Christina Copley is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond after her 82-year-old husband was found dead.
MESA, Ariz. — A 41-year-old Mesa woman accused of fatally stabbing her 82-year-old husband told investigators that she acted in self-defense after he attacked her, according to court records released Monday.
Christina Copley was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder following the death of her husband, Ed Copley, on Saturday night. Police found him dead on the floor beside a bed inside the couple’s home after Christina Copley appeared at a neighbor’s house carrying a blood-covered kitchen knife, court documents said.
Officers were called shortly before 10:30 p.m. to a neighborhood on Norwood Street, south of McDowell Road and east of the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway. Court paperwork said Christina Copley had blood on several parts of her body when she arrived at the neighbor’s home. Witnesses told investigators that she admitted stabbing and killing her husband.
Police said officers entered the couple’s home and found Ed Copley with multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released further information about the official cause and manner of death or said whether an autopsy had been completed.
During a police interview, Christina Copley initially denied killing her husband, then said he had approached her with a knife, according to the court documents. She told investigators that cuts on her hand occurred as she tried to take the knife from him. She also alleged that he had kicked her and used racist language toward her earlier that day.
Investigators questioned parts of her account. Police said an injury on her chest appeared to be a scratch from a fingernail rather than a knife wound. Court records also said she acknowledged becoming “ballistic” and swinging the knife. The statements described in the records are allegations and have not been tested in court.
Christina Copley told police that her husband had abused her, according to the records. Neighbors also said she had made abuse allegations during the previous several months. Investigators wrote that some of the accounts she gave neighbors were inconsistent. No finding concerning those allegations has been announced.
Court paperwork said Christina Copley had previous convictions for assault, disorderly conduct and criminal damage. The records also stated that she had recently been arrested in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident involving her husband. The outcome of that earlier case was not detailed in the report.
She also told detectives that she had bipolar disorder and had previously been prescribed lithium, according to the documents. Authorities have not said whether her reported medical history played any role in the alleged offense. A diagnosis alone does not establish a person’s mental state during an incident.
Christina Copley was booked into the Maricopa County jail on one count of second-degree murder. A judge set her bond at $500,000 cash only. No plea or trial date had been publicly reported as of Tuesday, and the self-defense claim remains subject to review through the court process.
Author note: Last updated July 21, 2026.