Nichole A. Maks is being held without bond and was ordered to have a mental health evaluation after allegedly killing her 79-year-old roommate and then pouring soda on herself in an attempt to erase DNA evidence, police said.
A Florida woman has been arrested after allegedly killing her 79-year-old roommate in Daytona and then dumping diet Mountain Dew on herself to rid her body of DNA evidence, officials said.
Nichole A. Maks, 35, was charged with tampering with evidence, resisting arrest with violence and premeditated first-degree murder in the death of 79-year-old Michael Cerasoli, according to the New York Post.
Maks was taken into custody on Aug. 4 in connection with the July 1 killing of her roommate, according to online court records showed.
In the early morning hours of July 1, firefighters were called to Maks’ home after a fire broke out on the second floor, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital.
While fighting the blaze, firefighters said they found a man lying on the floor in a second-story bedroom of the home. He appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma to the back of his head as well as multiple stab wounds, a police affidavit obtained by Law and Crime said.
Police at the scene recovered a bloody knife near the victim’s body and two cellphones. One of the phones belonged to Maks, who was not there when firefighters arrived, police said in the affidavit.
Maks was named a person of interest in the investigation and an APB was put out to locate her whereabouts, Law and Crime reported
Hours later, a shoeless Maks was found at a restaurant by a police officer and when he made contact, she allegedly “dropped a knife and a hammer” in his presence, the affidavit said. The detective noted that Maks appeared to have blood on her leg and on her ripped shirt, Law and Crime reported.
When asked where she lived, Maks allegedly claimed that she had been living on the streets for the last four years. She was then shown a photo of Cerasoli and “denied knowing the victim,” the affidavit said.
Police say inconsistencies in Maks' story and relationship with the victim came to surface very quickly, according to CBS News.
Maks was taken into custody on Aug. 4, when she allegedly refused to cooperate without an attorney, according to CBS News.
When Maks was told officers were going to take her DNA, she requested a drink and was provided a diet Mountain Dew. That is when cops say she poured the soda all over her body and hair "in attempt to interfere with the possible evidence on [her body]," according to the affidavit.
Sucralose, an artificial sweetener found in some diet sodas, including Diet Mountain Dew, has been found to be able to break down the genetic material that makes up DNA, researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found. It remains unclear, however, if the actions Maks allegedly took could result in the elimination of forensic evidence.
According to the affidavit, DNA testing showed that the alleged victim's DNA was on the blade of the knife found near his body, and Maks' DNA was on the handle of the knife, CBS News reported.
Maks is currently being held in jail without bond. She has not entered a plea and is due back in court in Sept. 5. Maks was ordered to have a mental health exam on Monday, according to online court records. The results of the exam were not immediately clear.
Maks’ attorney has not responded to Inside Edition Digital's request for comment.
