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The man accused of murdering a Lumby woman made his first appearance in court Thursday morning, July 25.
Vitali Stefanski is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski, whose body was found April 14, the day after she was allegedly abducted.
Stefanski appeared by video from the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, where he is in custody, for the purposes of consulting legal counsel.
During the brief court hearing, Stefanski told the court that he believed legal aid had switched the lawyer representing him. The court confirmed that there was no change of counsel and his original lawyer, Gloria Ng, is still slated to represent him, however Ng's law firm, Platform Litigation, told The Morning Star it could not yet confirm that Ng had been formally retained.
The judge adjourned the case, and Stefanski will next appear by video in Vernon court Thursday, Aug. 1, to again consult legal counsel.
Vitali has been in custody since he was arrested May 31.
Fear and anger rippled through Lumby and beyond after a suspect in Tatjana's death was released from custody with conditions shortly after her body was discovered in a rural location near the community.
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."
