Based on coverage from CBC, Global News, Castanet, Brandon Sun, and CityNews.
A five-week murder trial is now underway in Vancouver over the fatal stabbing of Paul Schmidt, a 37-year-old father who was attacked outside a downtown Starbucks in March 2023. The case is being heard by a judge alone in B.C. Supreme Court, with the accused, Inderdeep Singh Gosal, pleading not guilty to second-degree murder.
On the first day, the Crown played graphic CCTV video of the incident in court, footage that also circulated widely on social media at the time.
Vancouver Starbucks stabbing trial begins
Crown prosecutor Karin Blok told the court the key issue won’t be whether Schmidt died, but what Gosal meant to do in the moments leading up to the stabbing. The Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Gosal intended to cause Schmidt bodily harm that he knew was likely to cause death, and that he was reckless about whether death would result.
Gosal’s trial started Tuesday at the Law Courts building in Vancouver. Reports describe him in court watching the video from the prisoner’s box with his hand covering his mouth.
CCTV video shows 25-second confrontation
According to the Crown’s opening, the stabbing happened on March 26, 2023, outside the Starbucks at Granville and Pender streets, a busy downtown corner.
The court was shown CCTV footage that captures a brief interaction: the Crown says the physical confrontation lasted 25 seconds in total. The video does not include audio, and Blok told the judge that exactly what was said between the men is unknown.
The footage shows Schmidt leaving the Starbucks pushing a stroller, then returning to the fenced patio area where Gosal was seated near the entrance. Blok described a verbal confrontation, followed by a physical struggle.
Crown alleges six stab wounds
Blok told the court Gosal had a knife in a pouch in his sweatshirt and that Schmidt was stabbed in the chest six times. The video itself does not clearly show the knife entering Schmidt’s body, but prosecutors say blood appears suddenly, smearing across the patio and pooling beneath Schmidt after he falls face down.
Blok also told the court that when police searched Gosal at the scene, an officer found a silver folding knife, closed, in Gosal’s left pants pocket. The Crown says the knife was later analyzed and found to have Schmidt’s blood on it.
Timeline: Canada Line trip to downtown
Jurors aren’t involved here, but the judge is being asked to weigh a detailed timeline. The court was shown video of Gosal travelling on the Canada Line SkyTrain from Broadway City Hall station to City Centre station shortly after 5 p.m. Prosecutors say he arrived at the Starbucks patio about 35 minutes later, sat near the entrance, and smoked outside the doors before the confrontation escalated.
After Schmidt fell, the video shown in court depicts Gosal entering the Starbucks briefly and then re-emerging when police arrived. Police handcuffed him on the patio, then moved him toward a police vehicle as bystanders gathered, some taking photos.
Witnesses, autopsy evidence, and what’s next
The Crown is expected to call 11 witnesses, including civilians, police officers, and the doctor who performed the autopsy. Prosecutors told the court the autopsy was conducted three days after Schmidt’s death.
Schmidt’s mother, Kathy, previously told Global News that her son was at Starbucks with his wife and young daughter, and said the killing “ruined so many lives.”
The trial is scheduled to run about five weeks, with the court set to hear more witness testimony as the Crown works to prove intent, the central legal question in a second-degree murder case like this.
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