A Surrey man charged with the second-degree murder of his common-law spouse has returned to face trial in a Kelowna courtroom for the first time since early-March.
Tejwant Danjou took his first steps back into Kelowna Law Courts on Monday (June 1), after several months of delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The morning proceedings were cut short after the court heard numerous housekeeping issues, specifically some regarding audio files of previous testimony the defence was attempting to play for an expert witness slated to testify on Tuesday (June 2).
The matter was adjourned until Tuesday morning to allow the courts to remedy the issues with the audio files.
The Crown was set to close its case on Monday, however, that was also moved to Tuesday.
The defence is anticipated to call its first witness on Tuesday, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Todd Tomita. It’s believed Tomita will be analyzing the testimony of previous witnesses and discussing Danjou’s state of mind at the time of his arrest.
RCMP discovered Danjou hiding in a dumpster on July 22, 2018, shortly after his partner, Rama Gauravarapu, was discovered covered in blood, clinging to life in their nearby West Kelowna hotel room. She succumbed to her injuries shortly after being found by officers.
D’anjou — who entered a surprise guilty plea as the trial commenced on Feb. 25 before retracting it the next day — has admitted to causing Gauravarapu’s life-ending injuries but did not admit to having the intention to kill her, the latter being a key component of a second-degree murder conviction.
Two weeks have been set aside for the completion of Danjou’s judge-alone trial.
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