She was 10 years old when her mother was murdered in their home. Decades later, she has turned to TikTok for answers
For eighteen long minutes, Nikki Wasilishin’s three-year-old sister repeated a shocking claim as they sat together in the back of a police car.
“Papi killed mommy!” little Kristina cried to Nikki, who was 10 at the time. “Papi killed mommy!”
Their mother, 32-year-old Stephanie Wasilishin, had just been gunned down inside their family home in Sedona, Arizona on July 9, 1993, after getting into a fight with longtime boyfriend Russell Peterson.
Authorities ruled the death a homicide, but no one was ever charged. Peterson has never been charged and has not responded to a request for comment.
Now, 33 years later, Nikki is pushing for answers with her TikTok page and her podcast, Papi killed Mommy, which launched in 2025. She told The Independent that she is grappling with the reality that no one may ever be charged in her mother’s death.
“If I’m not going to get justice in the court of law, I will get justice in the court of public opinion,” she said.