Crown and defence make closing arguments in Starbucks stabbing trial

VANCOUVER — We know who stabbed and killed Paul Schmidt. The question is: does the horrific crime rise to second-degree murder or fall to manslaughter?The tragic incident, colloquially known as the “Starbucks stabbing,” became highly publicized after footage circulated widely on social media in the hours and days following the attack. Police and Schmidt’s family publicly urged people not to share the graphic video..On the afternoon of March 26, 2023, 37-year-old Paul Schmidt was pushing his young daughter in a stroller outside the Starbucks Reserve at Granville and West Pender streets in downtown Vancouver when a verbal dispute with Inderdeep Singh Gosal escalated into a physical confrontation on the café patio. Gosal drew a folding knife and stabbed Schmidt six times in the torso and neck area. Schmidt died at the scene.Early online accounts and some reporting incorrectly claimed Gosal used a kirpan — a Sikh ceremonial dagger. The claim was false and fueled anti-Sikh misinformation and harassment. Court evidence confirmed the weapon was an ordinary folding knife..The defence relied primarily on Dr. Johanna Brink, who diagnosed moderate-intensity psychosis and described Gosal operating in a “semi-autonomous state” of muddled thinking and emotional arousal, where he could intend harm without fully foreseeing fatal consequences.On Tuesday, the Crown maintained that Gosal, who has a history of schizophrenia and was not taking his prescribed antipsychotic medication, is neither credible nor reliable. His testimony to those tasked with determining his mental fitness should be rejected entirely and cannot raise a reasonable doubt.“The only reliable and credible evidence before the court is the evidence contained in the videos and the testimony of the eyewitnesses to the incident,” the prosecutor said..Detailed dual-angle CCTV footage, interior and exterior, captured the entire 24-second altercation. Gosal, who had just bought cannabis and was smoking on the patio, became agitated, stood, pointed and spoke toward Schmidt, then adopted a “bladed stance” as Schmidt approached. When Schmidt swung his left arm toward him, Gosal opened the knife and delivered the first of nine stabbing motions. He continued stabbing during the grapple — including while on his back on the ground still pulling Schmidt toward him by the sweater. A large volume of blood flowed after the final stabs. Gosal then pushed Schmidt against the glass doors, made a final motion, released him and walked inside, where he was heard saying “fucking bitch” and “bastard” while looking toward the victim..A forensic pathologist identified six stab wounds, several of which could have been fatal on their own, including one severing the right jugular vein and trachea and another injuring the heart. The Crown called the nature, number and location of the wounds compelling evidence of intent.Crown counsel urged the court to give little or no weight to defence psychiatrist Dr. Brink’s opinion, saying it relied almost entirely on Gosal’s self-reporting. By contrast, Crown expert Dr. Lamba’s opinion — grounded primarily in the video and eyewitness evidence — remained unchanged even when he accepted Gosal’s account of events.Closing submissions in the judge-only trial are expected to conclude on Wednesday.

Crown and defence make closing arguments in Starbucks stabbing trial

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