A British Columbia Supreme Court justice has convicted Inderdeep Singh Gosal of manslaughter—not second-degree murder—in the 2023 killing of Paul Schmidt outside a Vancouver Starbucks, according to the source report. The court’s decision followed a defense argument that the fatal stabbing was an overreaction linked to mental illness, not a planned intent to kill.
Confrontation outside a Starbucks
The source report states that Schmidt, 37, a father of three, confronted Gosal, 34, for smoking a joint on the patio in front of his three-year-old daughter, who was in a stroller. Gosal then stabbed Schmidt six times in the neck and torso. Extremely graphic footage of the 28‑second attack was posted on social media, according to the report.
Judge’s account of the struggle
Justice Kathleen Ker called the attack “shocking, violent and traumatic.” As summarized in the report, she said Schmidt yelled, advanced, and threw Gosal to the ground and had the upper hand until Gosal pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed Schmidt in the neck and torso.
What the defendant and Crown argued
Gosal told a responding officer, “I did it. He came after me,” the report notes. He later testified that he has schizophrenia, had been off his medication for about three months, and believed a knife he said he found in an alley was a “sign from God” to defend himself.
The Crown, as reported, countered that Gosal actually bought the knife, exaggerated how much he had been drinking, and was neither a credible nor reliable witness. Defense lawyer Gloria Ng argued her client’s unmedicated psychosis blurred his grasp of consequences and that manslaughter—not murder—was the appropriate verdict. The court agreed with the defense and entered a manslaughter conviction.
What’s next
According to the report, sentencing has not been set.
