Autopsy reveals Brianna Kupfer was stabbed 26 times in attack at furniture store

UCLA graduate student Brianna Kupfer was fatally stabbed on January 13 around 1 p.m. while working alone at the Croft House furniture store in Hancock Park. Nearly seven months later, her autopsy report was obtained by The New York Post, and new information was released about her death.

An autopsy was administered on January 18, revealing that Kupfer had suffered from 26 stab wounds. She had been stabbed twice in the abdomen, twice in the right leg and right arm, five times in her left arm, three times in her left leg, once in her pelvis and 11 times in the chest, puncturing her lungs, according to the New York Post.

Before the brutal attack, Kupfer had sent a text message to her manager saying, “There was someone inside the location that was giving her a bad vibe.” The message was viewed 10 minutes after it was delivered.

Fifteen minutes after the message was sent, a customer walked into the furniture store and discovered Kupfer’s body on the floor surrounded by blood. Kupfer was pronounced dead at the scene and the autopsy has now revealed her cause of death was exsanguination.

After the attack, the LAPD released video footage of the suspect taken 30 minutes after the murder. Police considered the suspect to be “armed and dangerous” and offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Investigators soon identified the suspect in the video as 31-year-old Shawn Laval Smith. He was arrested on January 19 in Pasadena, California.

Authorities determined that Smith entered the furniture store at “random” and that he had no connection to the victim. His motive remains unclear.

Smith was charged with murder and use of a deadly weapon in Brianna Kupfer’s death. Currently, he is undergoing mental health evaluations to determine whether he is fit to stand trial. He is being held on $2 million bail.

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