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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

"Zizian" Cultist Linked to Several Murders Now Charged In Parents' Homicides | Crime Alert 06.25.26

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

True Crime, News

4.28.2K Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2026

⏱️ 6 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Woman tied to cult-like group behind a border patrol agent's shooting is now charged in her parents' execution-style murders. Parents sentenced for death of toddler due to untreated lice infestation. A simple hit-and-run investigation in Virginia uncovers a murder plot. Sydney Silvagni reports. 

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Transcript

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0:00.0

This is an I-Heart podcast.

0:03.4

Guaranteed Human.

0:05.4

Crime Alert, hourly update.

0:07.5

Breaking Crime News Now.

0:09.0

I'm Sidney.

0:10.7

We begin in Pennsylvania, where a woman with ties to an extremist, cult-like group,

0:16.1

is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in the killings of her parents.

0:21.8

Michelle Zodjko was a person of interest in the murders of Richard and Rita Zodjko,

0:26.8

who were killed in their Chester Heights home on New Year's Eve in 2022.

0:31.3

That date was also Michelle's birthday.

0:34.5

Earlier that day, Rita Zodjko sent her a strange daughter a text message, saying

0:39.6

she was sorry for the growing rift between them. The text went unanswered. Hours later,

0:45.8

a car approached the home and two people got out. At the front door, one person yelled mom.

0:51.8

Michelle was their only child. The lights went on and the couple was executed.

0:57.0

Their bodies were found following a welfare check on January 2nd,

1:01.0

2023.

1:02.0

Investigators lack a smoking gun but have multiple pieces of evidence showing Michelle's involvement.

1:08.0

This includes two shell casings from the scene matching a gun used

1:12.4

in Michelle's Vermont backyard. Investigators also recovered texts from Michelle, writing

1:18.0

she wished she had done things differently surrounding the homicide. The district attorney alleges

1:23.8

this shows she was aligned with those who pulled the trigger. Officials say Michelle is tied

1:29.0

to the Zizians, an extremist group of young computer scientists with radical beliefs about artificial

...

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