(KGTV) - A New York woman is being charged for poisoning a "look-alike" friend via cheesecake and stealing her identity documents.
Viktoria Nasyrova, 42, of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, was charged with attempted murder, burglary, and other charges for allegedly poisoning a Queens woman, who resembled Nasyrova, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown announced Wednesday.
Investigators said Nasyrova gifted cheesecake laced with the Russian-made tranquilizer phenazepam to the victim on Aug. 28, 2016. The victim began eating the dessert before falling ill and passing out.
"This is a bizarre and twisted crime that could have resulted in the death of a Queens woman, whose only fault was that she shared similar features with the defendant," Brown said in a release. "Luckily, the Queens woman survived the poisoning."
The victim and Nasyrova resemble one another, officials said: Both have dark hair, the same skin complexion, and speak Russian.
According to investigators, the victim's last memory that day was of Nasyrova sitting beside her in her home.
The victim was discovered the following day unconscious in her bed, wearing lingerie, with phenazepam pills scattered around her — as if she had attempted suicide, officials said. She was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
When the victim returned home from the hospital, however, she realized her passport, employment authorization card, a gold ring, and cash were all missing. Investigators said those items were later recovered when Nasyrova was finally arrested on March 20, 2017.
Nasyrova faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. She is being held without bail and will appear in court on May 25.
According to People Magazine, Nasyrova has also eluded Russian authorities and is charged in the 2014 death of 54-year-old Alla Aleksenko. People reported Nasyrova seduced the lead detective of that case to help her flee the country.
