Ontario Man Convicted of Fatal Stabbing After Robbing Rival’s Gold Chain Sentenced to Four Years
An Ontario Superior Court of Justice jury has convicted a Toronto man of robbery and serious assault in connection with a violent confrontation that left a 23-year-old dead — but found him not guilty of manslaughter after accepting his claim of self-defense.
The Incident at Knob Hill Plaza
The fatal encounter unfolded on June 25, 2023, at Knob Hill Plaza near the intersection of Brimley Road and Eglinton Avenue East in Toronto. Tamar Enoch Cupid, then 26, arrived at the plaza in a black BMW sedan accompanied by his girlfriend and another individual, identified in court documents only as “O.”
The victim, Ifeanyichukwu Gabby Oseke, was seated in the passenger seat of a black SUV parked in the plaza. Cupid approached the vehicle and briefly spoke with Oseke. According to the presiding judge, Kenneth Campbell, the conversation centered on a $100 debt that Cupid claimed Oseke owed him.
During that exchange, Cupid reached into the SUV and ripped a gold chain from Oseke’s neck. Oseke exited the vehicle and followed Cupid onto the sidewalk, picking up broken pieces of the chain from the ground. At that point, O punched Oseke in the face before retreating to the BMW and driving away.
Oseke then pursued the BMW in his SUV, nearly striking Cupid in the parking lot. After a brief chase, Oseke returned to his original parking spot and got out of his vehicle. That’s when Cupid immediately attacked.
The Fatal Attack
According to the court’s account, Cupid slashed Oseke across the face with a knife he had been concealing in his pants pocket. The blade cut below Oseke’s left eye, across his left cheek, and into his nose.
What followed was a prolonged physical confrontation during which Cupid continued to stab Oseke repeatedly. As Cupid attempted to flee the scene with his girlfriend, he delivered a final stab wound to Oseke’s chest, which ultimately proved fatal.
Notably, Cupid was under a weapons prohibition at the time due to a prior stabbing conviction.
Jury Finds Self-Defense, Judge Disagrees
Last fall, the jury convicted Cupid of robbery and serious assault but returned a not-guilty verdict on the manslaughter charge. The jury accepted — or at least held reasonable doubt — that Cupid caused Oseke’s death in lawful self-defense.
Judge Campbell acknowledged the jury’s finding in his recent sentencing decision but did not hide his reservations.
“However, it must be said that the defendant personally initiated the series of events that ultimately led to the death of the deceased,” Campbell wrote.
Sentence: Four Years, With Credit for Time Served
The Crown had recommended a four-year prison sentence. Cupid’s defense attorney argued for a lesser term. Ultimately, the judge imposed a four-year sentence but credited Cupid extensively for time already served.
Cupid, now 28, had spent 494 days — just over 16 months — in custody prior to sentencing. The judge awarded him 2.5 months of credit for what he described as “particularly harsh pre-sentence conditions” at the Toronto South Detention Centre, plus 1.5 days of credit for each day spent in pre-sentence custody.
“If you have already served the functional equivalent of a sentence of 2 years and 3 months, that gives you the overall functional equivalent of a 4-year sentence,” Campbell said.
With the credits applied, Cupid will need to serve approximately 21 additional months behind bars.
Judge Calls Four Years the “Lightest” Possible Sentence
Campbell was unequivocal in his belief that the sentence he imposed was at the low end of what the case warranted.
“Four years is the lightest sentence that can in good conscience be imposed on this defendant,” the judge said. “In fact, a longer prison sentence may well be justified.”
A Background Marked by Trauma and Violence
Cupid, who is Black, was the subject of a pre-sentence report that detailed the significant influence of race, poverty, and trauma on his life history.
The report described an unstable and abusive early family life. Cupid’s father abused his mother while she struggled with drug addiction. The family resided in Lawrence Heights, a neighborhood the report characterized as “an area marked by violence.” Cupid told court that as a child, he witnessed people being shot in his community.
His father was deported to Trinidad when Cupid was eight years old, leaving the boy without a “significant, positive, adult male role model,” the report stated.
At age 15, Cupid survived a random drive-by shooting that left him with life-altering injuries, including a bullet that pierced one of his lungs and permanently compromised his breathing.
The report indicated that Cupid suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and concluded that the “numerous traumatic events” he endured — including “poverty, community violence, racist policing and family disruption” — likely shaped his behavioral patterns and emotional responses over time.
Judge Rejects Background as an Excuse
Despite the detailed account of Cupid’s difficult upbringing and its psychological consequences, Judge Campbell drew a firm line between explanation and justification.
“Cupid’s difficult life and past traumas cannot (and will not) excuse his violent criminal behavior on this (or any other) occasion,” Campbell stated.
The judge noted that Cupid’s background may actually compound the danger he poses. “The fact that his unfortunate background can cause him to overreact to situations due to his paranoia and perceive a threat to his safety where others simply would not see it does not serve as an excuse for his spontaneous violence. Rather, his circumstances simply illustrate how fundamentally dangerous the defendant remains to others until he takes all necessary rehabilitative measures to overcome these problems.”
Campbell emphasized that Cupid’s rehabilitation — not his past suffering — would ultimately determine the level of threat he poses to the public going forward.
