B.C. murder suspect's evidence 'not credible' or 'logical,' Crown lawyer says
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- A Crown lawyer argued that evidence presented by the accused in a murder trial should not raise reasonable doubt.
- The accused pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the 2024 death of his ex-wife, whose body was found with stab wounds.
- The accused testified that his ex-wife stabbed herself and denied dumping her body.
In the B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops, a Crown lawyer urged a jury to convict Vitaly Stefanski of second-degree murder, stating his defense is not credible.
Prosecutor Laura Drake told the jury that the only reasonable conclusion is that Stefanski murdered his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski, by stabbing her to death. She argued that Stefanski's testimony, which claimed his ex-wife stabbed herself in his car and that he denied dumping her body, is self-serving and inconsistent with common sense, logic, and the physical evidence.
cannot and should not raise reasonable doubt
Stefanski pleaded not guilty last month to the charge. Tatjana Stefanski's body was discovered with numerous stab wounds off a rural forest road near Lumby, B.C., in 2024. He also rejected earlier testimony from two Mounties who claimed he confessed to the killing when he emerged shoeless from the forest while officers were following his bloodstained car. His ex-wife's body was found several kilometers away later that day.
murdered his ex-wife by stabbing her to death
Originally published by Global News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.