Suspect pleads not guilty to murder in Vancouver Starbucks stabbing trial

VANCOUVER — A 25-second confrontation on the patio of a Vancouver café left a man pushing a stroller lying in a pool of blood after he was stabbed six times in the chest, a British Columbia court has heard.

The bloody video of the fatal stabbing on March 26, 2023, was played in B.C. Supreme Court on Tuesday on the first day of Inderdeep Singh Gosal’s murder trial.

Crown prosecutor Karin Blok said the “primary issue” for the court to consider was intent and whether it could be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Gosal intended to cause Paul Schmidt bodily harm that he knew was likely to cause death.

Gosal pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Schmidt before Blok showed videos of Gosal’s movements on the day of the confrontation.

He is seenwearing a grey hoodie and red pants as he travels by train to downtown Vancouver around 5 p.m. that day. About 35 minutes later he enters the patio of the coffee shop before taking a seat by the main entrance.

“Less than a minute later, Mr. Schmidt walked out of the Starbucks, pushing his stroller, and walked to the sidewalk adjacent to the patio,” Blok said.

Gosal could be seen on the video smoking just outside the shop’s doors. The two men then appear to have a verbal confrontation.

“Precisely what was said is not known,” Blok told the court.

The confrontation escalates and Schmidt walks back onto the patio before the 25-second physical struggle ensues. Blood is smeared across the patio and a pool of blood forms under Schmidt after he is stabbed, stumbles and falls face down.

Gosal watched the video of the altercation from the prisoner’s box with his head resting on his hand as it covered his mouth.

The video shows the accused entering the café after Schmidt falls, before re-emerging when police turn up. He was instructed to lay on the ground, where he was handcuffed. Another video depicts him being led to a police van in front of a sea of onlookers.

Blok told the court that the officer who searched Gosal at the scene found “a silver, folding knife in the closed position” in his left pants pocket.

“The knife was later analyzed using appropriate procedures and found to have the deceased’s blood on it,” she said.

The autopsy on Schmidt’s body was performed three days later, Blok said.

The trial by judge alone is expected to last about five weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.