B.C. murder suspect to represent himself and give closing arguments
Posted June 16, 2026 2:29 pm.
Last Updated June 16, 2026 3:29 pm.
The man accused of murdering Tatjana Stefanski in rural British Columbia more than two years ago will now represent himself, including delivering closing arguments in the case.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bradford Smith has told jurors in the second-degree murder trial of Vitali Stefanski that they should not “draw any negative inferences” from the development or the delays in the case.
The judge has instructed the jury to return for closing arguments at the trial in Kamloops, B.C., on Wednesday, June 24.
Stefanski, who had previously been represented by Vancouver lawyer Tony Lagemaat, pleaded not guilty last month in the killing of his ex-wife, whose body was found with numerous stab wounds off a B.C. forest road in 2024.
He testified last week that she stabbed herself in his car, and while he denied dumping her body, he said she slipped from his grasp by the road.
Police and prosecutors say Stefanski confessed to killing his ex-wife when he emerged shoeless from the forest and encountered police who were towing away his car a day after the woman’s disappearance.
