The Case of the Poison Cheesecake | Full Episode | Forensic Files

foreign [Music] type of homicidal maniac kind of thing she's not a shooter she's not a stabber
but I haven't seen somebody this ruthless in a long time I've seen a lot of murders I've seen
people killed with knives and machetes and guns with vehicles strangulation suffocation
I have never seen anyone try to kill another person with a piece of cheesecake until now until now
I'm a private investigator here in New York City I was hired to hunt down and assist in
the apprehension of Victorian acurova as a perpetrator she's one in a million it was a call from Patrol saying that we
have a woman Olga who's lying in bed who appears to be under the influence of something and
she's advising that there are items missing from her bedroom then she tells me this tale of how this
woman Victoria nazirova came to her home she arrived with what she described as the best cheesecake in New York she says
please have this cheesecake alga there's okay I'll try the piece of the cheesecake
immediately she felt extremely ill nauseous sweaty dizzy and she said I've never felt like that before I don't know
what was going on she passes out within a very short amount of time Olga is fighting for her life someone was
trying to kill you who did you think Victoria nazarova yep it's phenazepam in the
cheesecake a sedative primarily used in Russia apparently it has no taste and a little bit too much can produce an
overdose Victoria found someone that resembled her I think she wanted to kill this woman
and assume her identity Victoria nasserole is dangerous arrogant cunning I didn't know how dangerous she
was until I found out the trail of bodies that she was leaving behind in an unconscious State the only thing I
remember I just took one bite of fish and I was out of it in five minutes for a week I was in the hospital
police tune discovered that she was wanted for something far more serious this is for murder this is for murder
right here I believe that Victoria felt that the walls were closing in on her Victoria
nasirova had to be taken off of these streets I am not a killer I'm woman only woman
I think anybody that trusts Victoria has something to fear [Music] thank you [Music]
she is a very colorful criminal in his 20-year career as a New York police detective Kevin Rogers says he never met
the likes of Victoria nazarova extremely Brazen diabolical and even the street smarts of a career cop left him
unprepared for what he says she did I've never dealt with a case where cheesecake
that's laced with poison is utilized it started on September 2nd 2016 with what seemed like a routine call it was a
call from a patrol saying that we have a woman advising that there are items missing from her bedroom
the woman was a Beauty Stylist named Olga svik who did eyelash extensions at a nearby salon Patrol officers told
Rogers she'd reported items including purses had vanished from her home grabbed my partner and we headed out to
This Woman's house she told him she had just returned home from the hospital where she said she'd been in and out of
Consciousness with severe dizziness and nausea Olga's bedroom is the top right window when he got to the scene Olga a
Ukrainian immigrant still seemed a bit woozy can you remember at all the police asking you questions no I don't remember
the only thing she remembered was that a frantic client from the salon had come to her house a Russian woman named
Victoria nazarova who had wanted her eyelashes extended in a hurry I need an emergency eyelash repair done please
please August said I never have done that before every bit of work that I do is in my salon Olga had told her client
she had no appointments available but she says Victoria was in the habit of being pushy she'd repeatedly suggested
they spend time together outside of work she started acting like she's my friend
you know feeling uneasy Olga refused Victorious offers to hang out and she noticed something else about Victoria
something visually unsettling I thought she looked like me an uncanny physical resemblance
while Olga turned down socializing with Victoria she relented to her pleas for eyelash help and told her to come over
Olga's uneasy feeling returned when Victoria showed up at her door with three small slices of Cheesecake he's
from like famous bakery like famous cheesecake Olga says Victoria quickly gobbled up
two of the slices and then insisted Olga try the last one did you eat the entire
piece yeah it's like smokies and what happened I got sick she says she threw up violently
and then after that I don't remember anything so she tells you this story what are you
thinking I'm suspicious with Olga acting woozy Rogers wondered if she was a drug user
I said to her I says all guy I said I want to believe you however this doesn't add up
she was adamant adamant this 100 happened and this woman is up to something in the garbage Rogers did see something
I walked over to the waste paper basket and right there was this plastic container with what appeared to be the
remnants of pastry uh something that looked good Olga identified it as the cheesecake box
Rogers told his evidence team to bag it and tag it whatever had been in that box
Olga said it had made her very sick you almost died yeah I was in common 34 minutes but Olga
admits doctors didn't find anything suspicious in her system still she told Rogers she was
hospitalized twice he called the hospitals to confirm but says they wouldn't divulge patient information
which again led me to believe that maybe she wasn't telling the truth Rogers did try to find Victoria nazarova
but couldn't well it sounds like at that point this case is is almost over dead but a few months later the case came
back to life when Rogers found a new witness a neighbor of Olga's who reported seeing a woman visiting her the
day after the alleged cheesecake incident he told me that a woman had come and gone a few times
the neighbors said the mysterious woman had told him Olga was sick and when he went to check on Olga he walked into a
surreal scene and called an ambulance her room was like a sauna someone had turned the heat on full blast even
though it was a Hot August day and Olga was passed out in the bed barely dressed
when she is discovered she's discovered in this sort of racy lingerie Olga was stunned by this detail because she had
been wearing sweatpants so someone changed you yeah changed your clothes yeah and there was more pills were
strewn all over the floor Rogers wondered had someone tried to kill Olga and then stage the scene to
make it look like a suicide Rogers realized that Olga had probably been telling the truth all along I do
have to make that sort of uncomfortable apology to her of I'm truly sorry for not believing you 100 at first
[Music] Rogers now turned his attention again to finding the suspect in this case Olga's
client Victoria nazarova but where was she Rogers had no way of knowing that someone else was also trying to find her
his name is Herman Weisberg he's a private eye and a retired New York City detective Weisberg was tracking Victoria
through ads on Russian dating sites and social media where he says some of her Outreach seemed designed for a niche
audience she was advertising her Services as a dominatrix call it slash escort he believed
Victoria was using online ads to commit crimes of opportunity she would knock out with knockout drugs taking money
watches jewelry whatever she can get and he suspected Victoria had done something
much worse who murdered your mother Victoria [Music] with the fog of her mysterious illness
behind her Olga's fix says she went back to work sharing the story of her harrowing ordeal
that's when another client told her something she never expected to hear she said you know one of my husband friend
I think somebody also drug him his name is Ruben meet Ruben burukov hi Tina how are you
about two months before Olga ate that cheesecake Reuben who ran a nearby dry cleaning business met a woman on a
Russian dating site her name Victoria nazarova she says she's a good cook and I said I'd love to eat the two arranged
to meet at her place for dinner I just took one bite of fish and I was out of it in five minutes Reuben says he passed
out and Victoria allegedly went on a shopping spree she took like 800 maybe a thousand dollars in my all together in
cash 2400 in American Express so she's living high on the Hog on your money absolutely
and then she brought me here two days later Reuben was still out of it when Victoria literally took him to the
cleaners one of Reuben's employees took this video she was walking here and there and making some stories to my
workers all we had wine he drank two bottles of wine I don't remember nothing as Victoria talks to the workers or
something right the camera catches a glimpse of her sitting in the boss's chair luckily Reuben's sister called an
ambulance Victoria would flee the scene before it arrived but not before cleaning him out
I had someone in the basement a couple hundred here she took it she took the watch and Reuben believes Victoria
nearly took a lot more than that did you almost die I think so that's how I was oh he was a
sick man but private eye Herman Weisberg says when it comes to Victoria nazarova Olga
and Ruben may have been the lucky ones in 2017 Weisberg began working with this woman Nadia Ford Nadia said her mother
Allah alexianko with whom she was very close had gone missing back home in Russia and so every day you would talk
to her every day Nadia says before her mother disappeared she had mentioned making a new best friend the friend's
name Victoria nazarova before Victoria came to New York she was living in Russia and had become Allah's neighbor
in the apartment next door here is your mother standing next to you right and here
is Victoria right and they seem like an Odd Couple you just wouldn't think they'd hang out with each other she was
always trying to be very friendly to her you know and my mom she trusts everyone
in the fall of 2014 Allah had told Nadia she would be sending her daughter special gifts her new best friend
Victoria would bring them Victoria would be carrying six thousand dollars in cash
and other valuables including two fur coats to be hand delivered to Nadia but Victoria never showed and on October
5th Nadia tried to call her mother but couldn't reach her how many times did you call your mother that day October
5th oh a lot a lot about 100 really 100 times at least at least I tried everything and she would not answer no
so what are you thinking I got afraid because for eight years she never happened that she didn't answer the
phone never Nadia says she had found Victoria's sudden friendship with her mom suspicious and that suspicion only
grew when she accessed her mother's cell phone records online and I saw the last
person who called her it was Victoria the call had come in at 11 PM and there were no other calls after it and that's
it and then my heart dropped I just started to have this feeling that something happened
something terrible something terrible happened Nadia decided she had to go to Russia to find out the truth about two
years later 48 Hours went with Nadia to retrace her steps we brought her back to her hometown of
krasnodar about 800 miles south of Moscow near the Black Sea to show us how she launched her own investigation into
her mother's disappearance first Nadia convinced Victoria to meet her outside her mom's apartment building
where she confronted her she says Victoria loudly insisted Allah was alive and then she ran up the stairs and then
I'm like where are you going why are you running and if she runs up here are you
chasing her exactly yeah Nadia told us she notified police and took them inside her mother's apartment
so when I walk into the apartment she quickly realized the place had been looted nothing credit card's gone
nothing nothing family heirlooms an expensive jewelry gone everything and whoever did this also stole most of her
mother's life savings forty thousand dollars Allah kept in a secret Hideaway if you take this off it was gone and as
far as Nadia could tell so is Victoria what are the police and the district attorney and what are these people
saying to you just wait she's gonna go she's gonna come back undaunted Nadia carried on her search
crisscrossing the country hosting Flyers like this one pleaded with Victoria by text listen
they give you everything my apartment money you name it please just give me my mom
back Nadia feared she was getting nowhere when she had an idea Nadia where are we
right now we're in the highway that Victoria had my mom she noticed that most main roads had traffic cameras what
if one of them had photographed Victoria the night Nadia's mother went missing but you got to get access to these
photographs how do you do that it's Russia you buy things you have money you buy things
Nadia got access to images from local traffic cameras about 100 miles from the apartment that's the camera is she right
there Nadia hit Pay Dirt that's the camera that showed that my mom was with Victoria these are the pictures that
changed everything the pictures look blurry but Nadia was certain that this is Victoria nazarova
behind the wheel and equally sure she knew who was sitting in the passenger seat
her mom no doubt in your mind but what's the date that this picture was taken October 5th in the morning 10
o'clock October 5th the day that you lost all communication with your own mother if
the picture could be believed it meant her mother could still be alive this camera gave me hope
Nadia called Russian police about the pictures and was shocked at their response what does the detective say he
said I know I have these pictures with investigators now working the case Nadia says they confirmed Victoria rented this
car with these plates tracked her down and brought her in for a lie detector test
but before the results could come back unbeknownst to the cops Victoria caught the first flight out of Russia
sure she cannot get away with this with Victoria on the Run Nadia desperately continued her search for her
mother hoping against hope to find her alive I dedicated my life to that I quit everything and everyone I didn't believe
that my mom is not alive but hope turned a heartbreak in April of 2015 when she got a disturbing phone
call charred human remains had been found in a remote area about a two-hour drive
from Allah's apartment authorities called Nadia in to make an identification I said no
that's not her no it's it just remains and then a few minutes later I started looking at her
teeth and you knew you knew it was your mother yeah and yeah so I basically recognized my mom by her teeth
behind me is the Russian town of armaveir it's about 110 miles from krasnodar and it's important to this
case because it's where Victoria nassarova grew up why is that significant because less than a quarter
mile from where I'm standing right now is where Allah's body was dumped the body was here
Victoria took everything for me my family my life my mom my everything by this time Interpol already had issued
an International arrest warrant for Victoria nazarova in Allah's murder Nadia went home to Brooklyn determined
as ever to track down Victoria nazarova on a whim she turned to Facebook and you'll never guess whose face popped up
on the screen Victoria was posting pictures all over Facebook checking in at this place at that place
beautiful life we flew to Mexico having a great time yeah from Mexico she flew to New York
Nadia reported all this to U.S police and immigration officials but they couldn't find Victoria that's when Nadia
started working with private investigator and former New York City detective Herman Weisberg he combed
through Victoria's Facebook profile with an experienced eye for detail I never look at what people want me to see on
these sites I'm used to looking at everything except for what's supposed to draw your attention in late at night
Weisberg meticulously studied every photograph and made a remarkable Discovery right on Victoria's face this
particular picture was the most beneficial she's wearing the Ray-Ban sunglasses that are mirrored and she
took a great picture for us to see the dashboard of the car but more importantly
the stitching on that back headrest yeah that's just black leather with a light gray stitching on it I decided the next
morning I was going to be at a big parking lot at a train station row after row of vehicles peering into
Windows hoping to find the make and model that had that stitching and it's a big hub for the railroads hundreds of
cars in here yeah probably thousands all over the place so it's real easy to look
for the kind of detail I was looking for then a Chrysler sedan caught his eye so
you look inside the car and what do you see all right it's got the same stitching and show me on your phone
there's her mirrored sunglasses the stitching over here turns out that only a Chrysler 300 had this stitching and
dashboard layout now the hard part finding the specific car Victoria was driving again this was such a wild goose
chase at this point but Weisberg saw that a series of likes on Victoria's Facebook page were clustered around
Sheepshead Bay a Russian neighborhood in Brooklyn so you send some of your investigators to look for one of these
Chrysler 300s did they have any luck well yeah we found a bunch of them then the next day I had somebody run the
license plates and luckily we found one that came back to a Russian sounding name Weisberg took our 48 Hours crew
into the area he searched and called me to the scene when he again found the Chrysler 300 at the heart of this
investigation this is it yeah this is the car this is the car yeah take a look inside you see the stitching yep
hard to miss now oh there it is now you see how unique it is right yeah this is only an area of 8.5 million
people you found the car it wasn't a needle in a haystack you had to find a haystack first and when Weisberg went to
the address connected to that car the building looked familiar Weisberg had seen it before in another one of
Victorious selfies when you look at it and you see that that telephone pole and the location of
that manhole cover and that manhole cover and if you look over there you got the telephone pole and you've got the
two manhole covers this is brilliant Herman through that reflection in her and her glasses you
figure out this is the apartment building where the man who owns that Chrysler 300 lives and with Victoria in
the picture you thinking she might be living with this guy it she looks like she took a selfie
there and it all starts to make sense amazingly the woman Russian authorities wanted for the murder of Nadia's mother
was now living with her boyfriend in Nadia's own backyard four or five blocks away
you got to be kidding me you know did you try to go find her no why because I would kill her
we got lucky early on and we spotted Victoria and her boyfriend out here the boyfriend was the owner of the
Chrysler 300 and lived in that apartment building that boyfriend told us that he
eventually became one of Victorious victims himself he says not only did she steal from him but that she killed his
beloved beagle Joey apparently Victoria got very jealous of the dog getting some
of the spotlight in their house and decided to poison the Beagle allegedly on the beagle's birthday I'm a dog lover
so that stuff I've seen him on TV enjoy the beagle's demise didn't sit well with
Victoria's neighbors either she killed his dog that [ __ ] killed his dog every time you learn something else
about this woman you realize that if she was left un arrested this could have really ended poorly or
Brooklyn but now Weisberg knew the hunt was finally over he says he called Interpol
and Homeland Security but neither one agreed to take action so he alerted the NYPD and on March 20th 2017 the police
made their move the woman who had once posed as a dominatrix suddenly found herself in handcuffs I just cried
I couldn't believe that it's actually happened it's a miracle detective Kevin Rogers couldn't believe
it when his phone rang Brooklyn advises us that they had this woman Victoria nazirova in their custody Rogers says
the cheesecake case suddenly started making sense Olga had something that Victoria wanted and it wasn't money and
it wasn't handbags he says the instant he started reviewing police evidence photos he saw something that made it
clear exactly what Victoria was after this idea of Olga's was found in Victoria's apartment the picture looked
eerily similar to Victoria herself I think she wanted to kill this woman and assume her identity
to back up his theory Rogers knew he would need to prove that Olga's cheesecake had been poisoned when he
sent the container found in Olga's house to a lab they found nothing but when Rogers decided to send it for more
extensive testing he got a hit phenazepam is a sedative primarily used at the time in Russia it makes you
sleepy yeah sleepy Coleman Rogers learned that finazepam is especially dangerous in a hot
environment remember the heater in Olga's room had been left on high and Victoria's DNA was on the cheesecake box
all these pieces of the puzzle they've come together absolutely so you think this was a planned murder absolutely
Victoria was charged with attempted murder for the attack on Olga assault and grand larceny before trial she
agreed to sit down with us at New York's Rikers Island jail Victoria yes what do you make of Herman weisberg's
investigation to see more go to 48hours.com [Music] we'd heard cruel and colorful stories
about Victoria nazarova for months so in 2017 when we interviewed her in jail as
authorities investigated her for attempted murder in Olga's case Victoria nazarova yes Peter Van Sant please have
a seat thank you we weren't sure what to expect don't you look at this yeah this is Allah yes she insisted she
had nothing to do with The Disappearance of Nadia's mother Allah Victoria did you kill Allah no
you did not no there's a woman named Olga who looks a lot like you who claims that
you tried to kill her by giving her a piece of poisoned cheesecake he wanted her dead so you could steal her identity
Victoria delivered her answer using the careful language of someone with a lot to lose
I know whom you mean I know this young woman I can tell you that um I did not force her to eat it you're
telling me all of these accusations against you all of that is false no I admit doing a part of it but I will
only talk about it at the trial Victoria nazarova would be in custody for nearly six years as the pandemic
caused delays before she stood trial for the poisoning of Olga's Vic when the case went to court in January
of 2023 the trial of a woman accused of poisoning her look-alike with cheesecake
the media we're watching there are elements of this case that you won't find anywhere else The Beautician
the cheesecake in all the evidence you have what is the most important in your opinion we're looking at it right here
it's this container the cheesecake box from Olga's garbage still has crumbs left inside
outlandish as it is assistant district attorney Dino latorgis tells jurors in opening statements this is not a joke
it's not just a story they should see it as a potential murder weapon this defendant
intended to kill this woman and steal her identity he calls Olga first to highlight the
human consequences and she's going to explain to you everything that happened to her
everything that she can remember of course she was poisoned with something that impacted her memory cameras were
not allowed to record witness testimony Olga makes it clear that talking about the details of her ordeal is still like
reliving a bad dream and testifying in front of her alleged attacker traumatizes her all the more was she
looking at you oh yeah she looked at me what did you see on her face in her eyes
you know she's smiling she was smiling she was smirking the state also calls Nadia Ford I was trying
to get her look look at me look at the person who mother you killed look look into my eyes remember them for
the rest of your life the judge has strictly limited prosecutors from going into specifics about the murder charges
facing Victoria in Russia so they're hoping Nadia can finesse the details and still get the point across
I'll tell you it was a risky strategy what has she told them that you think helps your case what she told the jury
is that something serious happened in Russia it's one thing for me to say the crime was serious and it's another thing
for a witness to come in and show with her body language with her eyes with her overall demeanor that this was an
incredibly serious crime that Victoria nassarova was one for I was staring at her
I just want her to look at me she didn't look at me once [Music] I was almost certain in the beginning of
the trial that Victoria was going to testify and I know that she likes to talk as it turned out Victoria declined
to testify and answer questions but something she did say made it into the trial something she said to me in a part
of her 48 Hours interview published online it's an Evidence Peter Van Zandt asked this woman in English there is a
woman named Olga there's a woman named Olga who claims that you try to kill her by giving her a piece of poison
cheesecake liturgis has someone read Victoria's answer into the record yes I know whom you mean I know this young
woman I can tell you that I did not force her to eat it I did not force her to eat it for me as
an individual she's guilty with that statement where in that answer does she say I didn't
poison anybody Miss nazarova is not guilty of these charges but defense attorney Christopher Hoyt
doesn't call a single witness to help improve it instead he argues the spectacle of this case obscures the
specifics details that amount to reasonable doubt there's no direct evidence of anyone seen Victoria
naturova putting finazepam and cheesecake he reminds the jury Olga's doctors didn't find anything unusual in her
system and he says there is nothing particularly unusual about Victoria's life in New York either she's been just
living in the U.S using her normal name that's just the point says the prosecutor Victoria's U.S visa was set
to expire she was scared of facing charges in Russia and needed a new identity to help her hide there's only
two categories of people that need someone else's ID you have college kids under the age of
21 who want to borrow their Buddy's ID to go drink and then on the other hand you have international fugitives who
need someone's ID as a Lifeline to stay in this country and not go back to Russia
this is not a case about what happened in Russia and the defense insists that even if Victoria
poisoned the cheesecake it's not enough to prove she wanted Olga dead I submit you that they have not proven that
intent this case has more than you need to conclude Beyond a reasonable doubt that this defendant is guilty
but will the jury agree as they file back in what are you seeing on their faces [Music]
[Music] when this jury goes off to deliberate what's going through your mind what's going through my mind is that
they understand the Diabolical calculation that occurred for this crime Queens district attorney Melinda Katz
says Victoria nazarova is a lot smarter and more committed than the average criminal defendant it takes patience
and it takes planning but it takes the jury in her trial only an hour and a half
to reach a verdict of the indictment charging the defendant Victorian aceroba with attempted murder
in the second degree guilty or not guilty guilty guilty of attempted murder in the second degree
were there tears yeah [Music] at sentencing Olga tells the court her suffering went
on long after Victoria's attack she caused me to lose trust in people I have difficulty to trust people and I
cannot know for sure what their true intentional I am grateful that this person will be
punished for what she did to me the maximum punishment she can stand up is 25 years in prison you are an
extremely dangerous woman I sentence you to 21 years in jail judge Kenneth holder
decides a 21-year sentence is enough with credit for time served Victoria may be out in 15. even so she has some
Choice words for the court as she is Led away barely audible under her mask thank you
she's a narcissistic homicidal maniac that's what narcissistic homicidal Maniacs say when they something
everything goes bad for them Victoria's time Behind Bars has already been rough in 2018 at Rikers Island in New York she
was assaulted by fellow inmates and suffered multiple injuries to her face [Music]
and when she's done serving her time in America Victoria faces deportation and murder charges back in Russia I know
there's great satisfaction for you that Victoria's finally going to prison but it's not for what she did to your
mom is that still an emptiness inside for you I feel better at least I know now that for next 15
years she's not gonna hurt anyone two of the people Victoria has hurt most have resolved to draw strength from each
other since tragedy unexpectedly brought them together Nadia and Olga have become the
best of friends we met I feel like I knew Nadia all my life my mom Nadia she's went
through hell they seem to know it takes one victim of Victoria nazarova to truly understand
another do you think the two of you will be friends for life I think yes [Music]
an Olympic Horseman he was a legend of falling out with a student she attacked him on social media
he says she drove him to do it the verdict 48 hours Saturday on CBS [Music]

Viktoria Nasyrova is accused of using cheesecake as a murder weapon. Her motive was to steal the identity of Olga, who looks a lot like her. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

Brief Summary

Victoria Nazarova attempts to murder Olga Svik with poisoned cheesecake, leading to a complex investigation and trial involving multiple victims.

Key points

The Cheesecake Incident. A woman is poisoned with cheesecake, leading to a shocking investigation.
Nadia's Desperate Search. Nadia investigates her mother's disappearance, uncovering a connection to Victoria.
The Shocking Discovery. Nadia finds evidence linking Victoria to her mother's last known whereabouts.
Victoria's Arrest. On March 20th, 2017, police arrested Victoria, who had posed as a dominatrix.
Trial for Attempted Murder. In January 2023, Victoria stood trial for poisoning her look-alike with cheesecake.
Sentencing. Victoria was sentenced to 21 years in prison for her crimes.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This is for murder, this is for murder right here.

2:27WatchJun 9, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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