In a quiet Gilbert, Arizona neighborhood, the life of 49-year-old Stefan Kolev, a male, came to a tragic and violent end. On November 22, 2023, the day before Thanksgiving, police officers responded to a request for a welfare check at a home near Guadalupe and Recker roads. Once inside, they made a grim discovery; the body of Stefan Kolev was found deceased within the residence.
The circumstances surrounding his death were immediately deemed suspicious by investigators.
The investigation into Kolev's death quickly pointed to a suspect close to home. Evidence gathered at the scene led Gilbert police to arrest his wife, 51-year-old Ivanka Koleva, on November 27, just five days after her husband's body was found. She was subsequently charged with one count of second-degree murder in connection with his death. Court records would later reveal the brutal nature of the crime, indicating that Stefan Kolev had sustained six gunshot wounds and a stab wound to his leg. Investigators also noted signs of an attempted cleanup at the crime scene, with blood spatter on a wall and bullet shell casings found on the bedroom floor.
Further details emerged, painting a disturbing picture of the events leading up to the discovery. Witnesses reported that Ivanka Koleva had been acting erratically and making statements that did not make sense. It was also alleged that she had recently purchased a firearm and cartridges consistent with the shell casings found at the scene. The investigation culminated in Ivanka Koleva pleading guilty to second-degree murder, resulting in a 20-year prison sentence. The case, which began with a welfare check, concluded with a family torn apart by violence and a wife held responsible for the murder of her husband.
