In a swift decision, a jury took only one hour to convict Shawn Laval Smith, a homeless man, of the brutal murder of UCLA graduate student Brianna Kupfer, a case that shocked the nation. Smith, 34, was found guilty on Tuesday of stabbing Kupfer 46 times while she worked alone in a luxury furniture store in Los Angeles on January 13, 2022, according to the People.
Kupfer, 24, was working midday when Smith entered the store and attacked her, told Fox News. The heinous crime sparked a nationwide manhunt for Smith, who was eventually captured and brought to trial. Kupfer’s father, Todd Kupfer, spoke of the devastating loss after the verdict: “It was basically good versus evil and something very evil had happened to someone very, very good.”
Prosecutors revealed shocking details during the trial, including an audio recording Smith made as he stabbed Kupfer. In the recording, Smith can be heard ordering her to lie down on the floor. Despite the terror she faced, Brianna’s final words were heartbreaking pleas for peace. “With her last breathing words she’s just telling him, ‘I can help you, I can help you, I can help you,’ and he’s telling her it’s over [expletive],” a prosecutor said in court.
Smith, who had a lengthy criminal record and was out on a $1,000 bond at the time of the murder, was led away in handcuffs after being convicted. Brianna’s parents, Todd and Lorie Kupfer, reacted to the verdict, expressing relief but acknowledging that nothing can truly bring justice. “Justice will never be served because our daughter is not alive, but the DA did a wonderful job,” Lorie said.
The case will now enter a non-jury sanity phase, set to begin on October 2. If the judge finds that Smith was sane at the time of the murder, he will face life in prison without the possibility of parole.