Former Phoenix library worker pleads guilty, is sentenced to 20 years in husband's 2023 murder
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced on June 16 that Ivanka Koleva, 51 at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in the death of her husband, Stefan Koleva, 49.
Police discovered Stefan Koleva's body in November 2023 during a welfare check at the couple's home near North Recker and East Guadalupe roads. His body was found decomposing, wrapped in plastic sheeting, and hidden under a bed.
The couple's oldest of three children, who had arrived in Arizona for Thanksgiving, was the one who requested the welfare check. Days earlier, Ivanka had asked a friend for help caring for the family's two younger children, falsely claiming that Stefan had left.
"This wasn't just a murder — it was a betrayal that shattered a family,' wrote Mitchell in a statement.
Stefan Koleva was discovered with mutiple gunshot wounds and a stab wound.
The children told police that Ivanka Koleva had been acting strangely in the days before the discovery, and that she asked her children not to go inside the home.
Ivanka Koleva was also involved in a car crash in Gilbert several days before her arrest. The crash was believed to be a suicide attempt.
Police reviewed security camera footage from a neighbor's home that showed the couple return home, but Stefan Koleva never leaving. Inside the house, police found a bullet casing, a bullet hole in a bedroom door and evidence of a crime scene that someone attempted to clean.
Authorities also recovered the murder weapon from a vehicle Ivanka Koleva was driving when she crashed. According to court documents, she had purchased the gun roughly a week before the killing and had undergone firearms training.
'These children came home to see their parents and instead discovered a crime scene. No one should ever have to endure that kind of horror, especially at the hands of their own mother," Mitchell wrote.
According to court records, Ivanka Koleva had been a Phoenix employee for five months at the time. Phoenix spokesman Dan Wilson had confirmed Ivanka Koleva was hired in June 2023 as a part-time library circulation attendant.
Arizona Republic reporter Jose R. Gonzalez contributed to this article.
Contact reporter Rey Covarrubias Jr. at rcovarrubias@gannett.com. Follow him on Instagram, X, Threads and Bluesky: @ReyCJrAZ.
Sentenced: 2nd teen gets 1-year probation for Gilbert barn arson, but won't serve time
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former Phoenix library worker gets 20 years in husband's murder
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