A Russian woman living in Brooklyn has been found guilty of attempting to murder her doppelgänger in a twisted identity-theft plot.
Viktoria Nasyrova, 47, was convicted on Thursday 9th February 2023 of attempted murder, assault, and unlawful imprisonment. She had tried to kill her beautician, Olga Tsvyk, by giving her a slice of cheesecake laced with a strong sedative in 2016.
Tsvyk survived the attempt but found her identity documents stolen upon returning from the hospital.
At the time of the incident, Nasyrova and Tsvyk looked similar, with dark hair and the same skin complexion. Both women were Russian speakers.
“The jury saw through the deception and schemes of the defendant,” said Melinda Katz, the Queens District Attorney. “Fortunately, her victim survived and the poison led right back to the culprit.”
According to the prosecutor, in August 2016, Nasyrova visited Tsvyk’s house in Queens with a box of cheesecake. Nasyrova ate two pieces herself and offered the third, poisoned slice to Tsvyk. Shortly after eating the cheesecake, Tsvyk started to vomit and went to lie down. Her last memory before passing out was of seeing Nasyrova walking around her room.
Tsvyk’s friend found her unconscious the next day. Her clothes had been changed to lacy lingerie, and pills were scattered around the floor as if she had tried to take her own life.
When Tsvyk returned home from the hospital, her Ukrainian passport and US work permit were missing, as well as jewellery and approximately $4,000 in cash.
Phenazepam, a strong sedative, was detected in remnants of the cheesecake, and the pills scattered on the floor were also confirmed to be the same drug.
Nasyrova could face up to 25 years in prison.
This is not the first time that Nasyrova has been in trouble with the law. In 2015, Interpol issued a red notice for her arrest over the murder of a woman in Russia the year before. Nasyrova is accused of killing her neighbour, Alla Alekseenko, and stealing her life savings. She has also been accused of drugging and robbing men she met on dating websites.
Her alleged and convicted crimes were the subject of a documentary by CBS’s investigative programme 48 Hours in 2017.
