Woman sentenced to decades behind bars for murdering her husband: MCAO

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced on June 16 that a woman has received a decades-long prison sentence for the death of her husband.

What we know:

Per a statement and accompanying court documents, 52-year-old Ivanka Deneva Koleva has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for second-degree murder.

Officials with MCAO said Koleva's sentence was handed down, after she pleaded guilty.

The backstory:

According to our previous report on the matter, news of Koleva's arrest was announced by the Gilbert Police Department on November 27, 2023.

At the time, police said they found the body of 49-year-old Stefan Kolev inside a home near Guadalupe and Recker Roads on Nov. 22 that same year. It should be noted that in MCAO's statement on Koleva's sentencing, the victim was identified as "Stefan Koleva."

Ivanka Koleva (Courtesy: MCSO)

Ivanka Koleva (Courtesy: MCSO)

Koleva, per Gilbert Police, was arrested on the afternoon of November 27, 2023.

"The victim's children told police that their mother, Ivanka Koleva, had been acting strangely over the last several days and asked them not to go inside the home," read a portion of MCAO's statement. "Inside the home, police found evidence that the defendant had cleaned the crime scene, hid the victim's belongings, and attempted to repair a bullet hole in the bedroom door."

What they're saying:

In the statement, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell called the case "a betrayal that shattered a family."

"These children came home to see their parents and instead discovered a crime scene," AG Mitchell wrote. "No one should ever have to endure that kind of horror, especially at the hands of their own mother."

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