Woman poisons cheesecake in plot to kill look-alike, steal her identity, officials say
UPDATE: Viktoria Nasyrova was sentenced to 21 years in prison on April 19, according to a news release from the Queens County District Attorney. “A ruthless and calculating con artist is going to prison for a long time for trying to murder her way to personal profit and gain,” District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
The original story continues below.
A New York woman fed her look-alike a poisoned cheesecake in an attempt to kill her and steal her identity, prosecutors said. She’s been found guilty of attempted murder.
The scheme began when Viktoria Nasyrova, a 47-year-old Brooklyn resident, visited the home of a 35-year-old woman in August 2016, according to a news release from the Queens District Attorney.
The women “resembled one another,” officials said. They had similar physical traits, including the same complexion and dark hair color. They also both spoke Russian.
Upon arrival to the woman’s home, Nasyrova gave her a cheesecake, which she ate, officials said. Shortly afterwards, the woman started to feel sick and eventually passed out. Her last memory was seeing Nasyrova walking around her home.
The next day, the victim’s friend discovered her unconscious in bed, and pills were “scattered around her body – as if the woman had attempted to kill herself,” officials said. She was then hospitalized.
An attorney for Nasyrova could not immediately be reached for comment by McClatchy News.
After being discharged from the hospital, the woman noticed that her employment authorization card, passport and other valuables were missing from her home.
Later, agents with Homeland Security obtained residue from the cheesecake container and, after running a test, learned that Phenazepam, a strong sedative, had been added to the dessert. The pills on the woman’s bed were also determined to be Phenazepam.
During a jury trial, prosecutors stated that “Nasyrova is a fugitive from Russia, wanted for the 2014 murder of a woman there,” according to CBS News.
Following the trial, she was found guilty of several charges, including attempted murder in the second degree, second degree assault and larceny. She will be sentenced on March 21 and faces a maximum of 25 years in prison.
“The jury saw through the deception and schemes of the defendant,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in the news release. “She laced a slice of cheesecake with a deadly drug so she could steal her unsuspecting victim’s most valuable possession, her identity.”
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Woman poisons cheesecake in plot to kill look-alike, steal her identity, officials say."