Accused wife-killer hid in dumpster after Kelowna motel murder, court hears
Credit to Author: Mike Raptis| Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2020 00:47:05 +0000
An accused murderer was found hiding in a dumpster after police followed a blood trail from a West Kelowna hotel.
Tejwant Danjou’s shirt, pants and shoes were covered in blood when police discovered him inside a garbage container, a Kelowna Mountie testified Monday.
“He was lying on his back, covered in blood, on the cardboard boxes inside the dumpster,” Const. Brad Hartridge said during the second day of Danjou’s trial for second-degree murder.
“‘Get out of the dumpster, man!’” Hartridge said, recalling what he yelled at Danjou.
Danjou made no attempt to escape, and in fact he had difficulty just getting out of the dumpster, Hartridge said.
Asked by Crown counsel Michael Lefubure to describe Danjou’s behaviour and condition, Hartridge said: “He looked very exhausted, unemotional.”
Danjou spoke calmly and clearly, and showed no signs of intoxication or a mental-health issue, Hartridge said.
Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Donna Turko, Hartridge said Danjou appeared not to understand when police told him he was being arrested for homicide.
“I heard Mr. Danjou say, ‘What is homicide?’” Hartridge testified.
Turko also suggested Danjou did not understand what was happening when he was read his charter rights, but Hartridge said he took Danjou’s statement to indicate uncertainty about the meaning of the word homicide rather than confusion about his rights.
Turko also said Hartridge gave evidence at a preliminary hearing that Danjou had a “blank face” and was “staring forward” when he was found hiding in the dumpster by police.
Danjou is accused of killing his common-law wife, Rama Gauravarapu, in a room at the Best Western Plus Wine Country Hotel in West Kelowna on July 22, 2018.
When the trial began last week, court heard that Danjou and Gauravarapu, from the Lower Mainland, had come to the Okanagan for a wine tour.
The Crown says the pair argued during a visit to Mission Hill Family Estate Winery in West Kelowna and returned separately to the hotel.
At the hotel, in Room 205, the pair argued and Danjou killed Gauravarapu, the Crown says.
Called to the hotel due to reports of a disturbance, police found a badly beaten Gauravarapu on the floor of the room. She was conscious but died shortly afterward.
Hartridge and another officer followed a blood trail that led away from the hotel.
“I observed the blood droplets continue on the asphalt,” Hartridge said. Danjou was found hiding inside a dumpster next to a nearby Tim Hortons restaurant.
Last Tuesday, Danjou startled his own legal team by unexpectedly pleading guilty to second-degree murder. But he said Wednesday he wanted to withdraw his guilty plea, indicating he did not have the intent to kill Gauravarapu.
Last Friday, Judge Alison Beames allowed Danjou to take back the guilty plea and the trial started immediately. It has been scheduled to last three weeks.