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.  

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.

A hit-and-run driver remains at large after striking two pedestrians in Long Beach.

The collision happened on July 17 at the intersection of East 4th Street and St. Louis Avenue, according to the Long Beach Police Department.

Surveillance video of the crash was released Wednesday showing the driver in a white Kia sedan.

As the driver approached a busy crosswalk, the two victims were seen looking toward the suspect before crossing over. The suspect appeared to slow down for a moment before suddenly increasing their speed and crashing into the pedestrians.

The driver sped away without stopping to help the victims, police said.

Paramedics arrived at the scene and transported the victims to a local hospital with moderate, but non-life-threatening injuries. 

Authorities are still searching for the suspect driver. Their vehicle is described as a white, newer model Kia four-door sedan. It has a license plate ending in 243.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call LBPD Detective Joseph Johnson at 562-570-7355. 

Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.