Shraman Mitra
Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Tetris Murders’ chronicles the shocking death of Russian-American computer scientist Vladimir Pokhilko, his wife, Yelena Fedotova, and their son, Peter Pokhilko, at their Silicon Valley Home on September 22, 1998. While a family friend discovered the bodies, the police initially began a homicide investigation into the incident.
However, with time, the FBI got involved, and to this day, official reports classify the incident as a murder-suicide. Friends of the Pokhilkos, Kathy Hunter and Grigoriy Shapirshteyn, appear on the show to discuss their views surrounding the tragedy.
Who Are Kathy Hunter and Grigoriy Shapirshteyn?
A native of Kiev, Ukraine, Grigoriy Shapirshteyn met and got acquainted with Vladimir Pokhilko during their university days. Both pursued a degree in Psychology from Moscow State University, and they got close while attending classes together. Grigoriy revealed quite a bit about Vladimir’s past on the show, mentioning how he was born into a simple Russian family and had dreams of making it big in the future. The latter even told Grigoriy how he wanted to step out of his parents’ shadows and build an identity.
Grigoriy appeared to be quite affectionate of Vladimir and insisted that his friend could not have died from suicide. Being fast friends, he witnessed Vladimir and Yelena’s relationship from the beginning and talked about how the couple got comfortable with each other in university. Moreover, Grigoriy was present at their marriage and insisted that the love the late entrepreneur had for his wife would not have allowed him to murder her.
On the other hand, Kathy Hunter met Yelena Fedotova for the first time at a yoga conference in Moscow. Once acquainted, she was amazed by the latter’s incredible talent and knowledge of yoga. Kathy even loved how Yelena showed no signs of ego and adored her charming personality. Soon the acquaintance blossomed into a close friendship, and she remained in touch with the latter throughout her time in Moscow.
Once Yelena and her husband, Vladimir Pokhilko, moved to the United States in the 90s, Kathy visited their house several times and mentioned how they never made her feel like an outsider. She described the Pokhilkos as a warm and inviting family who loved entertaining guests graciously. In fact, Kathy was devastated when she came to know about the deaths and seemed convinced that it could not have been a murder-suicide.
Where Are Kathy Hunter and Grigoriy Shapirshteyn Today?
Although Kathy and Grigoriy appeared on the Investigation Discovery show to talk about their views, both prefer to keep their private lives under wraps and maintain a limited presence on social media. Nevertheless, from the looks of it, Grigoriy Shapirshteyn currently holds a Ph.D. in psychology and has seemingly moved to the United States. He appears to reside in San Fransisco, California, where he runs a psychology practice. Meanwhile, Kathy refused to reveal much about her personal life, yet she also appears to reside in California.
Read More: Tetris Murders: How Did Vladimir Pokhilko and Yelena Fedotova Die?
