The Phoenix mother who police say admitted to killing her 6-day-old baby girl was the "greatest mother," according to her husband.
Bradley Koistinen maintained that his wife, Nina Koistinen, did not kill their 6-day-old daughter Maya -- their eighth child -- as he described his wife's history of mental illness at her initial court appearance.
See also:
-Nina Koistinen Says She Killed Her 6-Day-Old Baby Because She "Had Too Many Kids Already"
Bradley Koistinen said his wife has a history of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression and said that his wife had been "deteriorating" in the days leading up to her alleged confession.
Police didn't arrest Koistinen after her initial interview with police but did after her second interview, conducted Thursday at Phoenix PD headquarters -- three days after Maya's death -- according to court documents obtained by New Times.
"During the interview, Nina admitted she smothered Maya because she thought she had too many kids already and she was jealous of the attention [her husband] was giving baby Maya," a probable-cause statement says. "The father . . . was put in the interview room with Nina and she admitted to him that she pinched Maya's nose, twisted, suffocated, and smothered baby Maya."
Bradley Koistinen, defending his wife, said she's "been mixed up before" when her medications aren't working well, including believing that her husband is God.
Koistinen claimed that the timeline provided by police doesn't add up, although he didn't mention specifics.
"She has been the greatest mother . . . to our kids, never once has hurt any of our kids," Koistinen said.
However, Child Protective Services had been involved with the Koistinen family before this.
Police cited CPS records, in which Nina Koistinen said she wanted her children "to go to heaven in a vehicle accident that appeared intentional, and also talked about "wanting to smother some of her children," according to court documents.
Koistinen's bond was set at $1 million at this court hearing.
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Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.
