Recording of UCLA student Brianna Kupfer’s tragic final words played in court as killer stabbed her 46 times in store

THE desperate final moments of a college student who was stabbed to death have been revealed during her alleged killer’s murder trial.

Shawn Laval Smith , 34, is accused of walking into a furniture store where UCLA graduate student Brianna Kupfer , 24, was working, and stabbing her 46 times.

Family Handout

The Mega Agency

Kupfer was killed on January 13, 2022, while working a shift at Croft House, a high-end furniture store located in Los Angeles , California .

At around 1:36 pm that same day, Kupfer texted her friend that she was feeling a “bad vibe” from a customer inside the store, the LAPD said.

Just 14 minutes later another customer entered the store and found Kupfer dead on the floor, police said.

The prosecutor revealed Kupfer’s final words to the courtroom from audio that was recovered from police 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],” the prosecutor said.

During Thursday’s opening statements, prosecutors also presented body-worn camera footage from the cop who arrived at the scene as evidence.

The emotional footage showed Kupfer unresponsive on the ground and covered in blood.

Kupfer’s father, Todd , recoiled at the explicit video, placing his head in his hands as the prosecutors played it in court .

“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 argued.

Prosecutors believe Smith killed Kupfer before sneaking out a back door.

A deformed knife, which prosecutors say was bent from the force of Smith’s blows, was found at the scene.

Smith was present at court for Thursday’s opening statements.

He wore wearing a buttoned-down shirt, slacks, and a medical face mask.

If Smith is convicted of the murder he could face life in prison without parole.

At the time of Kupfer’s killing, the 34-year-old reportedly had an active warrant out of San Mateo.

CRIMINAL PAST

This isn’t Smith’s first run-in with the law.

He already has three felonies of assaulting an officer, resisting arrest, and vandalism of $400 or more, according to Fox News .

Smith was accused of attacking a police officer during a January 20, 2021, arrest in California, just a year before Kupfer’s tragic death.

Officers were looking for Smith after he allegedly jumped on top of an employee’s car at a hamburger restaurant, causing $4,000 in damage, according to a report obtained by Fox News .

He tried to enter the fast-food joint but was blocked by a table.

Smith then went to a Starbucks, where he reportedly snatched a stranger’s cell phone and tried to fight them as police arrived.

The charges were dismissed and he ultimately pleaded no contest to resisting an executive officer, Fox News reported.

He was placed on probation on June 1, 2021, but had it revoked by November 30 over his alleged failure to uphold the terms of his release.

A judge issued a warrant for his arrest, which was active when Kupfer was killed, according to Fox News.

The 34-year-old suspect’s criminal history extends outside of California.

Smith faced previous charges in North Carolina and South Carolina , Fox News reported.

At least 11 arrests took place in Charleston, including a November 2019 case in which Smith was accused of firing a flare gun into a car occupied by a man and child.

Smith had previously been released on a $50,000 bond in connection with the crime that took place in Charleston in 2019.

He was banned from leaving South Carolina under the conditions of his release and it was unclear why his bond wasn’t revoked following his 2021 California arrest, the New York Post reported.

Smith’s most recent arrest came on January 19, 2022, when he was arrested by Pasadena police officers at a bus stop in connection with Kupfer’s murder.

The Mega Agency