Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Oxygen true-crime series Snapped plans to re-examine the brutal death of Yakov Gluzman that took place in 1996. The upcoming episode will feature all the terrifying details about the case and tell viewers how his wife, Rita Gluzman, was responsible for Yakov’s death. The episode will air on the network on Friday, February 2, at 6 p.m. ET.
According to the New York Times, authorities initiated an investigation into the case and arrested a man named Vladimir Zelenin. As per the police, the man was trying to dump multiple bags into the river. However, one of the police officers arrested him after seeing his blood-stained pants and shoes.
Meanwhile, a few other bags contained clothing and instruments, such as a hacksaw and an ax. While searching, the authorities also found several body parts, including an ear and a nose, from the bottom of the river. On the other hand, authorities found Rita Gluzman and jailed her on burglary charges, per The New York Times.
A few days after her arrest, the authorities charged Rita Gluzman with helping Vladimir Zelenin in murdering Yakov Gluzman. As per the New York Times, Vladimir, who was also Rita’s cousin, told the authorities that he and Rita had been talking about killing Yakov for weeks. However, on April 6, 1996, they finally did what they had planned. They reached Yakov’s apartment in Pearl River, New York, and as soon as Yakov arrived, they hit him with an ax. As a result, Yakov Gluzman died.
What was the motive behind Yakov Gluzman’s brutal death?
As mentioned above, Rita Gluzman and her cousin killed Yakov Gluzman after hitting him with an ax. After accomplishing their plan, Vladimir went on to cut Yakov’s body into pieces while Rita cleaned the entire apartment. They stuffed body parts in several plastic bags. Citing court documents, WFAA8 ABC reported that Yakov physically abused Rita Gluzman and wanted to get a divorce.
The outlet also mentioned that things got worse when she found out that Yakov allegedly began a relationship with another woman. As a result, she became paranoid and hired a private investigator to follow Yakov and his alleged girlfriend. Soon after, she planned to kill her husband.
Before the trial began, Vladimir pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and entered a plea deal. On the other hand, Rita Gluzman requested the court to give her bail and promised that she won’t escape, per The New York Times. Subsequently, the court denied her request and noted that Rita Gluzman “posed a substantial flight risk.”
In January 1996, Rita Gluzman’s trial began, and the prosecution shared details about what happened that fateful day. As per the aforementioned outlet, the prosecutors noted that Rita and her cousin murdered Yakov after they blackmailed him by showing his pictures with another woman. Things got worse for Rita Gluzman when Vladimir Zelenin testified against his cousin and explained how she planned everything.
Jury announces guilty verdict in the case
During his testimony, Vladimir noted that Rita purchased the murder weapons from the Home Depot. He also mentioned how she cleaned the entire apartment in “stony silence.” On the other hand, the defense team believed that he was lying about Rita Gluzman’s involvement in the slaying. The prosecution team continued providing more evidence in the case to prove Rita was indeed responsible for Yakov’s death.
Weeks after hearing the arguments from both sides, the jury deliberated for 10 hours and found her guilty of killing her husband with an ax. As per the New York Times, Rita Gluzman became the first woman convicted for slaying or injuring her intimate partner by crossing state lines. The jury sentenced her to life imprisonment.
