FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – The estranged wife of an internationally known pianist has been indicted in Tarrant County on capital murder charges in the deaths of their two young daughters.
The indictments accuse Sofya Tsygankova of suffocating 1-year-old Michaela Kholodenko and 5-year-old Nika Kholodenko with pillows March 17 at her home in Benbrook, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday.
The 32-year-old estranged wife of pianist Vadym Kholodenko pleaded not guilty to the charges and is jailed with bond set at $2 million. Her attorney has declined comment on the specific allegations.
Kholodenko, the Ukrainian-born winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2013, discovered his daughters’ bodies when he arrived at the home the girls shared with their mother to take them to school.