DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Police claim a woman in Daytona Beach suspected of murdering her 79-year-old roommate poured Diet Mountain Dew all over herself in an attempt to wash away possible DNA evidence on her body.
According to an arrest report from the Daytona Beach Police Department, 35-year-old Nichole Maks was being questioned on July 1 as a person of interest after finding her roommate, 79-year-old Michael Cerasoli, dead at their home. He had stab wounds and blunt-force trauma to the back of his head. The house had been set on fire.
The report said a bloody knife was found next to Cerasoli, and blood stains were found on the wall next to Maks' closet.
According to police, an officer found Maks at a restaurant around 3:30 a.m. She had no shoes on, and there were blood stains on her leg and on a portion of her shirt where parts had been torn or cut off. She was also reportedly carrying a knife and hammer, which the report said she dropped and later denied carrying.
Officers claim Maks changed her story multiple times when they questioned her. They said at first, she denied knowing Cerasoli and claimed she was homeless, then she admitted he was her roommate but claimed she did not see him the day he was killed. Ultimately, she asked for an attorney, according to the report.
Then, when officers said they were going to test her DNA, the report claims Maks took a can of Diet Mountain Dew and poured it all over her body and hair to try to remove evidence from her body.
Ultimately, the report said officers found Maks' DNA on the handle of the knife they found next to Cerasoli, whose DNA was also found on the blade.
Maks is charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and resisting arrest with violence, according to jail records. She has pleaded not guilty, and her attorney has reportedly requested a doctor to determine her mental competence to stand trial.
