In a courtroom revelation, a teenager recounted a disturbing voice message from her father, sent just before her mother’s tragic death. This unsettling communication, allegedly from Vitali Stefanski, warned that she and her younger brother would soon be ‘alone,’ casting a shadow over the events leading to their mother’s murder near a remote forest road in Canada.
Selina Martin, now 18, took the stand on Wednesday to testify at her father’s murder trial. Stefanski stands accused of the brutal killing of his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski, in British Columbia in April 2024.
During her testimony, Martin shared with jurors that her father had reached out via a voice message on WhatsApp, delivered in Russian, on the morning of her mother’s disappearance.
In this chilling message, Stefanski reportedly instructed his children to “hang onto each other tight,” forewarning them of impending solitude. He allegedly further commented on the turmoil their mother had supposedly caused, suggesting that Martin would come to understand this in the future.
Tatjana Stefanski, aged 44, was discovered stabbed to death near a secluded forest road by Mabel Lake on April 14, 2024, just a day after the ominous message was sent.
Tatjana, 44, was found stabbed to death near a forest road close to Mabel Lake on April 14, 2024, one day after the message was sent.
Prosecutors alleged Stefanski killed his ex-wife before abandoning his black Audi on a remote logging road and emerging shoeless from nearby woods, where police say he confessed to the killing.
According to previous testimony cited by Castanet, Stefanski allegedly told officers: ‘That is my car – I am the reason you’re here.’
Vitali Stefanski (right) is on trial in British Columbia accused of murdering his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski (left), after prosecutors claim he confessed to police near the remote forest road where her body was found
The couple’s daughter Selina Martin (left) testified that her father sent her a chilling voice message warning she and her younger brother were ‘going to be alone’ shortly before their mother was found stabbed to death.
When police asked where Tatjana was, prosecutors claim he replied: ‘Yes, she is dead. Yes, I have killed her.’
Stefanski has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
Jurors heard Tatjana suffered 21 sharp force wounds to her arms, legs and hands, along with seven stab wounds to her chest and ribs that fatally injured her heart and lungs, according to Castanet.
Prosecutors said the wounds to her hands and arms were consistent with defensive injuries.
A bent, bloody knife carrying DNA from both Tatjana and Stefanski was allegedly found near the body.
Martin now uses her mother’s maiden name instead of Stefanski and testified that her relationship with her father became increasingly strained after her parents divorced in 2021.
‘He wasn’t very happy with my mother, so there would be a lot of name-calling and derogatory terms, which I didn’t appreciate,’ she said.
By early 2024, Martin testified she was ‘almost never’ speaking to her father.
She told the court she woke up on April 13, 2024, to a text message from her mother saying Stefanski was ‘leaving’ and that she should message him if she wanted to say goodbye.
Prosecutors allege Vitali Stefanski emerged shoeless from nearby woods and told officers: ‘I am the reason you’re here’ before admitting to killing Tatjana
Tatjana, 44, was found stabbed to death near Mabel Lake in April 2024, one day after prosecutors say her ex-husband sent their children a chilling message warning they would soon be ‘alone’
Ten minutes later, she received the disturbing voice message the court heard.
According to earlier testimony, Tatjana was last seen walking across the driveway of her Lumby home toward her ex-husband before the pair drove away in a black vehicle captured on grainy surveillance footage.
Jurors also heard blood was later discovered on the driver, passenger and back seats of Stefanski’s abandoned Audi.
The court also heard that Martin’s younger brother was handed a suitcase by Stefanski before the disappearance containing his passport, valuables and personal belongings.
Another witness testified Wednesday that she spotted the abandoned Audi parked deep along a poorly maintained forest road near Mabel Lake the day before Tatjana’s body was discovered.
The trial is continuing in British Columbia.
