Family, friends and supporters of Brianna Kupfer gathered at a vigil on Jan. 20, 2022, outside the store on La Brea Avenue. (photo by Edwin Folven)

A jury found 34-year-old Shawn Laval Smith guilty on Sept. 10 of the violent murder of UCLA student Brianna Kupfer in January 2022 while the victim was working alone in a store at 326 N. La Brea Ave. in Hancock Park.

Smith stabbed Kupfer 46 times during the attack. The jury deliberated for approximately one hour before finding Smith guilty of a murder charge and the special allegations that he used a knife and was lying in wait. Smith faces life in prison.

“Brianna Kupfer was a promising young woman whose life was tragically taken far too soon. I thank the jury for their thoughtful deliberation and dedication in finding the defendant guilty,” District Attorney George Gascón said. “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.”

Kupfer, 24, was murdered on Jan. 13, 2022, while working at the Croft House furniture store. Authorities said Smith, who was homeless, randomly entered different stores in the area prior to committing the murder but left each location when he encountered multiple people. Police believe he was likely planning to commit a robbery or burglary. After entering Croft House and finding Kupfer alone, authorities said Smith violently attacked the victim. He then exited through a rear door and fled down an alley.

Police located security camera footage showing the suspect and a widespread manhunt ensued in the days following the murder. Six days after the homicide, the assailant was recognized by an individual in Pasadena who saw his photograph in media reports and called police. Smith was arrested around 11:50 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2022, near Colorado Boulevard and Fair Oaks Avenue and has remained in custody.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Smith with one count of murder, with the special circumstance that he used a knife and that he “intentionally killed the victim by means of lying in wait,” according to the criminal complaint. The jury convicted him on all counts, and he remains in custody pending further court hearings.

Smith is originally from South Carolina and has an extensive arrest record, authorities said. He was arrested in the city of Covina on Oct. 27, 2020, on an unspecified misdemeanor charge, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. No charges were filed in that case.

Smith was also arrested three times from 2016-19 for trespassing and resisting arrest in Charleston County, South Carolina. On Nov. 14, 2019, Smith was arrested in Charleston, South Carolina, for allegedly firing a weapon inside an occupied vehicle. Authorities found that he had an address in Charleston as of July 2021, but did not state how long he was in Los Angeles prior to the murder. At the time of his arrest, Los Angeles Police Department investigators said Smith was unhoused and frequently rode buses and trains to different parts of the city.

The trial now moves into the non-jury sanity phase, which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 2. A status hearing will be held on Sept. 24 in Dept. 126 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center before the sanity phase begins.

Candles and flowers were placed in front of the store where Brianna Kupfer was murdered in January 2022. (photo by Edwin Folven)