Opening statements began Thursday in the trial of Shawn Laval Smith, the man accused in the stabbing death a 24-year-old woman while she worked alone at a Hancock Park furniture store in Jan. 2022.  

The grisly killing unfolded on Jan. 13 while Brianna Kupfer, a UCLA graduate student, was working at Croft House on North La Brea Avenue.  

At 1:36 p.m. that day, Kupfer sent a text to a friend saying there was someone inside the store who was “giving her a bad vibe,” LAPD officials previously said. 

About 14 minutes later, a customer walked in and found her dead on the floor. 

Smith, who has an extensive criminal history in L.A. County, is accused of stabbing the 24-year-old, who he did not know, 46 times. He was arrested nearly a week after the killing in Pasadena.

During Thursday’s emotional opening statements, prosecutors presented body-worn camera footage from the officer who responded to the scene. The footage showed the officer entering the store and seeing Kupfer, unresponsive and covered in blood, lying on the ground.  

In the courtroom, Kupfer’s parents were visibly distraught, her father placing his head in his hands at the sight of the crime scene.  

“The defendant, pretending to be a customer, lured her into a sense of security and safety and vulnerability, even went outside, pretending to call his girlfriend,” the prosecutor told the court. “The evidence we’ll show you, they weren’t looking for a couch. It was all a lie.”  

Prosecutors say Smith, who was present in court, wearing a buttoned-down shirt, slacks and a medical face mask, killed the young woman before leaving through the back of the store.  

“Brianna Kupfer, lying on the floor in the Croft House covered in her own blood, smear marks of blood surrounding her,” the prosecutor added.  

Authorities say that audio of the murder was left behind at the scene.  

“Her last breathing words, she’s just telling him, ‘I can help you, I can help you, I can help you,’ and he’s telling her, ‘It’s over [expletive].’” 

Jessica Rogers, a resident of Pacific Palisades where Kupfer’s family also lives, told KTLA she doesn’t know the family personally, but attended the trial to show her support for them.  

“We heard a recording of him making these statements about how he hated women,” she told KTLA’s Kimberly Cheng, unable to hold back tears. “An innocent, kind woman begging for her life. She tried to get help. She did nothing wrong.” 

Prosecutors also told the courtroom that a knife used with such force it was bent was found at the scene and tested positive for Smith’s DNA.  

If convicted as charged in this case, the 34-year-old defendant could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.  

Brenna Swindell, the daughter of former MLB pitcher and World Series champion Greg Swindell, has been found safe, her father said on social media on Tuesday.

The former athlete made the announcement on his X and Facebook accounts.

Brenna Swindell was reported missing on Aug. 26, 2024. (Austin Police Department)

“She has been found. That’s all we have for now. Thank you to everyone. And I mean everyone who helped in the process,” he wrote.

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“Thanks for all the messages call and most of all PRAYERS. Journey home starts soon,” he added.

Sarah Swindell, Brenna’s mother, also wrote that Brenna’s ex-boyfriend Morgan Guidry, who she was last seen with, was also found.

The Austin Police Department Missing Persons Unit said she was last seen at Poodies Hilltop Bar in Spicewood, according to FOX 7 Austin. 

Greg and Sarah Swindell have shared updates on their Facebook pages since their daughter’s disappearance. Her vehicle had allegedly been spotted in Colorado and possibly Idaho.

Pitcher Greg Swindell, #22 of the Arizona Diamondbacks, throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the MLB game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia on May 12, 2002. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

YANKEES’ JUAN SOTO DIRECTS FANS’ PLEAS FOR HIM TO STAY WITH TEAM BRIAN CASHMAN

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Brenna Swindell was described as a 5-foot-4-inch White female who weighs about 140 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes along with tattoos on both of her arms.

Swindell was last seen on Aug. 22 before she was found Tuesday.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that an affidavit for an arrest warrant was filed against Guidry on Friday over allegations from July that he strangled his girlfriend and slammed her head onto the floor. Travis County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kristen Dark told the newspaper that the victim was Swindell.

Greg Swindell, #22 of the Arizona Diamondbacks, comes in to relieve Mike Morgan during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees during Game 1 of the World Series at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. (Jed Jacobsohn/Allsport)

Dark told the newspaper that the affidavit was filed a month after the incident because Swindell decided on Aug. 20 to press charges against him.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

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Five adults arrested in the smash-and-grab robbery of a Manhattan Beach jewelry store earlier this year will spend multiple years in prison, police said.

The incident took place on March 22, when multiple armed suspects also carrying hammers entered the Pasha Fine Jewelry store on Manhattan Beach Boulevard.

The suspects used the hammers to smash open display cases and take merchandise before fleeing to their getaway vehicles in a nearby alley, the Manhattan Beach Police Department stated in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

Authorities tracked down and arrested seven people, including five adults and two juveniles, in connection with the robbery while recovering two handguns and jewelry taken from the Pasha store.

The five adults accepted a plea bargain last Friday after multiple charges were filed against them.

“Under the plea bargain, the five adults will serve time ranging from 3-16 years in state prison and receive a strike for their part in the robbery,” the Police Department stated in the post.

The adults were identified as 20-year-old Twuan Walker of Lancaster, 25-year-old Alan Daniels of Los Angeles, 24-year-old Eworth Sutherland of Los Angeles, 24-year-old Johndean Blocker of Los Angeles and 25-year-old Jamil Edwards of Los Angeles.

The two minors, both 17, had their cases previously adjudicated through the juvenile court system, police said.