Viktoria Nasyrova, 47, was sentenced to 21 years in prison for using a drug-laced cheesecake in an attempt to murder a friend and steal his identity. The arrest was decreed on Wednesday (19), according to authorities in New York, in the United States.
According to a press release from the Queens District Attorney, the suspect was convicted in February of attempted second-degree murder, attempted first-degree assault, second-degree assault, first-degree wrongful arrest and larceny.
The plot took place on August 28, 2016, according to the note. The statement says that Nasyrova visited the home of Olga Tsvyk – a woman who looked like her, with dark hair, the same skin color and other similar physical characteristics, citing evidence used in the case. Both spoke Russian.
Nasyrova brought a slice of cheesecake laced with a highly potent sedative, and after Tsvyk ate the offered dessert, she felt sick and fainted. The victim said that her last memory was of seeing Nasyrova walking around the room.
The next day, Tsvyk was found unconscious in bed, surrounded by pills, as if she had tried to kill herself. The victim was taken to a hospital.
Drug tests by federal agents later found that the pills and cheesecake residue contained the sedative phenazepam. The prosecution said that when she arrived home, Tsvyk also discovered that her passport, work permit and other valuables – totaling more than $3,000 – were missing from her home.
“[Nasyrova] laced a slice of cheesecake with a deadly drug so she could steal her unsuspecting victim’s most prized possession, her identity. Fortunately, her victim survived and the poison led to the culprit,” Queens County Prosecutor Melinda Katz said in a February statement.
Katz described Nasyrova as a Russian citizen, Brooklynite and a “ruthless, calculating con artist” who tried to “murder her way for profit and personal gain”.
Nasyrova’s lawyer, Jose Nieves, told the CNN who filed an appeal to challenge his client’s conviction and sentence. He described the 21-year sentence as “excessive and inappropriate given Ms. Nasryrova, her history of mental illness, family support, and her traumatic experiences while living in the United States.”
He added that since Nasyrova is a Russian citizen, she will likely be deported after leaving prison. The appeal “will focus on legal procedural errors and evidentiary issues that occurred during the trial.”
Phenazepam is administered as a prescription drug in Russia but “currently has no accepted medical use in the United States,” the US Department of Justice said. There is an illicit market for the drug, which is sometimes used recreationally, in the US and UK.
Source: CNN Brasil
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