A woman in Florida is accused of killing her elderly roommate and later dumping Diet Mountain Dew all over herself in an apparent attempt to “interfere” with potential DNA evidence.
Per a report from regional outlet WESH, police say the alleged murder discovery began with an officer being “flagged down” in early July about a house fire. Inside the residence, a victim—later identified as Michael Cerasoli, 79—was found with stab wounds and blunt force trauma.
In Cerasoli’s bedroom, police say, they found a bloody knife and a phone belonging to the alleged killer, 35-year-old Nichole Maks. She was found in the Holly Hill area the following morning, at which point she was questioned by detectives.
During questioning, police allege, Maks—who is said to have been holding a hammer and a knife when she was found by officers—repeatedly changed her story. Eventually, she refused to continue answering questions without first securing an attorney, at which point investigators say they ceased their inquiries.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Complex on Tuesday, Maks was being escorted to a patrol vehicle when she was informed that detectives would be taking her DNA “due to a search warrant.” Police say Maks asked for a drink “a short time later,” resulting in an officer giving her a Diet Mountain Dew.
“Maks began to procrastinate while drinking the soft drink then when Detective J. Wallace attempted to grab the can of soda from Maks’ hands, Maks began to resist and began pouring the can of soda all over her body and hair and pulling away from officers in attempts to interfere with the possible evidence on Maks’ body," the affidavit states.
Later, according to the affidavit, DNA results showed that the aforementioned knife found at the scene of the murder had Maks’ DNA on its handle.
Online jail records show that Maks was booked into custody earlier this month on charges including first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and resisting arrest. Per jail records, she remains behind bars at the time of this writing.
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