Shawn Laval Smith convicted of murdering Brianna Kupfer in Los Angeles

A homeless California man convicted of brutally stabbing a UCLA graduate student to death in a furniture boutique was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Shawn Laval Smith, 34, was convicted in September of the gruesome Jan. 13, 2022, murder of Brianna Kupfer, a 24-year-old architecture student.

The sentence was imposed after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mildred Escobedo reviewed reports from doctors and determined that Smith was mentally sound at the time of the murder, FOX11 Los Angeles reported.

Kupfer was working alone at the Croft House in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles when Smith, a homeless man with a long criminal history, entered the store and stabbed her 26 times in an unprovoked attack.

Who is Brianna Kupfer, the Los Angeles stabbing victim?

Kupfer suffered eleven stab wounds to the chest, two to the abdomen, one to the pelvis, two to the right arm, five to the left arm, two to the right leg and three to the left leg. Security cameras showed Smith inside the store and his DNA was found on the knife, prosecutors said.

Smith was arrested six days after Kupfer’s murder.

Brianna Kupfer was working at the Croft House, a luxury furniture store in Los Angeles, when she was stabbed. (Todd Copper)

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Smith “went alone hunting for a woman” on the day of the murder, having contacted six other stores before realizing Kupfer was working alone.

Shortly before her death, Kupfer had sent a text message to a friend saying she was getting a “bad vibe” from someone at the store, authorities said.

The 24-year-old studied design as a doctoral student at UCLA. (Todd Copper)

BRIANNA KUPFER SENT A CREEPY TEXT TO A PAL BEFORE SHE WAS STABBED

The friend said he saw the message about 15 minutes later, although police said Kupfer was killed within 10 minutes of sending it. A customer found copper dead in the store.

Kupfer’s family remembered the 24-year-old as someone who always worked to better herself and her community.

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“In many ways [Brianna] embodied everything that is great about Los Angeles, and the entire city should mourn this senseless act,” the family said in an earlier statement. “Brianna was a smart, funny, ambitious and kind soul who only wanted to better herself and her community in everyday life.”

Fox News’ Louis Casiano, Brie Stimson and Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.