Man who stabbed stranger in Vancouver Tim Hortons now charged with manslaughter - BERITAJA

A B.C. man who served clip successful situation for randomly stabbing a tourer successful downtown Vancouver 4 years agone has now been charged pinch manslaughter successful the stabbing of different man past year.

David Richard Morin, 32, has been charged successful relationship pinch the decease of 54-year-old Michael Smadu.

On Sept. 3, 2025, Vancouver constabulary were called to a location adjacent East 6th Avenue and Fraser Street conscionable earlier 1 a.m. for a man who had been stabbed.

Despite attempts by first responders to prevention his life, Smadu died earlier he could beryllium taken to hospital.

In 2022, Morin randomly stabbed a Mexican tourist wrong a downtown Vancouver Tim Hortons.

The victim, a 25-year-old man, was waiting successful statement astatine the java shop erstwhile a man approached from down and “repeatedly stabbed him” successful the backmost and enarthrosis earlier fleeing the store.

Morin pleaded blameworthy successful June 2022 to aggravated battle and was sentenced to 3 years successful jail.

“This personification is the poster kid for everything that’s incorrect pinch our criminal justness system,” Vancouver metropolis councillor Peter Meiszner said.

Morin was released from situation successful June 2024 and was rearrested that October after breaching conditions of his statutory release.

Vancouver constabulary issued a public warning when Morin was released due to his “significant consequence to the organization and his precocious consequence of re-offending.”

In November 2024, constabulary issued different informing about Morin arsenic he was again surviving successful a halfway location successful the city.

On Jan. 16, 2025, he was declared unlawfully astatine ample successful Vancouver and was sentenced to 20 days successful jailhouse that May for escaping lawful custody aliases being unlawfully astatine large.

In December, Morin committed a robbery successful Surrey and a theft 2 weeks later.

On March 12, he was sentenced for those crimes, receiving 132 days successful jailhouse for robbery, followed by 2 years’ probation

Morin was arrested while serving that time.

“It’s conscionable outrageous; we request criminal justness betterment now,” Meiszner said.

Morin’s criminal history successful B.C. dates backmost to 2012 successful Williams Lake.

In 2017, he threatened a female pinch a hatchet and sexually assaulted her successful Prince George.

Former charismatic Rob Dhanu said that Crown could activity to person Morin incarcerated indefinitely arsenic a vulnerable offender, pursuing immoderate early convictions.

“This is your classical vulnerable offender type case… escalating conduct,” he said.

“It’s serious, there’s breaches of tribunal orders and there’s nary denotation that there’s been an expertise to power this behaviour successful the past and the mobility is, could it beryllium controlled successful the future.”

Morin was group to beryllium released successful the coming days erstwhile his robbery condemnation expires, but will stay successful custody connected the manslaughter charge.

He is expected to look successful tribunal connected July 3.