A New York woman who was convicted of trying to kill her lookalike friend with a poisoned cheesecake in a bid to assume her identity was sentenced on Wednesday to 21 years in prison.
Viktoria Nasyrova, 47, was found guilty of attempted murder in February. "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," the Queens district attorney, Melinda Katz, said in a statement.
Nasyrova Ate Two Pieces Herself and Gave the Third Poisoned Slice to Victim
According to prosecutors, Nasyrova visited the home of her then 35-year-old victim, Olga Tsvyk, in August 2016 bearing the gift of a cheesecake. At the time, the pair resembled one another – both spoke Russian, had dark hair, the same skin complexion and shared other physical traits – the trial heard. Nasyrova ate two pieces of the cheesecake herself, and offered the third, poisoned slice to Tsvyk.
The woman ate the dessert and began to feel sick, started hallucinating, threw up and came close to having a heart attack before losing consciousness. The next day, a friend discovered Tsvyk unconscious with her clothes changed to lacey lingerie and pills scattered around to make it look like she had tried to commit suicide, prosecutors said.
Victim Found Her Passport, Documents and Jewelry Missing After Regaining Senses
When Tsvyk returned home after treatment in hospital, she discovered her Ukrainian passport and US work permit were missing, as well as jewellery and about $4,000 (£3,300) in cash. Law enforcement agents tested the cheesecake and found that it was laced with phenazepam, a potentially fatal drug and the pills strewn on the floor were confirmed to be the same drug.
Prosecutors said she hoped to kill Tsvyk with the deadly cheesecake so so she could steal her identity. Nasyrova, who lived in Brooklyn, was convicted in February of attempted murder, assault and unlawful imprisonment.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder, according to the New York Post, described Nasyrova on Wednesday as "an extremely dangerous woman" who had concocted a "diabolical" scheme to prey on a friend. She will be supervised by the court for five years after her release from prison, the judge also ordered.
Nasyrova Previously Accused of Murdering Neighbor and Stealing Her Life Savings, Drugging and Robbing Men She Met on Dating Websites
This was not the first time Nasyrova has landed in trouble with the law. In 2015, Interpol issued a red notice for her arrest over the murder of a woman in Russia a year earlier. She is accused of killing her neighbour and stealing her life savings.Nasyrova has also been accused of drugging and robbing men she met on dating websites.
