Published 14:57 IST, September 12th 2024
Homeless Man Stabs 24-Year-Old Woman 46 Times in Furniture Shop in US
The 24-year-old sent a text to her friend saying that she was uncomfortable about a man who was inside the shop.
- World News
- 2 min read
Washington: A college student was brutally killed after she was stabbed 46 times by a homeless man in the US's Los Angeles, as per reports. An audio recording of the incident was retrieved by officials where the 34-year-old accused can be heard promising not to hurt her.
The incident occurred in 2022, when Shawn Laval Smith was "hunting for a woman alone," and found Brianna Kupfer at the furniture shop where she worked, the prosecutor s said.
They added that when Shawn entered the store, the 24-year-old sent a text to her friend saying that she was uncomfortable about a man who was inside the shop.
Nearly 20 minutes after the text, Kupfer's body was found on the floor of the store covered in blood. The man fled the scene after stabbing Kupfer.
The audio was recorded by Smith, which was key in convicting him of the murder. In the clip, he can be heard saying "not gonna hurt" while ordering the woman to "just get down to the floor."
Meanwhile, a woman in the clip can be heard saying, "It's over, it's over, it's over, it's over."
Prosecutors said that Smith had planned to attack a woman alone and left his house with the purpose to kill.
Kupfer's lawyer called him Smith a Hannibal Lecter-style sicko who liked the idea of slaughtering women, the New York Post reported.
"This man hated women. 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 lawyer said.
As per local media reports, the police found an audio record and a filet knife, generally used to slice and prepare fish.
The knife was said to be a little bent after the frenzied attack. Moreover, the DNA tests helped in proving Smith guilty.
Updated 14:57 IST, September 12th 2024