A 37-year-old Florida woman has been sentenced to 35 years in prison following the brutal beating and stabbing of her 79-year-old roommate. Nichole Maks pleaded no contest to the 2023 murder which also involved her dousing Mountain Dew on her body in an attempt to thwart the police investigation and cover DNA evidence.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Back on July 1, 2023, firefighters arrived at a Clark Street home after a fire was reported. Inside the home, they discovered the body of a 79-year-old man, later identified as Michael Cerasoli. According to Law & Crime, Cerasoli had suffered multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma to the back of his head. Near his body, after police arrived, evidence was collected, including a bloody knife and two cell phones.
Hours after Cerasoli's body was found, at around 3:30 a.m., a police detective found Nichole Macks at a restaurant. When approached, Macks "dropped a knife and a hammer," while the detective noticed she had a ripped shirt and bloodied legs.
When prompted by police, she denied knowing Cerasoli at all. Moreover, Maks claimed she had been living in the streets for about four years. Her story would change a couple of times. She then stated that she lived with Cerasoli for a bit and had med him "a handful of times." Finally, she admitted to living at the home at the time and to seeing Cerasoli earlier in the day.
Mountain Dew
Police arrested Maks and she continued to change her story, even denying she had a hammer and a knife when approached by the detective, later to confess. She became uneasy when asked about the fire that led to authorities finding Cerasoli's body and asked for an attorney.
After police secured a search warrant to collect her DNA, Maks asked for a Mountain Dew. Police agreed, but would not imagine that Maks would use the energy drink to douse herself in it.
"Maks began to procrastinate while drinking the soft drink then when [a detective] attempted to grab the can of soda from Maks' hands," a probable cause affidavit reads, obtained by Law & Crime. "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."
However, her efforts were futile as her DNA was taken. It was matched with the DNA found in the knife on the scene, near Cerasoli's body. She was charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and resisting arrest with violence.
Almost two years after her arrest, Nichole Maks pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder, a count of resisting with violence, a count of arson of a dwelling, and one count of tampering with physical evidence. Court Judge Leah R. Case handed Maks the minimum sentence of 35 years. Her decision comes after learning Maks's history of sexual and physical abuse which contributed to her mental breakdown. Prosecutors agreed with the sentence.
