A jury convicted 34-year-old Shawn Laval Smith for the brutal murder of Brianna Kupfer. The UCLA student was killed at a furniture store in Hancock Park two years ago. This horrifying crime should spark outrage over the growing dangers in Democrat-led cities like Los Angeles.
Smith was convicted for the Jan. 13, 2022, attack on Kupfer. Jurors confirmed a special circumstance of murder while lying in wait. They also found that he used a knife during the crime.
HAVE YOU SEEN HIM? LAPD has released new suspect photos in the grisly murder of UCLA graduate student Brianna Kupfer. MORE: https://t.co/tr7rr1qzuu pic.twitter.com/yZgtTbgkln
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) January 18, 2022
The trial will now move into a non-jury sanity phase, which is set to begin Oct. 2.
Smith faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if the judge determines he was sane at the time of the crime.
In his closing argument on Monday, Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian described Smith as a man who “hates women” and went from business to business while “hunting for a woman alone” and then posed as a customer when he found Kupfer working on her own inside the Croft House in the 300 block of North La Brea Avenue, near Beverly Boulevard.
Investigators said Smith is homeless and has a lengthy criminal record and was arrested several days after prosecutors said he allegedly stabbed Kupfer to death. An autopsy report revealed Kupfer suffered 46 sharp force injuries, consisting of 26 stab wounds and 20 incised wounds. She suffered 11 stabs to the chest, two in the abdomen, one to the pelvis, two on her right arm, five on her left arm, two on her right leg and three on her left leg. All the stab wounds were said to be about five inches deep.
Her manner of death was ruled a homicide and her cause of death was sharp force injuries.
In an interview with FOX 11, Todd and Lori Kupfer remembered their daughter as empathetic and the family peacemaker. They now live with the constant reminder of her tragic death.
Prosecutors revealed security footage of Smith at the store, along with his DNA on a knife left behind. They also presented a digital recorder, allegedly left by Smith, containing his rants about hating women and audio from the murder itself.
Judge Mildred Escobedo refused to release the recording to the media. Prosecutors played the disturbing audio during their opening statement, causing Brianna’s family to leave the courtroom.
Smith, who was ordered to wear a spit mask due to prior courtroom outbursts, remained silent during the prosecution’s case. He occasionally glanced at the family, scribbled notes, and appeared unmoved by the gruesome crime scene images or the harrowing audio, where Brianna’s voice can be heard saying, ‘I wanted to help you,’ while a voice repeated, ‘it’s over (expletive).’
Brianna Kupfer’s tragic death highlights the escalating crime threatening our communities. Mourners gathered for a vigil in her honor and voiced concerns about policies failing to safeguard innocent lives. The pressing question remains: how many more lives must be lost before leaders take meaningful action?
Sharika Soal is a former entertainment publicist and content creator most well known for her commentary on black culture. She has worked as a publicist for Interscope records, MTV and VH1. She later founded her own PR company called LadySoal PR.
You can email Sharika Soal here, and read more of Sharika Soal’s articles here.
