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Wife Of Cliburn Winner Found Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity In Deaths Of Daughters

The estranged wife of a Van Cliburn piano competition winner was found not guilty by reason of insanity on Monday in the 2016 deaths of their children.

In Fort Worth, Judge Ruben Gonzalez issued the verdict for Sofya Tsygankova, who was charged with capital murder, the Associated Press reports. The judge then ordered Tsygankova, now 34, committed to a state mental hospital.

The defense and prosecutors agreed with the ruling.

Two years ago, Tsygankova was charged with smothering her two daughters. She also tried to kill herself.

The girls' father, Vadym Kholodenko, found 5-year-old Nika and 1-year-old Michaela dead in their Benbrook home in March 2016. The parents had filed for divorce a few months earlier.

Tysgankova was deemed unfit for trial, but received mental health treatment and last year was ruled competent. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports she has a long history of mental illness.

Kholodenko in 2013 won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The family moved from the Ukraine to Fort Worth in 2014.

Court records show the couple married in 2010 and filed for divorce in late 2015.