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UCLA graduate student Brianna Kupfer sent a text to a friend saying there was a creepy man in the luxury furniture store where she was working moments before she was stabbed to death, Los Angeles police revealed Tuesday during a news conference.
Brianna Kupfer (Kupfer family)
"She sent a text to a friend letting her know that there was someone inside the location that was giving her a bad vibe," LAPD Lt. John Radtke said of the Jan. 13 slaying. "Regrettably, that person did not see the text immediately."
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The suspect was in the store for several minutes before he struck, police said. Some time after 1:36 p.m., he plunged a knife into Kupfer, 24, then fled out the backdoor.
About 15 minutes later, Radtke said a customer entered the store and found Kupfer "lying on the ground, lifeless, covered in blood."
The young woman had been working as a consultant at Croft House on North La Brea Avenue for about a year.
UCLA GRAD STUDENT STABBED TO DEATH WHILE WORKING AT LA LUXURY FURNITURE STOR
The suspect strolled into numerous other shops before entering the high-end furniture store.
Kupfer was working alone that day, which may have played a role in why he targeted her, Radtke said.
He called the attack "random" and said nothing had been stolen and no other crime appeared to have been committed.
Radtke declined to comment on whether there was video surveillance from inside the store. Police Tuesday also released new footage of the suspect buying a vape pen at a 7-Eleven about 30 minutes after the alleged murder.
(Todd Kupfer)
Police are offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer. Members of the community contributed over $200,000.
Brianna Kupfer LinkedIn (linkedIn | Fox News)
After the slaying, the assailant, who police believe is homeless, walked for miles in every direction through the neighborhood.
"Someone out there knows this man," he said. "Someone out there knows what he did. And, boy, there's a lot of money on the table. You need to come forward."
LAPD Chief Michel Moore described the suspect as a thin Black man over 6 feet tall with short dreadlocks. He was wearing a distinctive backpack and a white face covering similar to a dust filter.
"This individual responsible for this vicious, senseless and brutal crime walks among us," he said. "I am convinced of that." But he added that the LAPD was "pulling out every stop" to ensure Kupfer's killer is brought to justice.
He highlighted several recent violent crimes – including the fatal shooting of LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos and the killing of a local 70-year-old nurse after a homeless man struck her in the face. Homicides were up 11.8% in 2021 – the highest rate in more than a decade.
As result of the crime wave, LA County District Attorney George Gascón has come under fire for what many critics call his soft-on-crime policies.
LA city Councilman Paul Koretz, who pushed for the initial $50,000 reward, also spoke at the press conference. "We must never allow this type of lawlessness to become commonplace," he said, before reading a statement from the Kupfer family.
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"In many ways, [Brianna] embodied everything that is great about Los Angeles, and the entire city should grieve over this senseless act," the family wrote. "Brianna was a smart, funny, driven and a kind soul who only wanted to better herself and her community on a daily basis."
Kupfer graduated from the University of Miami before returning to her home state to pursue a degree in design.
Her father, Todd Kupfer, told Fox News that she loved to sew and eventually wanted to launch a clothing line.
We'll miss her greatly and there won't be a day that goes by that we will not think of her," the family wrote in the statement. She leaves behind a little sister, Mikaela, and two brothers, Tucker and Brandon.
Anyone with information should call LA West Bureau Homicide at 213-382-9470.
