A B.C. man accused of killing his girlfriend in the Okanagan two years ago has been found guilty of second-degree murder.
In B.C. Supreme Court in Kelowna on Thursday, Tejwant Danjou of Surrey was handed the verdict.
A former property manager, Danjou was accused of murdering Rama Gauravarapu while vacationing at the Best Western Hotel in West Kelowna in July 2018.
In March, court was shown pictures of the blood-spattered hotel room.
A police officer testified that a pair of sweatpants with a big red stain on them were consistent with the wearer kneeling in a volume of blood, and that the pants appeared to match the front desk agent’s description of what Danjou was wearing on the night of Gauravarapu’s death.
The death was described as blunt force trauma to the head with a wine bottle.
In July, court heard that things between the couple turned sour after Danjou and Gauravarapu got into an argument while they were wine tasting at Mission Hill winery.
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During Thursday’s court appearance, Danjou’s defence lawyer argued that the death was unintentional due to mental disorders.
However, Justice Alison Beames threw out the argument that Danjou’s mental disorders led to the killing of Gauravarapu.
Family of the victim expressed relief for the guilty verdict outside the courthouse.
“After hearing a lot of the evidence and the words coming from the judge’s mouth — it was a huge sense of relief.”
Three family members of the victim were in attendance for the verdict.
Soft cries were heard throughout the judge’s readings, followed by tears when the guilty verdict was read.
“It was really overwhelming, for my family and myself,” said Dhillon.
“We are really happy with how the Crown proceeded with the case.”
Danjou, dressed in prison sweats, appeared stoic as the verdict was read.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 14, 2020.
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