B.C. murder suspect Vitali Stefanski confessed at roadside, RCMP officer testifies in Kamloops

An RCMP constable testified that Vitali Stefanski appeared shoeless by a B.C. roadside and confessed to killing his ex-wife. Stefanski has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

RCMP officer describes roadside confession in Kamloops murder trial

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A "very dishevelled" man appeared without warning beside a British Columbia roadside and told police he had murdered his ex-wife and attempted to kill himself, cp24.com reports, citing testimony from the second-degree murder trial of Vitali Stefanski in Kamloops.

Const. Neil Horne told the jury that Stefanski had messy hair, no shoes and toes poking through his socks when he was spotted by two officers trailing a tow truck heading back to Lumby, B.C. — moments after his bloodstained Audi was being removed from the scene.

Horne testified that on the morning of April 14, 2024, Stefanski spoke unprompted and in a matter-of-fact tone, confessing to the killing and gesturing to indicate that the body of his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski, was not nearby but further down a forest road.

Stefanski also showed officers a one-inch incision on his abdomen and produced a knife, which he placed on the ground in front of them, Horne said. Stefanski was then arrested for murder by Const. Nick Prystupa, who was also present at the scene.

Tatjana Stefanski's body was found several kilometres away later that same day. She was 44 years old and had been reported abducted the day before.

Horne testified that he and Prystupa had both exited their vehicles at a distance where they could hear Stefanski at a normal volume. He placed the encounter approximately 1.5 kilometres from where the Audi was found, which itself was six kilometres from the body.

On cross-examination, defence lawyer Tony Lagemaat suggested that Horne had remained in his vehicle and did not hear any confession or conversation between Stefanski and the arresting officer. Horne disagreed with that account.

Crown lawyer Rigel Tessmann told B.C. Supreme Court last week that a bent and bloodied knife found near Tatjana Stefanski's body carried the DNA of both Vitali and Tatjana Stefanski. She had suffered 21 sharp force wounds to her legs, arms and hands, as well as seven stab wounds to her chest and ribs that injured her heart and lungs, Tessmann said.

Vitali Stefanski has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder charge. The defence has not yet presented its theory of events to the jury.

This report by Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press, was first published June 2, 2026.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)