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Ex‑Husband Convicted in Death of Tatjana Stefanski

A Kamloops jury found Vitali Stefanski guilty of second‑degree murder after trial evidence linked a bent, bloodied knife and medical testimony to fatal stab wounds.

Overview

  • Tatjana Stefanski’s body was found off a rural forest service road on April 14, 2024, with multiple stab wounds that a pathologist said injured her heart and lungs.
  • Forensic evidence shown at trial included a bent, bloodied knife near the scene that lab tests tied to DNA profiles from both Tatjana and Vitali Stefanski.
  • Two RCMP officers testified that Stefanski emerged shoeless from the forest and made a statement gesturing to the body while he denied making any such confession.
  • Stefanski dismissed his lawyer mid‑trial, represented himself through closing arguments and maintained his claim that Tatjana stabbed herself or died by suicide.
  • The verdict ends the jury phase of the case but not sentencing, and family members say the decision may bring legal closure while leaving long‑term emotional and practical effects for the couple’s two children.