12-year sentence for arena robbery, death
Family relates its grief in victim-impact statements
When Yosef Jomo Gopaul stole Julie Paskall’s purse, he also took the life of a woman who was selfless, loving and devoted to her family.
“Julie worked so hard for everyone her whole life. That was taken away for a few dollars in her purse,” Paskall’s husband, Al, said in a victim-impact statement he read Friday in provincial court in Surrey.
Gopaul, 28, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and robbery in connection with Paskall’s death in December 2013 and also to an unrelated attack on a woman in Newton a couple of weeks earlier. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, minus 18 months credit for time served.
Shortly after 9 p.m. on Dec. 29, Paskall went to Newton Arena to pick up her son, who was refereeing a hockey game. As she walked away from her van, Gopaul approached her from behind and threw a rock at the back of her head. Paskall fell, landing face down on the ground.
Gopaul took Paskall’s purse and fled. He dumped her purse in a hedge about a kilometre away after taking money and lottery tickets.
About 20 minutes later, a woman leaving the arena found Paskall on the ground.
Paskall, who had no pulse and wasn’t breathing, was rushed to the hospital. She was resuscitated there and placed on life support.
On the morning of Dec. 31, after doctors determined that she was brain-dead, Paskall was removed from life support and died.
An autopsy showed that Paskall died from a heart attack. She had serious heart disease that made her extremely vulnerable to incidents that cause stress to the heart.
The rock that was thrown at Paskall was recovered and DNA from Paskall and Gopaul was found on the rock.
The discovery prompted police to conduct an undercover operation targeting Gopaul that lasted almost three months.
During that time, he admitted to spending hours looking for someone to rob on the night of Dec. 29, because he needed money. He targeted Paskall because she was alone and it was dark. He said he did not intend to kill her, just knock her out so he could take her purse.
He also admitted to robbing another woman on Dec. 16, hitting her from behind with a rock and taking her purse and cellphone.
Members of Paskall’s family read out moving victim-impact statements that had most people in the courtroom — including Gopaul — in tears.
Al Paskall said he was lost without his wife of 35 years.
“In one selfish act, Mr. Gopaul took our future away. What gave him the right to do that?” Al Paskall said.
Her daughters Rhiannon and Stacey talked about a woman who lived for her children.
“I feel so lost,” said Rhiannon, who has cerebral palsy and described how her mom encouraged and advocated for her. “I’ve fallen down and I’m not sure how to get up from this one.”
Gopaul briefly addressed the court, apologizing to the Paskall family for the pain he caused, and said it “haunts me and kills me inside.”
“I never thought in a million years the blood of someone would be on my hands,” he said.
Gopaul said now that he has seen the effects of his actions first hand he wants to be a better person. He pledged to finish high school and take all programs offered to him in custody.
“This way I may be better and be a better member of the community and society,” he said.
In his reasons for sentence, Judge Paul Dohm said 12 years in prison, a sentence jointly recommended by Crown and defence, reflected Gopaul’s moral culpability without being so long as to discourage rehabilitation.
“I hope these proceedings help the Paskall family bring closure to what was obviously a very tragic and senseless situation where they lost someone very important in their lives,” he said.
Dohm said he hopes that Gopaul can redeem himself and live a law-abiding life when he is released.
“I wish you all the best,” he said.