BURSTJurors have heard from an RCMP officer that Vitali Stefanski emerged disheveled from the woods late at night with a self-inflicted wound to his abdomen, and admitted to killing his ex-wife, Lumby woman Tatjana Stefanski.
And while Const. Neil Horne said in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops Tuesday that he was standing 15 feet from Vitali when the confession was made, the defence countered that he was in fact in his vehicle at the time and couldn’t have heard Vitali admitting to the murder.
Vitali pleaded not-guilty to second-degree murder in relation to the April 2024 death of Tatjana last week. His trial by judge and jury continued June 2 with Const. Horne taking the stand.
Horne told the court he responded to an overtime callout for scene security on April 13 and was tasked with watching over a black Audi at the 25 mark of Mabel Lake Road, a forest service road in the Lumby area.
He arrived at the scene at midnight and provided scene security overnight, watching the vehicle, which the court previously heard was covered with blood stains in its interior, to make sure no one interfered with this piece of evidence amid a search for Tatjana, who had allegedly been abducted that morning.
Horne said he was advised by another RCMP member via radio that the Audi was to be towed to the Lumby police detachment. A tow truck arrived and hooked up the Audi, and Horne’s colleague, Const. Nicholas Prystupa, who was also providing scene security, followed it. Horne followed behind his colleague, and an individual from a media oulet who had arrived at the scene brought up the rear of this convoy.
About a kilometre and a half back along the logging road, Horne came across an unusual sight. He said he noticed Const. Prystupa put on his brakes, and at the same time he noticed a man standing on the side of the road.
“I was surprised,” he said of seing the man.
Horne said he and Prystupa got out of their marked police vehicles and stood 10 and 15 feet from the man, respectively.
He said the man appeared “very dishevelled” with messy hair, no shoes, ripped socks with toes poking out and no jacket.
Before either of the officers spoke to the man, according to Horne, the man told them that the vehicle on the tow tuck was his, that he was the one they were looking for, that he had killed his wife and had then tried to kill himself. At this point, said Horne, the man pulled up his shirt and revealed a one-inch incision wound on his abdomen.
Horne said he soon learned the man to be Vitali Stefanski.
Vitali, said Horne, withdrew a knife from his clothing and promptly placed it on the ground. It appeared to be a kitchen knife, he said.
At this point, Tatjana had not been located.
Horne said Vitali did not appear to be intoxicated and had no concerns that he couldn’t express himself properly, or that he didn’t know what was going on, or that he didn’t know they were police officers.
He said he understood that Vitali had admitted to killing Tatjana.
Const. Prystupa arrested Stefanski following this alleged admission. The officers found a cell phone, a comb, wallet and keys to an Audi on Vitali’s person following a search.
In cross-examination, defence counsel Tony Lagemaat had Horne confirm that he didn’t recall Vitali’s exact words when he appeared on the side of the road, but instead was paraphrasing them according to his memory.
Lagemaat suggested that Horne was not in a position to hear Vitali or Const. Prystupa when they were speaking on the side of the road. Horne said he did not agree.
Lagemaat then suggested that he was still in his car when Prystupa and Vitali were interacting. Again, Horne said he did not agree.
“And I’m going to suggest to you, officer, that you at no time heard Mr. Stefanski say that he killed his wife,” Lagemaat asserted.
Once more, Horne said he did not agree with that suggestion.
Day 7 of the trial is continuing Tuesday with Prystupa’s testimony.
This story will be updated. More to come.