Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

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Equal parts Lois Lane, J. Jonah Jameson and Vicki Vale, Zak! has traveled from coast-to-coast covering small and big town community news in both in print and online for nearly a decade since his graduation from the award-winning Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in 2010.

Before settling into the Hudson Valley, Zak! previously spent time in the New York Daily News newsroom and worked for hyperlocal digital news outlets on Long Island. He wrote sports for The Ithacan and The Ithaca Journal before taking his talents to the Pacific Northwest, where he served as the sports editor at the Shoshone News-Press until heading back east to work with Daily Voice.

Zak Failla's Contributions

Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Love Triangle Murder: Waldorf Man Kills Girlfriend’s Husband In DC Apartment Love Triangle Murder: Waldorf Man Kills Girlfriend’s Husband In DC Apartment Love Triangle Murder: Waldorf Man Kills Girlfriend’s Husband In DC Apartment
Love Triangle Murder: Waldorf Man Kills Girlfriend’s Husband In DC Apartment The Maryland man who killed his girlfriend's husband in their DC apartment will spend nearly two decades in federal prison, authorities announced. Keyon Slaughter, 28, of Waldorf, admitted to second-degree murder while armed in the 2022 killing of Dana Bailey Jr., who was shot once in the chest after discovering an affair between his wife and Slaughter, the US Attorney’s Office said. This week, federal officials say that Slaughter was sentenced to 16 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. According to investigators, on the morning of Dec. 5, 2022, Slaughter entered …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, MA
Breaking News
Decomposed Body Found In DC Woods Leads To Third Arrest In Teen’s Murder: Police Decomposed Body Found In DC Woods Leads To Third Arrest In Teen’s Murder: Police Decomposed Body Found In DC Woods Leads To Third Arrest In Teen’s Murder: Police
Decomposed Body Found In DC Woods Leads To Third Arrest In Teen’s Murder: Police A decomposed body dumped in Southeast DC has led to a third arrest in the murder of an 18-year-old, police announced. The Metropolitan Police Department said officers discovered human remains in an advanced state of decomposition on the morning of Nov. 8, 2024, in the 2600 block of Dunbar Road SE. The body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where an autopsy revealed the victim — 18-year-old Alexander Ariel Pavon-Rios, of Northwest DC — died of multiple gunshot wounds.  His death was ruled a homicide. Detectives said the case has now resulted in three arrests…

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by Zak Failla
Columbia, MD
Obituaries
‘Heartbroken And Struggling’: Maryland Family Mourns Kenneth Spaulding After Life Cut Short ‘Heartbroken And Struggling’: Maryland Family Mourns Kenneth Spaulding After Life Cut Short ‘Heartbroken And Struggling’: Maryland Family Mourns Kenneth Spaulding After Life Cut Short
‘Heartbroken And Struggling’: Maryland Family Mourns Kenneth Spaulding After Life Cut Short A Maryland community is in mourning after the life of Kenneth Spaulding was cut tragically short, leaving behind a young son, his family, and countless loved ones struggling with the loss. The Maryland man’s passing on Saturday, Sept. 13, has sparked an outpouring of grief, with friends and family sharing memories of a father, son, brother, and friend whose presence touched everyone he knew. “Kenneth was a son, a brother, a father, and a friend whose light touched everyone who knew him. His passing has left our family heartbroken and struggling to process this unimaginable loss,” his loved …

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Predator Who Made Child Porn For Boyfriend May Spend Life In Virginia Prison: Sheriff Predator Who Made Child Porn For Boyfriend May Spend Life In Virginia Prison: Sheriff Predator Who Made Child Porn For Boyfriend May Spend Life In Virginia Prison: Sheriff
Predator Who Made Child Porn For Boyfriend May Spend Life In Virginia Prison: Sheriff A Virginia woman who produced sexually explicit videos of children for her boyfriend may spend the rest of her life in prison, authorities announced. Bealeton resident Anna Grace Layher, now 28, has been sentenced to 90 years in prison for sexual offenses against children, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, Sept. 16.  Specifically, Layher was convicted of rape of a child under 13 years of age and object sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13. She pleaded guilty in June. According to the sheriff's office, in 2023 and 2024, Layher produced sex…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Your Community
'Peeping Tom' Sneaks Into Maryland Dorm Bathroom, Points Camera At Showering Student: Police 'Peeping Tom' Sneaks Into Maryland Dorm Bathroom, Points Camera At Showering Student: Police 'Peeping Tom' Sneaks Into Maryland Dorm Bathroom, Points Camera At Showering Student: Police
'Peeping Tom' Sneaks Into Maryland Dorm Bathroom, Points Camera At Showering Student: Police A Peeping Tom is at large in Maryland after a student reported a voyeur incident inside a dorm, authorities announced. At approximately 11:11 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, the University of Maryland Police Department was alerted about an incident that had happened minutes earlier in Dorchester Hall. The student said that he was inside a communal bathroom on the third floor of the dorm taking a shower when he saw a White arm come over the top of the shower curtain holding a cellphone with the camera pointed toward him. He opened the curtain to confront the cameraman, but the suspect was ab…

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by Zak Failla
North Bethesda, MD
Breaking News
Stun Gun Failed — North Bethesda Man Killed After Attacking DC Police With Knives: MPD Stun Gun Failed — North Bethesda Man Killed After Attacking DC Police With Knives: MPD Stun Gun Failed — North Bethesda Man Killed After Attacking DC Police With Knives: MPD
Stun Gun Failed — North Bethesda Man Killed After Attacking DC Police With Knives: MPD A knife-wielding Maryland man was shot and killed by police in DC after charging at officers during a domestic call, investigators said. Jonathan Boruch, 31, of North Bethesda, was pronounced dead on Tuesday, Sept. 16, after the confrontation on the 5100 block of Sherier Place NW, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The deadly incident began around 10:53 a.m. when victims told police that Boruch was headed to their home and had threatened to damage vehicles.  The news conference has concluded and will be posted here shortly. Two knives were recovered on the scene. Both…

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by Zak Failla
Capitol Heights-District Heights, MD
Breaking News
‘Kill All Rats’: District Heights Man's Chilling Jailhouse Letter Adds Decades To Sentence ‘Kill All Rats’: District Heights Man's Chilling Jailhouse Letter Adds Decades To Sentence ‘Kill All Rats’: District Heights Man's Chilling Jailhouse Letter Adds Decades To Sentence
‘Kill All Rats’: District Heights Man's Chilling Jailhouse Letter Adds Decades To Sentence He tried to kill a man. Then, from behind bars, he wrote letters promising to finish the job. Now, a Maryland inmate will spend nearly three more decades in prison. Nasir Wilkinson, 23, of District Heights, was sentenced Tuesday, Sept. 16, to 35 years in prison after Judge Marybeth Ayres in Montgomery County Circuit Court stacked new time on top of his attempted murder conviction, prosecutors announced. Wilkinson had already been serving time for a brutal stabbing on March 26, 2024, when he left a man bleeding out in the 20300 block of Notting Hill Way in Germantown.  The man survive…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Obituaries
‘The Center Of Attention In Any Crowd’: Chance Burrell Celebrated After Fatal Virginia Crash ‘The Center Of Attention In Any Crowd’: Chance Burrell Celebrated After Fatal Virginia Crash ‘The Center Of Attention In Any Crowd’: Chance Burrell Celebrated After Fatal Virginia Crash
‘The Center Of Attention In Any Crowd’: Chance Burrell Celebrated After Fatal Virginia Crash Loved ones in Virginia say Chance Burrell had a gift for lifting spirits, whether with a laugh, a hug, or his unforgettable smile before his unexpected death at 27.  Burrell was struck and killed by a driver shortly after midnight on Saturday, Sept. 13, when a Toyota Camry was heading south on Dorset Road, according to Virginia State Police. Burrell, a Powhatan County native, was standing along the roadway when he was fatally struck by the driver, who cooperated with investigators following the crash, police said. "Chance Burrell lit up any room that he entered with his thousand-watt …

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Breaking News
US Naval Academy Lockdown In Annapolis Traced To Online Threat From Indiana Man: DOJ US Naval Academy Lockdown In Annapolis Traced To Online Threat From Indiana Man: DOJ US Naval Academy Lockdown In Annapolis Traced To Online Threat From Indiana Man: DOJ
US Naval Academy Lockdown In Annapolis Traced To Online Threat From Indiana Man: DOJ An Indiana man has been arrested after allegedly sending an online threat toward the US Naval Academy in Maryland, which led to a lockdown last week, federal authorities announced. Jackson Fleming, 23, of Chesterton, was arrested on Sept. 12 on suspicion of sending an online threat through a social media application concerning the Naval Academy in Annapolis the day prior, according to the Department of Justice. A criminal complaint charging Fleming with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate communication was approved by a magistrate judge in Indiana on Sunday, Sept. 14. The…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Manhunt Ends As Waldorf Fugitive Nabbed In Maryland After Choking Woman, Gun Threat: Sheriff Manhunt Ends As Waldorf Fugitive Nabbed In Maryland After Choking Woman, Gun Threat: Sheriff Manhunt Ends As Waldorf Fugitive Nabbed In Maryland After Choking Woman, Gun Threat: Sheriff
Manhunt Ends As Waldorf Fugitive Nabbed In Maryland After Choking Woman, Gun Threat: Sheriff A fugitive accused of choking a woman and pulling a gun on her has been caught after a months-long manhunt in Maryland, authorities announced. Rome Delmar Watkins, 27, of Waldorf, was taken into custody on Tuesday, Sept. 16, after members of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, the US Marshals Service, and the US Park Police tracked him down. Watkins had been wanted since April 20, when deputies said he assaulted a woman inside a Waldorf home after being asked to leave. During the assault, Watkins reportedly choked the woman, and after exiting the home, he pulled a handgun from his waistba…

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by Zak Failla
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