News Releases
October 2, 2024: Shawn Laval Smith Sentenced to Life in Prison without Parole for Murder of UCLA Student Brianna Kupfer
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A LA Superior Court judge ruled Smith was sane when he murdered Brianna Kupfer at an upscale furniture store in Hancock Park in 2022
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that Shawn Laval Smith was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of 24-year-old UCLA graduate student Brianna Kupfer while she worked at a furniture store in the neighborhood of Hancock Park in 2022.
“Our prosecutors fought hard to obtain justice for Brianna, her family, and the community shaken by Smith’s brutal and senseless violence,” District Attorney Gascón said. “Brianna, a bright and talented architectural design student, was known for her kindness, adventurousness, love of learning, and the joy she brought to all who knew her. Mr. Smith reprehensibly stole her future and her dreams. We applaud the court’s ruling in holding Smith responsible for his horrific actions. We thank our Major Crimes Division’s Assistant Head Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian for his unwavering commitment to justice and vigorous prosecution of Mr. Smith to the fullest extent of the law.”
On September 10, Smith was found guilty by a jury of one count of murder and a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait. The jury also found that Smith used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a knife. The case then entered a non-jury sanity phase.
Today, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mildred Escobedo ruled that Smith was sane at the time he committed the crime, rejecting Smith’s plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Judge Escobedo sentenced Smith to life in prison without the possibility of parole in addition to one year in prison for the use of a deadly and dangerous weapon, a knife.
A restitution hearing setting will take place on November 25 in Dept. 126 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
On January 13, 2022, Smith entered a furniture store in the 300 block of North La Brea Ave., where Kupfer was working alone. Smith acted as a customer before stabbing her and fleeing the scene.
The case was prosecuted by LADA’s Major Crimes Division and investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
