UCLA graduate student was stabbed in the neck in an unrelated attack. She was in Los Angeles working at a high-end furniture shop.
Brianna Kupfer was 24 years old and alone at the Croft House shop on La Brea Avenue. A man entered and knifed Brianna.
The architectural design student from Pacific Palisades was discovered 20 minutes later by another customer after Thursday’s attack.
Brianna Kupfer, 24, has been stabbed to death in a random attack while she was working in a luxury furniture store in Los Angeles
According to police, the suspect is believed by be homeless. He fled the scene through the back door and then calmly walked down an alleyway.
Brianna (center right) is leaving behind her parents, brother Tucker, Brandon and Tucker as well as her sister Mikaela. Mikaela was her best friend.
She was dead by the time the police arrived on the scene.
The male suspect, police said, is homeless. After fleeing through the backdoor, he calmly went down an alley and added that he didn’t know his victim.
Brianna was working in the furniture store as a design consultant after graduating from Brentwood High School and the University of Miami.
CBSLA was told by her father that she was loved and respected by everyone. She was also a gifted artist.
Croft House’s co-owner Riley Rea said to the LA Times Brianna was a favorite among her fellow workers at the retail store, where she worked for over a year.
She said, “She was mature beyond all her years.”
According to the LAPD, the suspect was described as being a black male, unidentified age, wearing dark clothing, including sunglasses and a dark hoodie. He also wore dark jeans with dark shoes, dark sneakers, and a dark backpack.
“Based upon evidence found by detectives, it is believed that the suspect was homeless.”
Her father called her an “angel” and described her as a smart young woman with high aspirations.
After graduating from Brentwood High School, Brianna worked in the furniture shop (pictured) and was a designer consultant.
Another customer found the architect design student from Pacific Palisades, pictured here with her mother, 20 minutes after Thursday’s attacks.
The grad student was alone in the Croft House store on La Brea Avenue when a customer entered and knifed her
Dr. Jennifer Botelho said that the suspect entered her office shortly before the stabbing.
She said: ‘He came in and asked a couple of questions: “Do you do orthopedics here?” Then he went on to ask what kind of care they provide. He was here only for a couple of minutes.
She added: ‘It’s terrifying. It’s horrible. It’s a shame that she is such a young woman. … We feel so horrible for Brianna’s family, and hope we can catch this guy.’
Her father described her as an ‘angel’, a young lady with great aspirations who was dedicated to her family.
According to statistics from the LA Police Department, crime in LA is increasing. According to police statistics, shooting victims are up 10.6 per cent year-to-year, and 53 Percent from the same time in 2019.
Brianna has left behind her father and brothers, Tucker, and Mikaela. She was also her best friend.
This killing occurs amid an escalating crime wave in Los Angeles. The District Attorney George Gascon is under criticism for not cracking down on violence.
According to LAPD data: Homicides in Angeles increased 52 per cent from 2019 and shooting incidents were up 59%.
A shocking number of follow-up robberies, as well as organized smash-and grab attacks against retailers have been experienced in the city.
Jacqueline Avant (81 years old wife of Clarence Avant) was the victim in the most prominent robbery when she was gunned down at her Beverly Hills home for $2.7 million.
On January 3 in nearby San Jose, nine hammer-wielding thugs stormed a San Jose shopping center and smashed glass display cases at three stores before fleeing with $110,000 in jewelry.
Los Angeles police detained 14 individuals last November as part of 11 recent smash and grab robberies in stores. Nearly $340,000 worth merchandise was stolen.
Los Angeles Nordstrom and Lululemon stores in Studio City were also among those affected. A CVS pharmacy in South Los Angeles was also included in the list.
The zero-bail county policies allowed the suspects to be released in hours after being handcuffed.
Gascon said of rising crime rates: ‘The reality is that we go through these cycles, and we go through the cycles for a variety of reasons … In many ways we cannot prosecute our way out of social inequalities, income inequalities, the unhoused, the desperation that we have.’
Gascon is currently embroiled in a row over a transgender woman who has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, with the DA saying she could be allowed to serve her sentence under house arrest.
For the same crime, Hannah Tubbs was 26 years old when he refused to bring her before the court as an adult. It happened just two weeks prior to Hannah’s 18th birthday.
Tubbs, a 10-year-old girl, spotted her at a Denny’s restaurant in Palmdale, California on New Years Eve 2014. Tubbs followed her In the toilet, I grabbed her by the throat, and forced my hand to go down her pants.
Gascon refuses to sentence Tubbs for adulthood because Tubbs is 17 years old at the time the attack occurred.
Jon Hatami (prosecutor, supporter of recall Gascon) said Tubbs was too risky to remain in the juvenile justice system.
He said, “This clearly shows the danger of George Gascon’s blanket policies.”
Separately, Gascon is facing another scandal after his own cops went over his head to ask federal prosecutors to charge the alleged killers of an off-duty LAPD officer.
This killing occurs amid an escalating crime wave in Los Angeles. The District Attorney George Gascon is under criticism for not taking action against the violence.
Alex Villanueva, LA County Sheriff sought federal prosecution of the four Gang members who killed Officer Fernando Arroyos (27), on January 10. This was in response to fears that pursuing them through Gascon might result in lighter sentences.
Gascon eliminated sentencing enhancements last year – like membership in a gang. This would have meant Arroyos’ killers could be sentenced to life imprisonment if they were convicted.
California law provides for a 25-year sentence to life imprisonment without parole. Gascon’s reforms, however, would allow killers to be released after they have completed their sentences.
Federal charges against them now come with enhanced sentences that automatically increase a sentence if the defendant is convicted to life imprisonment without parole.
Gascon stated previously that he will no longer pursue sentencing increases in cases involving criminal gangs, as part of a controversial prison reform program. This policy is aimed to increase ‘equity’.