This article discusses intimate partner violence and may be triggering to some readers. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence or abuse, contact the Kelowna Women’s Shelter 24/7 support line at 250-763-1040 or text 236-970-0704. For support, contact the Elizabeth Fry Society at 1(250) 763-4613 or email info@efryokanagan.com. In an emergency, call 911.
The first day of what is scheduled to be a 19-day second-degree murder trial for Brandon Davina began in Kelowna Supreme Court on Nov. 3.
Davina is accused of killing Brianna Jankauskas the evening of Aug. 21, 2023, after the pair had gone on a date. Davina has pleaded not guilty.
The trial started with opening statements from the Crown, stating that Jankauskas suffered multiple blows to the head the evening of Aug. 21, 2023 and died in hospital shortly after midnight the following day.
Crown counsel stated they would be calling 15 witnesses to the stand, the majority of whom are members of the RCMP.
The first witness to take the stand was the emergency medical calltaker, Ms. Rowell, who answered the 911 call that Davina allegedly made to report the attack on his date.
In audio played for the court, the calltaker can be heard answering the call and confirming the address of the report as 337 Hardy Road. Rowell then attempts to confirm the phone number of the caller in case they get disconnected, but the caller does not respond. The caller can be heard telling Rowell that someone was on his couch and dying before the call was dropped.
The calltaker testified she called the number back, but there was no answer. The calltaker then reached out to the service provider tied to the phone number to receive subscriber information. The dispatcher told the court the number the 911 call was made from was registered to a Brandon Davina, and the listed address on file was the same address provided by the caller.
Next to take the witness stand was the first responding RCMP officer, Const. Véronique Boudreault.
The officer testified she was called to assist Emergency Health Services at 337 Hardy Road at 9:37 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2023. Upon arrival, Boudreault said she knocked on the front door of the house multiple times with no response.
After knocking several times and trying to reach the 911 caller with the phone number provided by dispatch, and still getting no response, Boudreault stated she searched for a window to get a visual of the inside of the home. At this time, she observed a person on the couch in what appeared to be a living room.
The officer knocked again, and with no response from the individual inside, Boudreault tried the lock on the back door of the home, finding it unlocked, and gained access.
“I could see a lot of blood,” Boudreault told the court, stating she was able to determine the person on the couch was female and appeared to be bleeding from the head.
Boudreault contacted dispatch to alert them to a female in critical condition at the Hardy Road property, then pulled out her firearm to clear the house and ensure no one was hiding inside.
The officer told the court there was blood on the couch, a blood “splat” on the wall behind the female victim, and blood on the kitchen counter. Also on the counter was the driver’s license , which the officer confirmed matched the female victim. The name on the identification was that of Jankauskas.
Davina’s trial is expected to continue through the month with scheduled trial dates until Nov. 28.
None of the accusations has been proven in court.