Photos courtesy of the NY Post/9 JATV
Los Angeles police have arrested suspect Shawn Laval Smith in connection to the murder of Brianna Kupfer, a 24-year-old UCLA graduate student. She was stabbed to death while working inside a furniture store in Los Angeles, California.
According to Fox News, the LAPD announced that Smith was taken into custody Wednesday morning after a local citizen informed the police after seeing Smith sitting on a park bench.
The department tweeted the update, “We can confirm, Shawn Laval Smith, the suspect responsible for the murder of Brianna Kupfer, is in custody, after being located and detained by Pasadena PD around 11:50 a.m. this morning in the area of Fair Oaks and Colorado Blvd.”
Smith, who has an extensive criminal record, initially provided a fake name, prompting police to enforce the fugitive unit with a fingerprint reader to Pasadena to confirm the suspect’s identity.
The LAPD received over 1,000 tips from local citizens during their pending investigation into the Jan. 13 stabbing death of the 24-year-old grad student.
When Smith entered the establishment, Kupfer worked as a design consultant at Croft House, a high-end furniture store on North La Brea Avenue.
Police said Kupfer texted a friend she was getting “bad vibes” from the man, but the friend didn’t see the text right away.
After stabbing the victim with a knife, the suspect fled the scene. The 24-year-old was found dead, lying on the floor after a customer entered the store 20 minutes later, Fox 11 reported.
The LAPD said there was no known motive for the random attack. Kupfer was working alone that afternoon before her tragic death.
“I was just hoping to visit the store and can’t believe it. It’s so terrible. It’s so upsetting. I’ve emailed with her a few times. She’s a good salesperson. It’s really upsetting,” said Lisa Finkenstaedt, a New York Interior Designer who works with Croft House often.
Smith was caught on surveillance footage a half-hour after the stabbing while purchasing a vape pen at 7-11.
Kupfer went to Brentwood High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami. After returning to her hometown, she pursued a master’s degree in interior design at UCLA. Her father, Todd, said she had dreams of owning a clothing line.
“She was a kind soul and was always trying to make herself better and everything around her better,” Kupfer told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday. “She cared about people.”