Witness saw Audi near Mable Lake in Stefanski murder trial

A woman testified in a British Columbia courtroom this week about encountering a vehicle linked to a homicide investigation while camping near Mable Lake in April 2024. The testimony came during the second-degree murder trial of Vitali Stefanski, who has pleaded not guilty to killing his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski.

Karen Derry told the jury in Kamloops that on April 13, 2024, she and her husband saw a black Audi approximately 25 kilometres down a remote forest service road. She testified they slowed down but did not stop as no one was present near the vehicle. The court has heard the Audi was owned by Vitali Stefanski.

Derry stated she later contacted Tatjana Stefanski's boyfriend, Jason Gaudreault, on Facebook after he posted that Tatjana was missing and appealed for information about the car. The body of 44-year-old Tatjana Stefanski was discovered six kilometres from where Derry saw the vehicle, a day after her sighting.

Crown prosecutor Rigel Tessmann outlined the prosecution's case to the jury. He stated that a bent and bloodied knife was found near Tatjana Stefanski's body, and that forensic analysis recovered DNA from both Tatjana and Vitali Stefanski on the weapon....