A preliminary inquiry for a B.C. man accused of murdering a father at a downtown Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Starbucks began in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Provincial Court April 22.
Inderdeep Singh Gosal, 32, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Paul Stanley Schmidt, 37.
Such inquiries are held to determine if enough evidence exists to proceed to trial. Those hearings are covered by a publication ban to prevent tainting of a jury should an accused elect trial by judge and jury in B.C. Supreme Court.
Trials are held when a person pleads not guilty to a charge. People are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Gosal was denied bail March 27 and remains in custody at North Fraser Pretrial Centre.
Schmidt’s death was witnessed by dozens of people. A video of it went viral online.
Schmidt's family members were in court for the hearing.
The incident
Around 5:40 p.m. on March 26, 2023, two men were involved in an altercation outside the Starbucks at West Pender and Granville streets when one of the men was stabbed, according to the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Police Department.
A bystander immediately flagged a police officer who was able to arrest a suspect at the scene.
More officers soon arrived and provided first aid to the victim, but he later died in hospital.
Investigators had been trying to determine a motive for the stabbing, having previously said they did not believe the victim and suspect knew each other.
The death was the city's sixth homicide of 2023.