Female store assistant stabbed 46 times in frenzied killing by customer who 'hated women'

Architecture student Brianna Kupfer, 24, was fatally stabbed 46 times by a 31-year-old man who hated women while she was at work at a furniture shop in Los Angeles

There were so many things Brianna Kupfer wanted to achieve in her life and she was only just getting started. The 24-year-old student was one of four children. Her parents Todd and Lori had enjoyed having them all home for Christmas just a few weeks earlier.

At high school Brianna was sporty and captain of the cheerleading team. After graduating, she started to build on her dream of having her own business one day. Having gained a degree in public relations, she enrolled at the University Of California in Los Angeles, where she studied architectural design. But it wasn’t all work and no play for the ambitious young woman. Brianna had a bucket list of the places she wanted to travel to, a long list of books she wanted to read and even a shortlist of baby names for when she was ready to start a family. Brianna was kind and fun to be around.

On 13 January 2022, Brianna was at work at the Croft House luxury furniture shop in Hancock Park, LA. She was working alone. At 1.36pm, she texted a friend and said she was getting “bad vibes” from a man who had entered the boutique store, but the friend didn’t see the message straightaway.

Just 20 minutes later, a customer walked in with her boyfriend and found Brianna on the floor covered in blood. She had been stabbed 46 times – 26 stab wounds and 20 incisions, including 11 stabs to the chest, two in the abdomen, one to the pelvis, two on her right arm, five on her left arm, two on her right leg and three on her left leg. All the stab wounds were said to be about five inches deep, puncturing her lungs.

The customer dialled 911, and Brianna was rushed to hospital, but she couldn’t be saved. Her death sent shockwaves through the community. The police described her attack as a “random act of violence”. It was unthinkable that someone could be a murderer in their workplace in broad daylight.

A knife and sheath were found at the crime scene. Sickeningly, it was bent from the force used to stab Brianna. Surveillance footage showed a man leaving through the back door. The same man was seen shopping in a nearby 7-Eleven 30 minutes later.

The police found a recording device at the furniture shop that had been recording right up until they arrived. Not only was it covered in the DNA of the killer, it had recorded the final moments of Brianna’s life. It was a difficult listen as her last words were replayed.

A man could be heard shouting that he’s “not gonna hurt” her and ordering her to “just get down on the floor”. Brianna can be heard screaming as the man yells, “It’s over, it’s over, it’s over, bitch.” Brianna’s final words were her telling her attacker, “I can help you… I can help you…” Despite her words, the man didn’t stop. He fled the scene and left her to bleed to death.

The DNA gave the police a name – Shawn Laval Smith. He was homeless and had an extensive criminal record. At the time of Brianna’s attack, he was on bond awaiting trial for firing a flare gun at a vehicle with a child inside. Other crimes included assault and drug charges and he had served time in prison.

Smith’s picture was released to the public and the media. The LA City Council offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Brianna’s supporters raised it to $250,000. Signs were made with Smith’s photo on and social media posts were widely shared. Anyone who saw him was told to dial 911.

A vigil was held at the furniture shop where Brianna died. A memorial grew with flowers, cards and pictures. The massive manhunt ended six days after the killing. The police got a tip-off that Smith had been spotted on a bus bench in Pasadena. On 19 January, Smith, then 31, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon. He pleaded not guilty on the grounds of insanity, and his bail was set at $2,000,000.

In August 2024, the trial began. The prosecution said Smith had entered the furniture shop, posing as a client to gain Brianna’s trust, then stabbed her to death.

The audio found at the scene was presented as evidence that Smith “hated women”. There were recordings made weeks before Brianna was killed, and he was heard saying, “I do not like b**ches.” He also vowed to “destroy everything”. When the disturbing recording of the killing was played, some of Brianna’s family members were so upset they had to leave the courtroom.

The prosecution said he had gone hunting that day for a victim. He visited several businesses in the area, searching for a woman who was working alone. The prosecution told the court that Brianna’s guard was down, and he’d found his target.

“She had no idea what he planned to do to her,” they said. Smith told Brianna he wasn’t going to hurt her but went on to stab her 46 times. The defence said the recordings Smith had made a month before the attack didn’t prove a motive. They said the attack hadn’t been planned and that, in the earlier recordings, he had just been “blowing off steam”.

The jury found Smith, now 34, guilty of murder, with the special circumstances of lying in wait, as well as committing the crime with a deadly weapon. A hearing was held where reports from doctors were shown to a judge, who determined Smith was sane at the time of the crime. The sentencing phase began a month later, and victim impact statements were heard.

Brianna’s dad, Todd, described Smith as “beyond evil” and lamented not being able to watch his daughter achieve everything she wanted to in life. “She gave the world love, kindness, wisdom, grace, courage, curiosity, laughter and an uncanny ability to make others feel important, heard and loved,” he said. “I cannot be prouder of who she was.”

Brianna’s mum, Lori, said her daughter was beautiful inside and out and that she was trying to make the world a better place. “46 stabs took that away,” she said. “The holes he made in her body, he made in my heart.”

The judge said Smith knew what was right and wrong. She spoke about jailhouse calls where Smith had said, “All I got to do is play crazy, and then they’ll drop and dismiss the case that way.” Smith was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole.

Brianna’s family have set up the Brianna Kupfer Foundation, a nonprofit organisation that aims to defend victims of violence. Her final words to a man who was stabbing her to death were, “I can help you.” Her kindness and positivity have inspired so many. Her murder was senseless, but her loved ones are determined that Brianna will still make a difference in the world.