Plot Synopsis

THE TETRIS MURDERS is a three-episode documentary series that investigates the tragic death of Vladimir Pokhilko, who was involved with the development of the puzzle-based video game Tetris. In the late '80s and '90s, 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 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 premiered on Monday, December 5, 2022 from 9pm-Midnight ET/PT on Investigation Discovery and earlier the same day on discovery+.

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.