The renowned Ukrainian pianist, Vadym Kholodenko's estranged wife has been charged of murder Monday, over the death of their two daughters in Texas. Authorities said, the bodies of the young children were discovered at their home early Thursday.
Sofya Tsygankova, 31 years old, faces two counts of capital murder in the deaths of her two daughters, 5-year-old Nika Kholodenko and 1-year-old Michela Kholodenko, Reuters reported. Kholodenko, 29 said, he arrived Thursday in Benbrook in Fort Worth to visit them at their home. He found the dead bodies of their daughters in their beds.
David Babcock, the Benbrook police Commander said they have probable cause that Tsygankova committed the murder. In Texas, murder charges are sentenced with death penalty. According Fox News, the wife suffers an "extreme state of distress." On Monday, Benbrook police arrested Tsygankova while in the Fort Worth hospital, where she was taking her mental health evaluation.
The cause death of the children is not yet determined as the medical examiner office in Tarrant County is still working with the autopsies. Authorities said, there were no signs of trauma on the children. She was also hospitalized for her "self-inflicted stab wounds".
The BBC News reported, Tsygankova, who was also a concert pianist and Kholodenko got married in 2010. The Ukrainian pianist is a 2013 gold medalist in the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and has performed on many major orchestras.
The couple settled a home in Fort Worth from Moscow in 2014. However, the two eventually filed for divorce last November, court records stated. Since the divorce, the girls lived with their mother and Kholodenko would pick up his daughters as a routine from their Forth Worth home in the morning.
Kholodenko released a statement on Friday, saying he was thankful with the support of the Fort Worth community and all people who are sending him messages from all over the world. "The loss of my children will be with me forever. Wherever I go after this tragedy, my heart will stay with the people here of Fort Worth and my daughters will rest in this soil," he said.
