Shawn Laval Smith, 34, has been found guilty of first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of 24-year-old UCLA student Brianna Kupfer. Kupfer was attacked while working alone inside the Croft House furniture store in Los Angeles on January 13, 2022.
A jury determined that Smith ambushed Kupfer, stabbing her 26 times. The trial will now move into a sanity phase starting October 2, where the judge will determine whether Smith was mentally sound during the attack. If found sane, Smith faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Smith’s attack on Kupfer, a UCLA graduate student, sent shockwaves through the community. According to prosecutors, Smith had walked into the furniture store pretending to be a customer before he lured Kupfer into a false sense of security. He then launched the attack, stabbing her multiple times with a knife. Audio played during the trial captured Kupfer’s desperate last words as she tried to reason with her killer. “I can help you, I can help you,” she pleaded, but Smith responded coldly, “It’s over [expletive].”
Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian told the jury that Smith was on a “hunt” for a vulnerable woman to kill. He noted that just 18 days before the murder, Smith recorded himself talking about his grotesque desire to harm women.
After the guilty verdict, Kupfer’s parents expressed relief but acknowledged that nothing would bring back their daughter. “Justice will never be served because our daughter’s not alive,” her mother, Lori Kupfer, said, adding that they were thankful the jury understood the case and made the right decision.
Smith’s legal troubles extend far beyond this case. At the time of Kupfer’s murder, he had a lengthy criminal record spanning several states, including California, South Carolina, and North Carolina. He was also out on bail for a 2019 incident in Charleston, South Carolina, where he allegedly fired a gun at an occupied vehicle. Smith had faced charges related to multiple violent crimes over the years, including assaults, but was repeatedly released on bail.
Before the Los Angeles killing, Smith, believed to be a transient, had been arrested numerous times for offenses like assault and disorderly conduct. His criminal record included arrests for property damage, resisting arrest, and carrying a concealed weapon. Despite his history of violent behavior, Smith was free on a $50,000 bond when he attacked Kupfer.
Smith’s apprehension came a day after the Los Angeles Police Department identified him as the primary suspect in Kupfer’s murder. He was arrested in Pasadena after a pedestrian recognized him from media reports. Smith initially provided police with a false name, but his identity was confirmed through fingerprint analysis. His arrest marked the end of a brief manhunt in which he had evaded capture, despite being previously known to law enforcement.
