Jurors took just over an hour Tuesday to convict a man in the stabbing death of UCLA graduate student Brianna Kupfer as she worked at a boutique furniture store in Hancock Park.
Shawn Laval Smith, a 34-year-old transient with a lengthy criminal history, was convicted of murder with the special circumstances of stalking, as well as committing the crime with a deadly weapon, a knife.
On January 13, 2022, Smith stabbed Kupfer 46 times while she was working alone at the exclusive Croft House.
Prosecutors and Los Angeles Police Department detectives say the Pacific Palisades resident had texted a friend around 1:36 p.m. to say she felt uncomfortable with a person in the store. The friend did not immediately respond, according to investigators. About 20 minutes later, a customer found Kupfer on the floor covered in blood.
The sanity-control phase of the trial is scheduled for Oct. 2. Smith could receive a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if the judge determines he was sane at the time of the crime. Smith, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, has waived a jury trial for this phase.
Shawn Laval Smith was found guilty of murder with the special circumstances of stalking, as well as committing the crime with a deadly weapon, a knife.
(Los Angeles Police Department)
Key to the conviction was an audio recording on a device prosecutors say belonged to Smith that provided horrific evidence of the attack. A man can be heard telling a woman he’s “not going to hurt her” and ordering her to “get on the ground.” The woman screams and the man says, “It’s over, it’s over, it’s over, it’s over, b—.”
According to prosecutor Habib Balian, after the stabbing, Smith fled through the back door of the furniture store and left his victim to bleed to death. However, Smith left behind the knife, a knife sheath and the audio recorder covered in DNA that would implicate him in the murder.
Jurors agreed with Balian's argument that there was “overwhelming evidence” the killing was premeditated and convicted Smith on the more serious charge of first-degree murder and the special circumstances allegation, as well as the knife charge.
Smith was arrested six days after Kupfer's death. A massive manhunt ended when police received a tip that Smith had been seen sitting on a bus bench in downtown Pasadena. The tip came after Los Angeles police circulated his photo and offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
“Brianna Kupfer was a promising young woman whose life was tragically taken too soon,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement Tuesday after the verdict. “I thank the jury for their thoughtful deliberation and dedication to finding the defendant guilty.
“Brianna, a bright and talented 24-year-old UCLA student, was dedicated to her studies in architectural design and had her whole future ahead of her,” he added. “Our hearts go out to Brianna’s family, who have shown incredible strength and resilience throughout this ordeal.”
At the time of the attack on Kupfer, Smith was out on bail awaiting trial in South Carolina for a 2019 case. He was accused of firing a flare gun at a moving vehicle with a child inside.
Smith pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges that he resisted or assaulted a police officer in Charleston County, South Carolina, two years earlier. He was sentenced to time served, according to court records.
In January 2021, Smith allegedly vandalized a car in Daly City, California, and when officers arrested him, he resisted and bit one of them, according to court records. He was charged in San Mateo County with assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.
Smith later pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of resisting arrest. In addition to an eight-month jail sentence, he was ordered to serve two years of probation.
He served 133 days in jail and was released, but twice failed to report to his parole officer, and his parole was revoked. A warrant was issued for Smith's arrest, but he disappeared.
City News Service contributed to this story.
