Brianna Kupfer: Police arrest murder suspect in Pasadena after six-day manhunt

A $250,000 reward had been offered for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction

Shawn Laval Smith, the ‘armed and dangerous’ suspect wanted for the murder of Brianna Kupfer, has been arrested in Pasadena, the LAPD has announced.

Smith, 31, was detained by officers from the Pasadena Police Department around 11:50am on Wednesday morning near Fair Oaks and Colorado Boulevards, the police said.

The LAPD earlier named Smith as the main suspect in Ms Kupfer’s killing, and said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

“We would like to thank the public, the media and our partners at Pasadena PD for their support in apprehending the suspect,” the LAPD statement said.

Follow live updates on the Brianna Kupfer case

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 11:50am this morning in the area of Fair Oaks and Colorado Blvd.

— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) January 19, 2022

Ms Kupfer, a 24-year-old UCLA grad student, was found lying in a pool of blood at the Croft House furniture store in Hancock Park where she had been working alone last Thursday afternoon.

A $250,000 reward had been offered for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Brianna Kupfer was murdered while working alone at Croft House furniture store last week (LinkedIn)

Police revealed at a press conference on Tuesday that Ms Kupfer had texted a friend moments before she was killed to say a customer was “giving her a bad vibe” just before her murder, but the message was not immediately noticed.

They said the suspect had visited several businesses in the same neighbourhood where Ms Kupfer worked prior to her death.

A massive six-day manhunt was launched for the suspect, and he was detained 17 miles away from where Ms Kupfer died.