As a pre-trial conference is coming up for a Lumby murder case, the accused killer could be looking to apply for bail.
Vitali Stefanski, accused of killing his ex-wife Tatjana Stefanski in the Lumby area in April 2024, appeared in B.C. Supreme Court in Vernon Monday, May 26.
According to the BC Prosecution Service, the court re-ordered a technical suitability report in which probation officers will do an assessment. This indicates the accused may wish to make a bail application. However, the Prosecution Service has not yet received notice that Vitali plans to apply for bail.
Vitali will appear in court again on Wednesday morning, May 28, for a pre-trial conference. A June 23 date is also in the court schedule for the purposes of fixing a date for a later hearing 乌鸦传媒� potentially the start of a trial.
Vitali has yet to enter a plea since he was arrested on May 31, 2024, and accused of second-degree murder in relation to the death of Tatjana, whose body was found in a rural Lumby area on April 14, one day after she was allegedly abducted.
The RCMP had asked the public for assistance in locating Tatjana, 44, on April 13. Her family had filed a police report fearing she may have been abducted by Vitali. The RCMP told the public that witnesses saw Tatjana speaking with Vitali before she departed with him unexpectedly in a black Audi.
When Tatjana's body was found the next day, Vitali was tracked down and arrested by police. He was later released under conditions before being arrested again May 31. He's been in custody since that second arrest.
In March, Crown counsel announced it is proceeding by , which moved the case to the BC Supreme Court and skipped past the usual preliminary inquiry.
Calls for change have been made in the aftermath of Tatjana's death. Her partner, Jason Gaudreault, launched a 'Justice for Tatjana' movement calling for reforms to the justice system, including how victims like his family 乌鸦传媒� who went into hiding while Vitali was out of custody 乌鸦传媒� are handled, and pushing for a first-degree murder charge.
Gaudreault told media 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 Investigation'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. It concluded that the RCMP did not commit any offence.
