B.C. murder trial hears graphic evidence in Kamloops case
Jury views photos of victim's body as RCMP forensic investigators describe evidence in the trial of Vitali Stefanski, accused of killing his ex-wife.
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A jury in the B.C. Supreme Court murder trial of Vitali Stefanski was shown graphic photos of his ex-wife's body Wednesday as forensic investigators detailed how they recovered evidence from a steep forest embankment.
Tatjana Stefanski's body was found off a forest road in April 2024. Crown lawyer Rigel Tessmann told the court that she suffered 28 sharp force wounds: 21 to her legs, arms, and hands, and seven stab wounds to her chest and ribs that injured her heart and lungs and caused her death.
Corporal Robert Riemer testified about photographing the scene, describing having to use a rope tied to a tree stump to descend the embankment. He and other officers documented a bent and bloodied knife found near the body — engraved on the blade and later found to carry DNA from both Tatjana and Vitali Stefanski.
Justice Bradford Smith instructed jurors that the graphic photos were presented to help them decide facts about the circumstances of the death, not to influence their sympathies or prejudices.
Officers also testified that Vitali Stefanski appeared shoeless on the forest-service road the day the body was found and confessed to murdering his ex-wife. Riemer confirmed under cross-examination by defence lawyer Tony Lagemaat that the accused had no injuries other than a small wound on his abdomen when photographed at a Vernon hospital that day.
The defence has not yet presented its case.