Vitali Stefanski took the stand Tuesday at his second-degree murder trial, offering his account of the events leading up to the death of his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski, in April 2024.
Security video shown in court captured the pair driving away from Tatjana’s property in Lumby, B.C., on April 13.
The 44-year-old mother of two was found dead the following day down a steep embankment off a forest service road near Mabel Lake, on the outskirts of town.
Despite earlier police testimony that Stefanski confessed to killing Tatjana when they arrived on scene, he denied telling officers what happened to her.
When defence lawyer Tony Lagemaat asked his client, “Did you tell them at that point in time what happened to Tatjana,” Stefanski replied no.
Stefanski testified noticing Tatjana’s leg bleeding in the car.
He described her holding a knife and twisting it near her abdomen before he was able to take it away from her.
Stefanski told the court that after noticing the bleeding, he instructed Tatjana to recline in the passenger seat and said he would drive her to the hospital.
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When Lagemaat asked whether they reached one, Stefanski replied that they could not find it and continued driving.
According to his testimony, Tatjana became increasingly quiet as they travelled along the forest service road.
He told court that due to all the potholes and vehicle shaking, he stopped the car.
It was later located at the 25-km mark.
Stefanski said that when he attempted to move Tatjana, who he said was unresponsive at the time, he lost his grip.
“She just slipped out and started rolling down,” he told the court. “I understood that in that moment nobody would believe me what was happening.”
He said he panicked and threw items out of the car down the embankment, including the knife.
Lagemaat asked, “Did you at any time inflict knife injuries on Tatjana?” Stefanski replied no.
A forensic pathologist testified Tatjana had multiple stab wounds including one to her chest and six to her rib cage.
Crown prosecutor Laura Drake spent the afternoon cross-examining Stefanski, including questioning the accused about a message he left for his daughter the morning Tatjana disappeared.
In it, Stefanski says in Russian, which was translated in court, that she and her brother would be alone.
Drake asked Stefanski if by “alone” he meant he knew that the children would not see their mother. Stefanski said it meant he was planning to move away.
Cross-examination will resume Wednesday morning.
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