A California homeless man who hunted down an innocent woman at random will never walk free again.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mildred Escobedo sentenced Shawn Laval Smith, 34, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal stabbing death of UCLA grad student Brianna Kupfer, 24. After an hour of deliberations, Smith was found guilty and convicted by a jury of first-degree murder, special circumstance allegation of murder while lying in wait, and using a knife in the commission of a crime.
In the afternoon on Jan. 13, 2022, Los Angeles County officers responded to the 300 Block of North La Brea Avenue after reports of a violent stabbing incident. According to prosecutors, Smith, who had been homeless with a long criminal history, had been on the hunt for a random female victim to kill. Prior to the fatal incident, Smith had gone into six other stores before the defendant zeroed in on Kupfer, who had been working alone at Croft House in Los Angeles' Hancock Park neighborhood.
“Her guard was down. He was lying in wait for his perfect target. She had no idea what he planned to do to her,” said Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian to the jury during the trial, reported the New York Post.
Minutes before her demise, the victim had sent a text to someone stating she was getting a bad vibe from someone in the store. Soon and unprovoked, Smith stabbed Kupfer 46 times before he fled through the back door. Later, a customer found the victim’s body in the store.
Authorities discovered a tape recorder used by the defendant that captured Smith’s voice ordering the victim to the floor and telling her it was over while stabbing her and calling her a bitch multiple times. In addition, a bloodied and bent knife was also found at the scene with Smith’s DNA on it.
A few days later, the defendant was arrested in Pasadena and told authorities he hated women.
Kupfer’s family described her as someone who added value to her community while improving herself.
"In many ways, [Brianna] embodied everything that is great about Los Angeles, and the entire city should grieve over this senseless act. Brianna was a smart, funny, driven and a kind soul who only wanted to better herself and her community on a daily basis," stated the family, according to FOX News.
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