Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Fatal Stabbing at Hancock Park Furniture Store
Above: Shawn Laval Smith
A Los Angeles man has been sentenced for the fatal stabbing of a grad student at a Hancock Park furniture store in 2022.
In a press release, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that Shawn Laval Smith had been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for the January 13, 2022, murder of 24-year-old Brianna Kupfer.
Kupfer, a graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles, had been working alone at the store on the 300 block of North La Brea Ave. when Smith entered the store. Smith reportedly pretended to be a customer before attacking and fatally stabbing Kupfer. He then fled the scene.
On September 10 of this year, Smith was convicted of murder with a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait, as well as the use of a deadly weapon.
On October 2, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mildred Escobedo rejected Smith’s plea of not guilty by insanity and handed down the sentence of life in prison without parole.
A restitution hearing has been scheduled for November 25, the District Attorney’s Office said.
