In the quiet community of Six Mile Run, Pennsylvania, the life of James A. Zelanko, a 68-year-old male, came to a tragic and unexpected end on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. He was found in his Broadtop Township home, having been shot five times in the chest while he slept. The initial public understanding of his passing, as an unexpected event at home, would soon be overshadowed by the darker reality of a family tragedy.
The investigation into his death led to the arrest of his own daughter,
Christy Zelanko. Investigators reported that on the day of the murder, Christy had spoken with her mother about alleged physical and mental abuse her mother had endured from James Zelanko. This conversation appears to have been a catalyst for the violent act that followed.
In August 2017, then 50-year-old Christy Zelanko pleaded guilty to third-degree murder. During the legal proceedings, the judge noted that any alleged abuse had occurred years prior and that Christy had described her relationship with her father as being fairly close, calling the case 'baffling'. Christy Zelanko herself claimed to have no memory of the shooting, referring to it as 'a horrid nightmare'. For the killing of her father, she was sentenced to 18 to 40 years in prison.
