Wife of Cliburn Winner Deemed Competent to Stand Trial in Daughters' Slayings

The estranged wife of a Cliburn-winning pianist is competent to stand trial in the 2016 killings of the couple's young daughters, a judge has ruled.Sofya Tsygankova, 33, is accused of smothering Nika Kholodenko, 5, and Michaela Kholodenko, 1, before attempting to kill herself.The Star-Telegram reports Tsygankova was booked into the Tarrant County jail late last month after an extended stay at a state mental hospital.She has pleaded not guilty to capital murder. Last fall, she was ruled incompetent to stand trial in the March slayings of the couple's two young children.Some of the documents tied to the case are sealed, but court records show that the mother spent several months at the North Texas State Hospital before a judge issued a bench warrant on May 18 for her return to the Tarrant County jail.  Continue reading...