Vitali Stefanski has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2024 death of his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski.
The unanimous decision was delivered in a Kamloops, B.C., courtroom Friday morning by a 12-person jury after closing arguments wrapped up on Thursday.
Tatjana’s body was found with numerous stab wounds off a rural forest service road near the village of Lumby, B.C., in April 2024.
Vitali, who had two children with his ex-wife, was arrested in the forest on April 14, 2024, the day after Tatjana was reported missing. He was later released on conditions.
The sentence for second-degree murder is automatically life with no chance of parole for at least 10 years, but a judge can increase that to up to 25 years.
Vitali had legal representation for much of the trial but recently fired his lawyer and delivered his own closing arguments on Thursday.
During the trial, he asked the jury to find him not guilty, suggesting Tatjana’s injuries were self-inflicted.
More to come.
