Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty
A Los Angeles man, Shawn Laval Smith, was convicted this week for the brutal 2022 stabbing death of 24-year-old UCLA graduate student Brianna Kupfer. Prosecutors described Smith as a predator who was targeting a woman working alone. On Tuesday, Smith was found guilty of murder for stabbing Kupfer 46 times in the Croft House boutique furniture store, where she was working by herself.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced the conviction, with District Attorney George Gascón issuing a heartfelt statement: “Brianna Kupfer was a promising young woman whose life was tragically taken far too soon. A bright and talented 24-year-old UCLA student, Brianna was dedicated to her studies in architectural design, with her whole future ahead of her. Our hearts are with Brianna’s family, who have shown incredible strength and resilience throughout this harrowing ordeal.”
Smith, 34, was convicted of one count of murder, along with a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait and the use of a deadly and dangerous weapon. The attack took place on January 13, 2022, in broad daylight. Kupfer, who had sent a worried text to a friend moments before the attack, was left alone to die inside the store after being stabbed repeatedly. A customer and her boyfriend later discovered Kupfer’s body, according to local KTLA 5.
Investigators found critical evidence at the scene, including an audio recorder left behind by Smith. According to local reports, the device contained a recording from weeks earlier in which Smith could be heard ranting angrily about women. Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian, in his closing arguments, stated that the recording showed Smith “hated women” and was on a mission to kill.
Additional evidence included a bent-blade knife used in the attack. Smith’s DNA was found on the knife, its sheath, and the audio recorder, all of which were left at the crime scene. The jury reached a guilty verdict in under an hour, local ABC 7 reported.
Following the conviction, Kupfer’s parents spoke emotionally outside the courtroom. “Justice will never be served because our daughter’s not alive,” said her mother, Lori Kupfer, tearfully addressing reporters.
Smith is scheduled for sentencing in October and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The tragedy of Brianna Kupfer’s senseless death has left her family and community devastated, and while justice has been served in the courtroom, her loss remains immeasurable.
