Charles Butler case: Everything to know ahead of Oxygen's Final Moments episode 1 premiere

Oxygen’s upcoming heart-breaking show, Final Moments, is set to premiere on April 3. The show is set to narrate the Charles Butler case in its first episode on Sunday. The murder that took place out of jealousy left everyone grieving and aghast. It took nearly a month for Brooklyn officials to discover the criminal in the Charles Butler case.

The upcoming show, Final Moments, will feature heart-wrenching murder stories along with the proof that helped solve these cases. Viewers must know that these stories are real-life cases that took place five to six years ago.

Stephanie Steele, SVP of Unscripted Current Production, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, explained the motive of the show:

“Final Moments dives deep into heartbreaking crimes through the lens of real footage, pictures, and the social media of our victims, giving viewers direct insight into their last moments alive.”

She further said:

“The series provides authentic investigative access that our viewers will love, in addition to a deeper emotional connection to our victims via the unforgettable final moments of their lives.”

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What happened in the Charles Butler case of the Oxygen series?

Charles Butler was a 56-year-old successful businessman who frequently visited Brooklyn from Florida to meet his daughter, an Upper East Side resident. During these common visits, he happened to meet a 50-year-old lady, Anna Lioznov.

Anna Lioznov from Charles Butler Case (Image via Jesse Ward/ New York Daily News)

The two started a romantic relationship and had also planned to tie the knot soon. But everything changed when Butler visited Lionzov on September 18, 2012. She was seen leaving the Brighton Beach apartment the next morning after Charles’s visit on CCTV footage. As soon as she left, her ex-husband, Mikhail Chernyaev’s car was seen entering her garage. After this, Charles was never seen alive.

Things became grave when his daughter and girlfriend received messages from his phone after his eviction. On October 15, 2012, Charles’s decomposed body was found in Hawk's Nest, near Port Jervis, N.Y., by a fisherman.

Mikhail Chernyaev from Charles Butler Case (Image via Kevin C. Downs for New York Daily News)

As Mikhail Chernyaev’s car got captured in the footage, he was extensively questioned by the investigators until he admitted his crime. He killed Butler, drove the body upstate, and pushed it over a cliff.

On September 19, 2012, the 50-year-old man was declared guilty by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog and was sentenced to 25 years of life in prison.

Ken Thompson, Brooklyn District Attorney stated:

"A man senselessly lost his life out of sheer jealousy, leaving behind two grieving daughters and a young son."

Viewers can watch Final Moments on April 3 at 7/6c on Oxygen.