This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Before sending 71-year-old Mary Nance Hanson to prison for up to life for the ambush slaying of her ex-daughter-in-law, 3rd District Judge Deno Himonas checked to make sure she was mentally competent.
The judge's concern was sparked by two letters Hanson recently sent the court, claiming she had been "visited" by the victim, 34-year-old Tetyana "Tanya" Nikitina.
Prosecutor Alicia Cook said Hanson "believes she's been forgiven by the victim."
Hanson also claimed contact with the dead woman's unborn child, although Cook said Nikitina was not pregnant on Jan. 29, when she was shot four times in the head while sitting in a car outside the Salt Lake Community Action Program Head Start, 336 E. 3900 South. Nikitina was a Head Start preschool teacher.
An evaluator earlier this year determined Hanson was mentally competent. After asking Hanson a series of questions to test her knowledge of court procedures and the consequences she was facing, the judge declared he had no concerns about going forward with the sentencing hearing, which ended with him handing down a 15 years to life prison term.
Hanson declined to speak. But defense attorney Tawni Hanseen said the woman has "always wanted to accept responsibility" for the homicide. In August, Hanson pleaded guilty as charged to first-degree felony murder.
The shooting occurred during an ongoing legal battle with Hanson's son, Dale Jankowski, over a judge's order granting Nikitina physical custody of their two children, ages 7 and 9. Nikitina had filed for divorce from Jankowski, 46, in 2005 after seven years of marriage.
Rob Hernandez — who said he and Nikitina were planning to marry on Valentine's Day — called Hanson "a monster," and said he could not forgive her for depriving him of "the fantastic life" he expected to have with Nikitina.
"When [Hanson] stands before God, I hope she burns in hell," Hernandez told the judge.
After the hearing, Hernandez said the murder occurred "because of custody." He said Hanson would call and leave messages saying Nikitina did not deserve to have the children and that they should be with their father.
In court documents, Nikitina had claimed her mother-in-law was "verbally abusive" and had a history of psychiatric issues.
Hernandez said Nikitina was sitting in his car, outside of Head Start, and talking to him on the phone when she was shot. It was 3:37 p.m. on a Friday, Nikitina had just gotten off work and she was excited about spending the weekend with him, Hernandez said.
"She was telling me, 'I love you, I love you,' " Hernandez said. Then she heard Nikitina say, "Oh, my God" and he heard the phone hit the dashboard and the car's engine began to race, he said.
According to charging documents, Hanson walked up to the vehicle and began shooting at Nikitina. At one point, she appeared to reload the gun so she could continue shooting, charges state.
"I was supposed to be happy. [Hanson] took that away," Hernandez tearfully told reporters. "It's the worst nightmare I could imagine. I miss her so much."
Nikitina's two children are now living with their father. But Hernandez said he is glad about still getting to see them and spend time with them.
Hernandez described Nikitina as "a fantastic mother who always laughed and smiled and did what she could do to make people happy."
He told of arriving at Nikitina's apartment one day to find her dining room table was missing. She had given the table to someone else, even though she had little money or property herself, he said.
"Tanya is a person who is irreplaceable," Hernandez said.
The Unified Police Department has said there is no evidence connecting Hanson's son to the slaying.