SALT LAKE CITY — A 71-year-old Taylorsville woman charged with gunning down her former daughter-in-law in a preschool parking lot pleaded guilty Wednesday and immediately asked the judge to sentence her to death.
"I would like to be sent forthwith to the prison, and I would like to request death by lethal injection," Mary Nance Hanson told 3rd District Judge William Barrett.
When the judge advised Hanson that hers was not a death penalty case, she responded: "Well, then I guess I didn't do a good enough job."
That comment infuriated Rod Hernandez, who had been engaged to marry Tetyana Nikitina just two weeks after Hanson shot and killed her. He said it took all his might to keep himself from screaming at the woman from his seat in the courtroom.
"She feels no remorse for what she's done," he told the Deseret News.
Hernandez was on the phone with his fiancee when Hanson fired multiple rounds at Nikitina, 34, while the woman was trying to drive away from the Millcreek preschool where she worked. Although he heard popping sounds, he assumed she'd been involved in a crash and didn't find out what happened until he drove to the scene.
Hanson was charged with murder, a first-degree felony, for the Jan. 29 shooting. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
After the shots were fired, Hanson called 911. When asked why she had fired the shots, police say Hanson said, "I don't know, and that's all I'm going to say."
Hanson penned a letter to the judge in April asking to change her plea to guilty, stating "my physical health is deteriorating rapidly, and I do not believe it would be in the best interests of taxpayers or of myself to pursue a trial." She later told the judge that the reason she wanted to change her plea was because she "just wanted to get out of jail."
Hanson's attorney, Tawni Hanseen, said after the hearing that her client is "sad" and "depressed" but wouldn't say whether those emotions stemmed from remorse or her distaste for life in jail. She said Hanson had never previously indicated that she would make a death penalty request to the judge. Hanseen has said the woman's competency is not an issue.
Nikitina had been married to Hanson's son, Dale Jankowski, and the couple had two children. Nikitina filed for divorce from Jankowski in February 2005.
Twice after the divorce, Nikitina filed for protective orders against Jankowski, claiming cohabitant abuse, according to court records. Though the records indicate that the divorce and ensuing custody battle have been rife with anger, police have said they were unaware of anything that might have prompted such violent actions.
Hernandez was surprised Wednesday to hear Hanson request lethal injection.
Although the West Valley City man said he still struggles every day realizing he'll never get to marry "the woman of my dreams," he doesn't want Hanson to die.
"First I'm worried that because of her request, the judge might not think she's in her right mind," Hernandez said. "And second, I don't want her dead because there's a lot more that needs to come out of this."
Hernandez told the newspaper Hanson would leave threatening voice mail messages for Nikitina.
"Tetyana let me listen to one of the voice mails in which (Hanson) would say, 'Those kids shouldn't be with you. Their dad was supposed to have the kids," he said.
Pictures, memories and occasional visits to Nikitina's two children help keep his fiancee's memory alive for him. Hernandez is also organizing a fundraiser to remember Nikitina and raise money for her children.
The event, set for Oct. 16, will be held at the West Valley Cultural Celebration Center and several bands and groups have already signed up. Hernandez hopes the event will not just be a tribute to Nikitina, but also a way for others to remember their loved ones killed through domestic violence.
"It's especially needed for people who have suffered the way I have," he said. "October is the month in observance for women who have suffered from violent acts. We can all be there, crying on each other's shoulders and remembering who we've lost."
Hanson will be sentenced Oct. 8 after a pre-sentence report is prepared. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
e-mail: emorgan@desnews.com; lgroves@desnews.com