On the second day of Crown cross-examination, Vitali Stefanski admitted he forced his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski, into his vehicle one day before the 44-year old woman was found dead in a forested area in the North Okanagan.
It was April 13, 2024, when security video from an adjacent property, showed Stefanski and Tatjana at the top of the driveway of her Lumby home, which she shared with her children and partner at the time.
Her body was found down a steep embankment near the 25-km mark on a forest service road near Mabel Lake on April 14, 2024.
Stefanski told the court he acted out of concern for Tatjana’s well-being when he forced her into the car, testifying she appeared distressed over what he described as harassment.
While it remains unclear who he believed was responsible, Stefanski said that he intended to take her to the local RCMP detachment.
Crown counsel challenged the explanation, pointing out that he never asked Tatjana whether she wanted to go to police.
“You pushed her in the car, right?” Crown prosecutor Laura Drake asked the 49-year old, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder.
“Yeah,” Stefanski replied.
Drake then asked, “You didn’t ask her if she wanted to go to the police, right?”
Stefanski replied “yes” in agreement.
Stefanski later testified he changed course and decided to instead drive and look for a hospital after Tatjana started bleeding while in the vehicle, which at that point was still on her driveway.
He said Tatjana stabbed herself with a fishing knife that was in the car and belonged to him.
Court heard Stefanski had visited a storage locker prior to forcing Tatjana into the vehicle to unload fishing equipment in a box from his vehicle.
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“Are you saying you put the fishing stuff in the locker on April 13, 2024?” Drake asked, to which Stefanski answered “yes”.
When asked why he left the fishing knife behind, Stefanski said he didn’t realize it was still in the vehicle.
“You kept the knife on purpose, right?” Drake asked.
“No, no,” Stefanski replied.
Crown also questioned Stefanski on why he didn’t call 9-1-1 after seeing Tatjana bleeding.
“I was not thinking about it,” Stefanski said.
“Do you agree that would have been a normal thing to do in response to seeing someone bleeding profusely?” Drake asked.
“Normally, in a normal situation, I would do it. But in that situation, it was, uh, really scared,” Stefanski said.
He also testified that he had never seen injuries like the ones Tatjana had in his life, adding, “In that moment, I didn’t even know what number to dial.”
He also testified that he witnessed Tatjana suffer two stab wounds while inside the vehicle.
Court previously heard that Tatjana was found with 21 sharp-force injuries, including seven wounds to her chest and ribs.
Outside court, Tatjana’s partner at the time said hearing the testimony has been difficult.
“I have no words for it,” Jason Gaudreault told Global News. “It’s so hard being in this room, hearing what we’re hearing.”
Despite having to relive it all, Gaudreault says it’s important for him to be inside the courtroom despite the three-hour round-trip drive to the Kamloops courthouse, as he seeks both justice and closure for himself and Tatjana’s two children, aged 11 and 18, of whom he now has legal guardianship.
“For me to have closure and be able to heal from this …I could never have that part of my life back ever again,” he said. “I just need to be solid and move forward and be the best I can for her children and they deserve it.”
Late last year, the trial was relocated to Kamloops after defence lawyer Tony Lagemaat successfully argued was necessary to ensure a fair trial for the accused.
Stefanski is being held at the Kamloops Correctional Centre, where Lagemaat has access to his laptop to review daily disclosure and evidence, something he would not be able to do if the trial remained in Vernon and Stefanski had to be held in RCMP cells at the local detachment.
A family friend has started a GoFundMe for the family, including Gaudreault, who is trying to rebuild his business following Tatjana’s death and now has to miss work in order to attend the proceedings.
“I think last night, I think I got about an hour’s sleep, a couple hours maybe at that,” Gaudreault said. “I was up at 2:30 this morning, went to my shop, had to take care of paperwork, get my guys going… allowing me to be able to be here to get through this.”
Both Crown and defence will present their closing arguments to the jury on Monday.
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