The Tetris Murders
Investigation Discovery's three-part documentary series, The Tetris Murders, investigates the September 22, 1998 brutal murder of Tetris co-developer Vladimir Ivanovich Pokhilko, age 44, his wife Elena Fedotova, age 38, and their son, Peter Pokhilko, age 12, in their Palo Alto, California home. Vladimir Pokhilko was the co-developer of the popular hit game Tetris, which was invented by Alexey Pajitnov while the two men were still living in the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s. The docuseries discusses the murders which, at the time in 1998, were determined to be a murder-suicide. However, there are still lingering doubts about whether or not that determination was accurate. Elena Fedotova and Peter Pokhilko were found with head trauma and stab wounds on their chests, while Vladimir Pokhilko was found with a knife in his hand, his throat cut so deeply, one detective said he could see Pokhilko's larynx. The original 1998 investigation was led by Palo Alto Police Detective CSI Sandra Brown, who, upon seeing the crime scene and evidence, felt that something didn't line up. When she found out that the FBI had their own interest in the case, she became even more suspicious that there were darker elements to this case with potential ties to Russia.
- 2022-2022
- 1 season
- Discovery+
- Documentary, Suspense
- TV-MA
Investigation Discovery's three-part documentary series, The Tetris Murders, investigates the September 22, 1998 brutal murder of Tetris co-developer Vladimir Ivanovich Pokhilko, age 44, his wife Elena Fedotova, age 38, and their son, Peter Pokhilko, age 12, in their Palo Alto, California home. Vladimir Pokhilko was the co-developer of the popular hit game Tetris, which was invented by Alexey Pajitnov while the two men were still living in the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s. The docuseries discusses the murders which, at the time in 1998, were determined to be a murder-suicide. However, there are still lingering doubts about whether or not that determination was accurate. Elena Fedotova and Peter Pokhilko were found with head trauma and stab wounds on their chests, while Vladimir Pokhilko was found with a knife in his hand, his throat cut so deeply, one detective said he could see Pokhilko's larynx. The original 1998 investigation was led by Palo Alto Police Detective CSI Sandra Brown, who, upon seeing the crime scene and evidence, felt that something didn't line up. When she found out that the FBI had their own interest in the case, she became even more suspicious that there were darker elements to this case with potential ties to Russia.
Season 1 Episode Guide
3 Episodes 2022
Episode 1
Falling Pieces
Mon, Dec 5, 2022
Police find a Russian family brutally murdered in a Silicon Valley home, a co-developer of the video game Tetris among them. Something doesn't sit right with detectives, and it has to do with the lack of evidence.
Episode 2
This Doesn't Fit
Mon, Dec 5, 2022
Detectives investigating the bizarre apparent murder-suicide of a Russian man and his family are puzzled by inconsistencies in the evidence. As they start to suspect this may be a staged scene, a surprising source thwarts their investigation.
Episode 3
The Final Level
Mon, Dec 5, 2022
Determined to prove that Tetris co-developer Vladimir Pokhilko did not kill himself and his family, retired crime scene investigator Sandra Brown returns to the crime scene and uncovers more jaw-dropping discoveries.