In the late ‘80s and ‘90s, the puzzle-based video game TETRIS exploded across America and eventually took the rest of the world by storm. To this day, the iconic game’s popularity endures, with people of all ages and backgrounds playing it on their phones or devices. However, unknown to many, one of the minds behind the widely popular global sensation met a very tragic, complex, and deadly end. On September 22, 1998, Vladimir Pokhilko, who was involved with the development of TETRIS, was found dead alongside his wife and their young son in their Palo Alto, California, home. Now, more than two decades later, the Palo Alto Police Department homicide investigators who were first on the scene revisit the haunting crime. Over the course of this gripping three-part docuseries, the investigators unearth new theories and evidence, further unraveling the mystery of this crime. What was once thought to be a murder-suicide in 1998 is now revealed to be something much more sinister. As the investigators revisit the evidence, dark connections to Russia surface. All three parts of THE TETRIS MURDERS will premiere Monday, December 5, starting at 9/8c on ID and will be available to stream the same day on discovery+.
“While most of us have heard and played TETRIS, very few are aware of the brutal crime that took the life of Vladimir Pokhilko, one of the co-developers of this iconic video game, and his family,” said Jason Sarlanis, President of Crime and Investigative Content, Linear and Streaming. “For the first time, THE TETRIS MURDERS takes viewers inside the mystery surrounding this grisly murder-suicide. When the very detectives who first investigated this terrible crime discover new evidence decades later, they piece together a crime that could be even more sinister than previously believed and possibly part of an insidious conspiracy reaching all the way behind the Iron Curtain.”
When Palo Alto PD CSI Tech Investigator Sandra Brown arrived at the Pokhilko crime scene in 1998, she and many members of her team instantly knew something was amiss. While a suicide note written by Pokhilko was left behind to Brown and her team, the forensics and the physical evidence of the crime didn’t seem to line up with the murder-suicide scenario that was being proposed. Just as Brown and her team began to connect the dots, they discovered the FBI had its own interest in Pokhilko and the case, making the mystery even more puzzling. Decades later, with the grisly crime confirmed a murder-suicide by the FBI and police department, a now-retired Brown revisits the case to re-examine the evidence and the conspiracies surrounding the lead-up to that fateful September night to determine once and for all what really happened to the Pokhilko family.
Featuring firsthand interviews with Brown and other members of the Palo Alto PD, as well as incredible archival footage, THE TETRIS MURDERS not only provides compelling insight into this shocking crime but also a deep and unsettling look at the dark presence of Russian influence in the Pokhilko murders.
THE TETRIS MURDERS is produced by Crazy Legs Productions for Investigation Discovery.
Follow Investigation Discovery on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for exclusive articles, videos and live discussions about the case. Use #TheTetrisMurders to join the conversation.
About INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY (ID)
Investigation Discovery (ID) is the leading crime and justice network on television, delivering the highest-quality programming to approximately 80 million U.S. households. Viewers can enjoy their favorite shows anytime, anywhere on discovery+, the definitive non-fiction, real-life subscription streaming service. ID’s true-crime programming is also available via the network’s aggregated TV Everywhere offering, IDGO, where fans can access thousands of episodes from the Discovery family of networks. For exclusive web content and bonus material, fans can follow ID on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or check out the network’s true crime blog, CrimeFeed. Investigation Discovery is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a leading global media and entertainment company available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages whose portfolio also includes Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, CNN+, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HBO Max, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others.
