WARNING: this article contains content related to a domestic violence murder trial which may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been harmed by domestic violence (gender-based violence), contact Archway Society for Domestic Peace at 250-542-1122 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
A month-long North Okanagan murder saga has come to a close with a jury finding Vitali Stefanski guilty of second-degree murder in relation to the death of his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski, more than two years ago.
Vitali pleaded not-guilty to the murder charge last month.
What has transpired in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops since then amounts to a whirlwind, with graphic autopsy photos shown numerous times in the courthouse, Vitali undergoing intense cross-examination and the accused parting ways with his lawyer, leaving him in charge of his own defence for the final week of the trial, including closing arguments that saw him give a scattered, at times contradictory, account of Tatjana’s final living moments.
Tatjana’s body was found down a steep embankment off Mabel Lake Road, a rural logging road outside of Lumby, on April 14, 2024. Vitali was charged with her murder in May of that year. Her body was found with seven stab wounds and more than a dozen other sharp-force wounds.
At trial, the jury heard a bent and bloodied knife contained the DNA of just two people: Tatjana and Vitali. The knife had been found April 14, the day after Tatjana was last seen.
A pair of Mounties testified that Vitali had emerged shoeless and dishevelled from the forest along Mabel Lake Road while police were having his bloodied Audi vehicle towed. The Mounties said Vitali confessed to the murder at that time.
Vitali denied the confession many times over, claiming he never said the words, “Yes, I killed her, yes, she is dead,” or any other words to that effect, which Mounties testified he said.
The Crown had argued that Vitali’s explanation of Tatjana’s death — that she had fatally stabbed herself while in his car after he had pushed her inside of it atop her driveway on the morning of April 13 — was “incredible,” and urged the jury to reject it.
Crown prosecutor Laura Drake told the jury that logic, common sense and human experience could lead them to only one conclusion: That Vitali had intended to kill Tatjana that day and had stabbed her to death with his fishing knife.
Vitali was arrested April 14, the day after Tatjana’s disappearance. He was released from custody on conditions shortly after and it wasn’t until May 31 that he was arrested again and charged with murder.
That six-week period during which Vitali was a free man sparked fear and anger in the community, with Lumby’s mayor voicing his frustration and confusion with the system at the time.
Vitali and Tatjana share two children, both of whom testified early in the trial. The oldest child, a daughter now 18 years old, testified that as time went on following Tatjana and Vitali’s separation in 2021, she chose not to see him as often because their relationship “wasn’t good anymore,” adding Vitali directed “a lot of toxicity” towards her mother.
The daughter had received a text message from Vitali at 7:57 a.m. April 13. The message was in Russian, which Vitali speaks fluently and his daughter understands.
The voice message was played in court. An interpreter confirmed its words: “That’s it, my dear. That’s it. Dad is leaving … You and (her brother) are going to be alone. Be tough. I did everything I could.”
The Crown submitted that the meaning behind this message was clear: this was Vitali saying goodbye to his daughter, because he intended to kill her mother.
Justice Brad Smith cautioned jurors Thursday evening before sending them off to deliberate.
“You are entitled to come to common sense conclusions based on the evidence that you accept. You must not speculate, however, about what evidence there might have been, or permit yourselves to guess or make up theories without evidence to support them. Deciding the facts is your job, not mine,” Smith told the jurors, whose verdict came around 11:30 a.m. Friday, June 26.
With the guilty verdict, Vitali Stefanski now faces life in prison.
Justice Smith will determine Vitali’s eligibility for parole. He must serve a minimum of 10 years in prison before he becomes eligible.
Stefanski will appear by video in court on July 13 to schedule a date for sentencing.