Black Widow: Rita Gluzman

This black widow narrowly escaped the Soviet Union with her husband, and suffered immense trauma throughout the years. After authorities caught her cousin throwing bags of her dismembered husband into a river, the ugly truth came out.

This is the case of black widow, Rita Gluzman.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This black widow narrowly escaped the SovietUnion with her husband and suffered immense trauma
throughout the years. After authorities cuther cousin throwing bags of her dismembered husband
into a river, the ugly truthcame out. This is the case a

(00:21):
black widow Rita Glusman. This istail from the dark. Rita Shapiro was

(01:03):
born in nineteen forty eight in theSoviet Union. She had a difficult childhood,
living in impoverished conditions. When Ritawas about ten years old, she
was sexually assaulted by a police officer. When she was eleven, Rita was
left to take care of her sisterall by herself when her mother abandoned them
for two years. In nineteen seventy, Rita left the Soviet Union for Israel,

(01:30):
shortly after marrying Yakov Klusman. However, her husband wasn't allowed to travel
to Israel at the time. Ritathen gave birth to their son and fought
hard for Yakov to be permitted toleave. At one point, she even
went to the United Nations and helda hunger strike that lasted more than two

(01:55):
weeks. Eventually, Yakov received permissionand the Glusman family moved to the United
States in nineteen seventy seven. Yakovbecame a well known molecular biologist in the
years that followed, and Rita ranan electronics company that she co founded with

(02:15):
her husband. But the marriage beganto crumble over time, and it was
stated that Yakov was physically abusive towardsher and their son. By nineteen ninety
five, he moved out of theirhome in New Jersey and into an apartment
in Pearl River, New York.Yakov had then begun dating a woman from

(02:38):
Israel and filed divorce from Rita inDecember of that year. In the filing,
he complained of her excessive spending habits. In nineteen ninety six, Rita
spoke to her cousin, Vladimir Zeleninabout a plan to kill Yakov. At

(02:58):
the time, Vladimir was granted politicalasylum but was not a legal resident yet.
She promised to help him with immigrationand got him a job at the
electronics company in addition to a carand a house. On April sixth,
nineteen ninety six, Rita and Vladimirtraveled to Yakov's apartment in New York and

(03:22):
waited for him. They attacked Yakovwhen he returned from work around eleven thirty
pm, using axes and other weapons. Both continued to attack him until he
died. Then Rita cleaned up theapartment to get rid of the evidence of
Vladimir dismembered Yakov's body and to sixtyfive pieces using the axes, a knife,

(03:46):
and a hacksaw. Then Rita askedVladimir to dump the parts in the
river close to their office. OnApril seventh, nineteen ninety six, authorities
stumbled upon Vladimir dumping garbage bags intothe river and noticed the blood on his
hands. After he was arrested,Vladimir confessed to the plan and implicated Rita.

(04:14):
She was found a few days laterhiding out in a vacant cottage at
the laboratory in Long Island, NewYork, where you CoV previously worked.
Rita had her passport and international flightinformation, and phone records showed that she
had contacted several airlines. Vladimir quicklystruck a deal in exchanged for a lenient

(04:36):
sentence, and agreed to testify againstRina. Vladimir, then forty, testified
that Rita bought the murder weapons andthe garbage bags at a local store before
the murder, with the security footagecorroborating the statement. Vladimir Plan guilty to

(04:58):
the second degree murder an interstate domesticviolence resulting in death in May nineteen ninety
seven. He was sentenced to twentytwo and a half years in prison.
Vladimir was released in twenty fifteen,and from information available, he has maintained
a low profile since then. Hislast known location remains to be in New

(05:25):
Jersey. Rita, then forty seven, stood trial in January nineteen ninety seven,
and the jury ultimately found her guilty. She was the first woman to
be convicted under the nineteen ninety fourFederal Domestic Violence Act. In May nineteen
ninety seven, Rita was sentenced tolife in prison. Doctor Yukov Glusman's parents,

(05:49):
Chame and Sophia Glusman, remained inIsrael to attend a nieces bab Mitzvah,
but their presence was felt in aletter to the judge read by a
secutor Kathy Sibel in the courtroom filledwith friends and colleagues of the victim.
For twenty five years, she graduallydemolished him emotionally and in the twenty sixth

(06:13):
year, she dismembered him physically.The letter said, by her evil act,
Rita has ruined the life of herson, whom she left fatherless and
marked him with the stigma of amother convicted for murder. After we raised
Yakov to be a good man anda world renowned scientist who devoted his life

(06:33):
to research and to the benefit ofhumanity, she suddenly took him away from
us, the letter went on.Rita Glusman sat tensely as the letter was
read. When she spoke on herown behalf, she was brief your honor,
I did not do any of that, and I'll say it in front

(06:55):
of the world. But Judge Barringtonhad already pronounced sence and lectured missus Lesman.
None of us can ever know whattranspired between you and your husband,
the judge said. The only thingwe know is nothing that occurred can possibly
justify what you did to him.You are a woman of considerable courage,

(07:16):
capacity and accomplishment. For whatever reason, you allowed yourself to disintegrate around the
relationship and the pain that grew outof it. Judge Parker recommended that she
be sent to a medium security women'sprison in Danbury, Connecticut. Over the
years, Rita dealt with many healthproblems, including strokes, the ensuing complications,

(07:43):
and Parkinson's disease. According to courtrecords, in twenty twenty, Glusman
was granted compassionate release from FMC Carswell. Court documents show that Glusman was having
troubles standing up and walking. Sherelies on a walker or reel chair to

(08:05):
move around. After her release,Rita flew from DFW International Airport to New
Jersey to begin five years of courtordered supervised release. Glusman was staying at
the Sheraton Hotel in New Jersey beforemoving to a home in Hackensack, about
twenty miles outside of New York City. According to the conditions of her supervised

(08:30):
release, Glusman will be confined toher home with few exceptions including doctor's appointments,
court appearances, religious services, employmenteducation, and other court approved activities.
Rita also has to wear a GPSmonitoring device while out on probation.

(08:52):
Rita will be cared for by hersister. Rita also served nearly nineteen years
of her life since at FMC Corswell. What do you think of this case?
Do you think Rita actually killed herhusband. Does she kill him because
of jealousy or his wealth? Besure to let us know because for now,

(09:18):
for tonight, I think we're goingto have to add the case of
black widow Rita Glusman to our neverending but are always growing tails from the
dark. More in