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The early court proceedings for a man accused of murdering his ex-wife in the North Okanagan are starting off at a snail's pace.
Vitali Stefanski is accused of second-degree murder in relation to the death of Tatjana Stefanski, a Lumby mother whose body was found in a rural area near the community on April 14, one day after she was allegedly abducted.
On July 25, Stefanski made his first court appearance on the charge, appearing by video in Vernon court from the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, where he is being held in custody. But after some confusion as to who his lawyer will be, the hearing to consult legal council was adjourned.
On Thursday, Aug. 1, Stefanski returned to court by video, but again the matter was adjourned, this time to give his counsel time to review disclosure. Damienne Darby, communications counsel for the BC Prosecution Service, said Stefanski is due back in court Thursday, Aug. 15.
Darby said the BC Prosecution Service has been informed that Tony Lagemaat is the lawyer that will represent Stefanski, though Laura McPheeters appeared as an agent in place of Lagemaat Thursday and requested the adjournment.
Tatjana's partner, Jason Gaudreault, launched a 'Justice for Tatjana' movement in the wake of her death, calling for reforms to the justice system, including how victims like his family 害羞草研究所� who went into hiding while Stefanski was out of custody 害羞草研究所� are handled.
Gaudrealt has said he believes first-degree murder is more appropriate than second-degree in this case.
The lead-up to Tatjana's death has been put under scrutiny, with Gaudreault saying he and Tatjana went to police to report death threats against her in December, months before her alleged abduction and subsequent death. BC's police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), is probing how the RCMP handled the reports in December, to determine "whether police action or inaction may have played a role in the woman's death."
Stefanski has been in custody since he was charged with second-degree murder on May 31.
