A Surrey man accused of murdering his common-law spouse in West Kelowna was described as calm and emotionless as he waited in hospital under watch of police, according to testimony given by nurses in B.C. Supreme Court in Kelowna on March 10.
Tejwant Danjou is facing trial for a second-degree murder charge related to the death of Rama Gauravarapu in their West Kelowna hotel room on July 22, 2018.
Two nurses who separately attended to Danjou at Kelowna General Hospital after his arrest that night said though he was not very talkative, he was compliant with their instructions and not behaving oddly in any way.
Nurse Justina Warezek said Danjou spoke very little and did not make much eye contact through her interactions with him.
Another nurse, Jennifer Yamaoka, testified nothing Danjou did or said gave her any concern as to the state of his mental health.
She did, however, note a “flat affect” to Danjou, who remained expressionless throughout her interactions with him.
That changed when Cpl. Meghan Foster, who was one of the officers keeping custody of Danjou on the night, informed him he was being investigated for his partner’s death.
“He appeared to be shocked by this news,” Foster testified.
Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Donna Turko, Foster admitted she had described Danjou as having been “playing games” in her notes, but said that was speculative.
While initially pleading guilty to the charge on Feb. 25, Danjou withdrew the plea the next day. Turko told the court Danjou didn’t realize a guilty plea meant he was admitting he intended to kill her.
The trial is set to continue through the next two weeks.
READ MORE: ‘Very violent’: Eyewitness recalls seeing altercation between Surrey couple prior to woman’s murder
READ MORE: Handholding before homicide: Video shows final hours before West Kelowna murder
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