She has three children, Charlie, Wendi and Rob, a physician who has been estranged from the family for years. One week after Charlie Adelson was found guilty last year, Donna and Harvey Adelson were stopped at Miami International Airport before they could board a one-way flight to Vietnam, a non-extradition country. Donna Adelson was arrested and indicted on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation in the 2014 killing, citing jailhouse calls she made to Charlie after his sentencing saying she was putting her financial affairs in order and planning to leave, either through self-harm or by getting out of the country. Adelson has pleaded not guilty. Adelson is the second member of her family and the fifth person to be charged in connection to the Dan Markel contract killing. What happened to Dan Markel? Daniel Eric Markel, 41 at the time of his death, was a Canadian-born Florida State law professor, author and prominent legal scholar. He was married to fellow FSU professor Wendi Adelson and they had two young sons, but they separated in 2012 and battled through an extremely acrimonious and bitter divorce in 2013. Markel pulled into his garage in Tallahassee after running errands on July 18, 2014, when two men approached him and shot him twice in the head. He died the next day. How it all began: FSU law professor dies in shooting Over nearly 10 years of investigations, wiretapping, and testimony, prosecutors have said Markel's killing was the result of a murder-for-hire plot involving Donna Adelson, her son Charlie (a periodontist at the family business), Charlie's girlfriend at the time Katherine Magbanua, and the hitmen, Latin Kings gang leader Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia, who is also the father of Magbanua's children. Why was Dan Markel murdered? For the shooters, cash. Rivera testified that he and Garcia were paid $100,000 in a murder-for-hire plot. They received the money in stacks of stapled hundred dollar bills the next day and they split it with Katherine Magbanua, who Rivera said set up the deal. In Charlie Adelson's trial, prosecutors said Markel's murder 'stemmed from the desperate desire of the Adelson family' for Wendi and the two sons to have the freedom to move to South Florida to be near her family. In 2012, while Markel was away, Adelson had moved out of their house with the children and most of the couple's possessions and left divorce papers on the bed, according to court filings. Markel won 50/50 custody and an order prohibiting Adelson from moving them away in the divorce, and the two parents battled in court for months over every detail of their children's lives. In 2014, Markel filed motions claiming Adelson had misrepresented her financial assets and had taken a 2-caret ring belonging to Markel's great-aunt, a Holocaust survivor. He also filed a motion to prevent the children's grandmother Donna from having unsupervised time with them after hearing she was making disparaging remarks about him to the children. How many people have been found guilty in the Dan Markel murder? To date, four people have been found guilty in the conspiracy. Rivera, who was already doing time on an unrelated charge, took a deal and received a 19-year sentence. Garcia, who Rivera said pulled the trigger, was sentenced to life in prison in 2019, as was Magbanua in her 2022 trial. Charlie Adelson was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in 2023. Luis Rivera: Rivera pled guilty in 2016 to second-degree murder in exchange for a 19-year sentence to run concurrently with a federal sentence on an unrelated case for his statements and cooperation with prosecutors. In 2019 he testified that he was with Garcia when Markel was murdered. Sigfredo Garcia: In October 2019, Sigfredo Garcia was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Katherine Magbanua: After her potential conviction as part of Garcia's trial was ruled a mistrial, Magbanua was tried again in 2022 and was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder. She is currently serving life in prison. Charlie Adelson: A 12-person jury deliberated for three hours in November 2023 and found Adelson guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation to commit murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. Donna Adelson: A week after Charlie Adelson was found guilty, his parents Donna and Harvey were stopped in Miami International Airport trying to board a flight with one-way tickets to Vietnam, a country that does not have an extradition agreement with the U.S. What was Donna Adelson charged with? Donna Adelson was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation in Markel's murder, the same charges her son Charlie was found guilty of by a jury in just three hours. What is the evidence against Donna Adelson? Much of the likely evidence has appeared in the previous trials. The Tallahassee Police Department suggested that Donna Adelson was a prime suspect in the Markel murder back in 2016 when TPD initially presented probable cause affidavits to the State Attorney's Office. At the time, State Attorney Willie Meggs dismissed them as speculation. Investigations over the next nine years revealed: Prosecutors said Donna and Harvey Adelson repeatedly tried to convince Wendi to coerce Markel into allowing her to move their sons to South Florida, with Donna suggesting they offer Markel $1 million to change his mind. Donna suggested that Wendi threaten to enroll the children of the devoutly Jewish Markel in a Catholic school, according to Donna Adelson's arrest affidavit. Markel also filed a motion to prevent Donna from having unsupervised time with the children after hearing about disparaging remarks she was making about him to the children. According to the arrest affidavit, cellular records showed "numerous contacts" between Magbanua, Charlie Adelson and Garcia before and after the killing, and contact between Garcia and a phone registered to Harvey Adelson. Charlie also frequently contacted Donna before and after Markel's death. Wendi Adelson told investigators the day of the murder that her brother had joked it would be cheaper to buy her a TV as a divorce gift than hire a hitman. From roughly 460 miles away, Donna arranged a television repair appointment for Wendi the morning of the homicide. At Charlie Adelson's trial, Magbanua testified that when she went to his home the night of the killing he told her his parents had just left, leaving behind money "that his mom had washed," the affidavit said. She said the money was damp and moldy. After the murder, Magbanua received more than $17,000 in paychecks from the Adelson's practice, handwritten and signed by Donna, from September 2014 to at least April 2016, prosecutors said, on top of her portion of the money for the killing and over $56,000 in cash. She also was sold Charlie Adelson's Lexus, which was registered to Harvey Adelson, for $1,700. In 2016, an undercover agent contacted Donna Adelson with a letter about the murder and demanded $5,000. She contacted Charlie to discuss the threat. In a later call, when Charlie asked what the letter was for, she said, "This TV is probably about five," meaning $5,000, according to the affidavit. After he visited both his parents for a huddled conversation, Charlie took Magbanua to the Dolce Vita restaurant to complain about the would-be blackmailer, what he knew, and what Charlie would do about it. That conversation was recorded and became key evidence in Charlie's trial. One of the things he told Magbanua was, "if they had any evidence we would have already gone to the airport." After the meeting, Charlie called Donna to report that he was handling everything. After another letter and a text were sent to Donna Adelson by investigators, there were multiple calls and meetings between Charlie and his parents. Donna called the undercover agent and denied all knowledge. Another of Charlie Adelson's girlfriends, June Umchinda, told the FBI that after Rivera and Garcia were charged with murder Charlie and Donna Adelson both seemed more stressed, and Donna told her that she felt "Dan Markel was haunting her from the grave," the affidavit said. After Charlie Adelson's guilty verdict, Donna called him in jail several times and told him she was "getting things in order, creating trusts, and making sure her grandchildren are taken care of," the affidavit said. She also discussed plans for suicide and plans to flee to a non-extradition country. On Nov. 7, 2023, Donna and Harvey Adelson booked one-way flights to Vietnam with a stop in Dubai, less than 48 hours before a grand jury was scheduled to meet that might have taken up her case. The U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with Vietnam. Who will be taking the stand in the Donna Adelson trial? For the first time, all three Adelson children could take the stand. Wendi Adelson, whom the state considers an uncharged co-conspirator, will return to the stand and testify, under a limited immunity deal, as she has in all the previous trials. She has long denied any involvement or knowledge of the murder conspiracy in sometimes testy exchanges with prosecutors. There are indications that her oldest brother, Rob Adelson, who has been listed before as a state witness, will be called to the stand in his mother's trial. Charlie Adelson, who testified in his own defense last year that he was being extorted by the two killers through his then-girlfriend and that his mom was subsequently the victim of a ruse blackmail operation by the FBI, was transported from a South Dakota prison and booked Friday into the Leon County Detention Facility. He could potentially testify for the defense. It is unknown if Donna Adelson will take the stand in her own defense. Other key witnesses include Pat Sanford, the FBI agent who arrested Donna Adelson, and Oscar Jiminez, the retired FBI agent who posed as a Latin Kings gang buddy of Rivera when he confronted Donna Adelson outside her Miami condo. Have Harvey or Wendi Adelson been charged? Wendi Adelson, who has denied involvement with the murder and testified under immunity at several trials, has not been charged. State Attorney Jack Campbell told the Tallahassee Democrat that the state did not have the evidence to arrest Harvey Adelson, but had enough to arrest Donna Adelson. Her attempted flight overseas sped things up and pushed law enforcement 'to make a decision quickly,' Campbell said. 'That's what forced our hand,' Campbell said. "We started talking to some of our law enforcement partners about the complexities of trying to bring someone back from either Dubai or Vietnam. And that might be a very complicated and lengthy process. So that's why we had to make a decision quickly." The day after the arrest, investigators seized two phones and an iPad from Harvey Adelson. GAVEL-TO-GAVEL COVERAGE: The Tallahassee Democrat will livestream each day of the trial of Donna Adelson from the courthouse in Tallahassee. Watch on and the Tallahassee Democrat's Facebook and YouTube pages. For best viewing experience: Download the Tallahassee Democrat app to watch and receive text alerts on when to watch – from opening arguments to the verdict. Tallahassee Democrat reporter Jeff Burlew contributed to this article. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Who's Donna Adelson? What to know about new trial in Dan Markel murder
Fox News
6 hours ago
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Cuomo campaign denies bombshell report about Trump's influence in the NYC mayoral race
Despite a report to the contrary, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's mayoral campaign told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that they aren't expecting help from anyone in the race for Gracie Mansion, including former President Donald Trump, despite a report to the contrary. POLITICO's New York Playbook reported that Cuomo is "counting on" Trump to urge Republicans to vote for the former governor instead of the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, in this November's mayoral election. According to audio obtained by the outlet, Cuomo told a Hamptons crowd on Saturday that Sliwa isn't a "serious candidate" and Trump himself would say, "you'll be wasting your vote on Sliwa." When reached for comment regarding the report, Cuomo's senior advisor, Rich Azzopardi, explained that Cuomo was responding to "what he heard to be a hypothetical about how it could become a two-person race and was speculating." Cuomo is New York City's "only chance" of defeating the Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, the Cuomo campaign doubled down on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Sliwa has distanced himself from the president, maintaining that it wouldn't be helpful for Trump to intervene in New York City's mayoral race, after The New York Times' report that Trump has been speaking with Cuomo and his associates about how to defeat Mamdani in November. Trump and Cuomo have both denied the phone call ever happened, and the former governor said he wouldn't accept a Trump endorsement. The Republican nominee told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning that Cuomo's campaign is "a mess," and said, "desperate people do desperate things." "It's just sad that Andrew Cuomo thinks a Trump headline will save him," Sliwa said in a statement. 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Day by day, the self-described Democratic socialist spotlighted how Trump's sweeping second-term agenda is impacting New Yorkers, as he worked to tie Cuomo to Trump. The Mamdani campaign seized on the latest reporting, releasing a statement on Tuesday morning, arguing that "Andrew Cuomo has been caught red-handed." "Since he's too afraid to say it to New Yorkers' faces, we'll make it clear: Andrew Cuomo is Donald Trump's choice for mayor," Mamdani campaign spokeswoman, Dora Pekec, said. Cuomo's campaign was quick to respond, calling it "silly." "Mamdani is clearly trying to deflect from answering questions" about his own record, including his support for decriminalizing prostitution, for which Cuomo held a press conference criticizing on Monday. Mamdani has said he would be Trump's "worst nightmare" if elected in November. Trump has repeatedly criticized Mamdani, calling him a "100% Communist Lunatic." 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Fox News
6 hours ago
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Alleged Cincinnati attackers walk free after bond cuts, police hunt eighth suspect
Two suspects arrested in connection with the viral July 26 downtown Cincinnati beatdown have been released on bond, while police hunt for an eighth alleged perpetrator in the assault. The Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Fox News Digital that DeKyra Vernon, 24, and Aisha Devaughn, 25, were released from the Hamilton County Jail on Friday. In a Thursday arraignment, Vernon's bond was reduced from $250,000 to $25,000 at 10%. On the same day, Devaughn's bond was reduced from $300,000 to $25,000 at 10%. Both Vernon and Devaughn have been charged with three counts of alleged felonious assault, three counts of assault and two counts of aggravated rioting. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) is asking for help locating an eighth suspect in connection with the downtown attack on July 26 that went viral due to its shocking level of violence. "Central Business Section is investigating a Felonious Assault offense that occurred on 4th Street and Elm on July 26, 2025," the department said on X. CPD did not say how the suspect was allegedly involved in the beating. Those who might have information on the suspect are asked to call CPD Det. Blank. The beatings took place in the early morning hours of July 26 on the corner of Fourth and Elm St., outside a local nightclub. Patrick Rosemond, 38, Jermaine Matthews, 39, Montanez Merriweather, 34 and Dominique Kittle, 37, are also each charged with three counts of alleged felonious assault, three counts of assault and two counts of aggravated rioting. Matthews' bond was set at $250,000, which he posted immediately after his arrest. The rest of the suspects remain in jail. Separately, Merriweather is facing a federal gun charge for illegally possessing a weapon as a felon. A seventh suspect, Gregory Wright, 32, was indicted on charges of aggravated riot and felony aggravated robbery after he allegedly "did by force rip the necklace off the victim while he was being assaulted by four or more co-defendants attempting to cause serious physical harm" during the violent beatdown, according to a criminal complaint. During an Aug. 1 news conference, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said everyone involved in the attack would be charged. "I agree with Pastor Lynch, that there is no doubt that this public safety challenge, that this incident will require further investigation, further charges and further arrests for every single person involved," he said. Reverend Damon Lynch, a community leader, had previously complained during the news conference that the victims, who are White, have not been charged. "But when I see the mugshots, I only see people who look like me," said Lynch, who is Black. "I don't see the person who re-engaged. And so until we see all the mugshots, this is still a racial issue."
