By A jury on Tuesday found Shawn Laval Smith, 34, guilty of first-degree murder in the 2022 killing of UCLA student Brianna Kupfer, with prosecutors revealing disturbing details about the attack.
Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian told the court that Smith, described as homeless, had been “hunting for a woman alone” when he attacked 24-year-old Kupfer at the furniture store where she worked. Prosecutors said Smith stabbed Kupfer 46 times and left her to die.
Key evidence presented at the trial included:
1. An audio recorder found at the scene, which Smith allegedly used to document the attack.
2. A filet knife, bent from the assault and bearing both Kupfer’s blood and Smith’s DNA.
3. Recordings from a month before the attack, in which Smith reportedly discussed wanting to murder women.
“This man hated women,” Balian said in his closing argument, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. “It’s easier probably to sleep at night to think something is wrong with him rather than face the truth that this man was on a crusade to hunt, to destroy and to kill for the mere fact that she was female.”
The prosecution portrayed Smith as a calculated killer who targeted Kupfer specifically because she was alone. Balian argued that Smith “used her kindness against her,” catching her off guard before the brutal attack.
Defense attorney Robert Haberer contested the premeditation aspect, suggesting Smith’s actions were impulsive rather than planned. “It sounds like he was blowing off steam, probably because he was pissed off about something in that moment. Who the hell knows what it was?” ABC 7 quoted Haberer as saying.
Kupfer, who was pursuing graduate studies in architecture at UCLA, was working alone in the store when the attack occurred.
Smith, who has a lengthy criminal record, now faces a potential sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, before sentencing, a judge must determine whether Smith was sane at the time of the attack.
The case has shocked the Los Angeles community and reignited discussions about public safety and the handling of individuals with violent tendencies. It also highlights the vulnerability of workers in retail environments, especially those working alone.
As the legal process moves forward, Kupfer’s family and the UCLA community continue to mourn the loss of a promising young student whose life was cut tragically short.
The conviction brings some closure to a case that has gripped Los Angeles for over a year, but also raises questions about preventing such heinous crimes in the future.
