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Another two-week delay has beset a North Okanagan murder case.
Vitali Stefanski is charged with second-degree murder in relation to the death of his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski, whose body was found in a rural area near Lumby on April 14.
Stefanski appeared in Vernon provincial court Thursday morning, Aug. 29, but according to the BC Prosecution Service (BCPS), the hearing was adjourned and the matter pushed back to Sept. 12. The BCPS said the Sept. 12 hearing will be for the accused's counsel to receive disclosure of the Crown's case.
It's the fourth time the court case has been delayed in the early goings. His first appearance was July 25, but the hearing was adjourned after some confusion as to who his lawyer would be. The case last adjourned and pushed back two weeks on Aug. 15. to provide Stefanski's lawyer, Tony Lagemaat, more time to receive and review disclosure.
Stefanski was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder on May 31. He remains in custody.
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 — who went into hiding while Stefanski was out of custody — are handled, and pushing for a first-degree murder charge.
Gaudreault told The Canadian Press that he and Tatjana went to police to report death threats against her in December, months before her death.
B.C.'s police watchdog agency, the Independent Investivation's Office of B.C. (IIO), probed the lead-up to Tatjana's death, investigating how the RCMP handled reports in December to determine whether police action or inaction played a role in her death. Last week, the IIO concluded that the RCMP did not commit any offence.
