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An already sluggish North Okanagan murder case has been hit by another delay in provincial court in Vernon, with the accused's lawyer this time asking for more time to receive disclosure that the Crown says it sent him a week ago.

Vitali Stefanski is accused of second-degree murder in relation to the death of his ex-wife, Tatjana Stefanski, whose body was found in a rural area near the village on April 14, the day after she was allegedly abducted. 

Stefanski has yet to enter a plea almost three months since his first court appearance. Pleas are typically entered at an arraignment hearing, which has been on the docket next to Stefanski's name since Sept. 25. However, delays instigated by Stefanski's lawyer have prevented the case from moving forward since then. 

Wednesday morning, Oct. 16, defence counsel Tony Lagemaat requested another adjournment to allow time for him to receive further disclosure from the Crown, despite last week telling the judge that the Crown was "up to date on its disclosure obligations."

The Crown informed Lagemaat that the disclosure he was seeking had been sent to his office last week. 

Judge Richard Hewson granted the adjournment and rescheduled the arraignment hearing for two weeks from now, on Wednesday, Oct. 30. 

Stefanski has been in custody since May 31. His murder charge has yet to be proven in court.