Florida Woman Pours Soda On Herself To Erase Evidence In Roommate's Murder

A woman accused of killing her roommate allegedly poured soda on herself in an attempt to remove possible DNA evidence from her body, according to WOFL. An arrest affidavit obtained by reporters claims 35-year-old Nichole Maks was jailed on August 5 in the murder of 79-year-old Michael Cerasoli.

In the early morning hours of July 1, a Daytona Beach police officer was flagged down by a citizen, who reported a fire at a home in the 600 block of Clark Street in Deltona. When firefighters responded to the scene and extinguished the blaze, they found a man dead on the floor inside a bedroom, authorities said.

The body, which was later identified as Cerasoli, had blunt force trauma to the back of his head and several stab wounds to his torso, per a probable cause affidavit. Police also found a bloody knife near the victim's body and blood splatters across the wall. Officials later issued an internal bulletin pinning Maks as a possible person of interest in the case.

Hours later, officers reportedly found Maks near a fast food restaurant in Holly Hill with no shoes, a slightly-torn shirt, and blood on the side of her leg and a portion of her shirt. Police reports also claim she was carrying a hammer and knife at the time, but she dropped the items when officers approached her.

During questioning, Maks allegedly denied knowing the victim, claiming she was homeless. She then admitted to being Cerasoli's roommate but denied killing the 79-year-old man and refused to speak further when they brought up the fire, reports say. As officers told her they would be collecting her DNA, that's when Maks asked for a drink and they gave her Diet Mountain Drew.

Cops claim she was taking too long to drink the soda, but when an investigator tried taking it away, Maks doused herself with a drink to try to erase possible evidence on her body. DNA results from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement later found Cersaoli's DNA on the knife's blade and Maks' DNA on the handle of the weapon, according to the affidavit.

Maks was booked into the Volusia County Jail without bond on charges of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and resisting arrest with violence, per online jail records. She pleaded not guilty through a written plea last week, and her attorney requested Maks be evaluated to see if she's mentally competent to stand trial.