THE UCLA student brutally murdered while working in an upmarket furniture store told a friend about a man who gave her "bad vibes" in a chilling last message.
Brianna Kupfer, a University of California Los Angeles graduate student, was stabbed to death in LA on January 13.
Just after 1:30pm, she messaged a friend saying someone at the store "was giving her a bad vibe".
A shopper entered the store 15 minutes later and found the 24-year-old "lifeless and covered in blood", police said.
ARMED AND DANGEROUS
Cops are now hunting suspect Shawn Laval Smith who was out on bail at the time of the attack.
Police warn that the 31-year-old, who has a lengthy rap sheet, should be considered “armed and dangerous”.
Cops say he has been seen in Pasadena, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Covina, San Diego, and San Francisco.
Police records show that Smith was arrested on a misdemeanor charge in October 2020 and was released on a $1,000 bail.
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The nature of the charge isn’t known, and it’s not clear why the case still hadn’t been brought to trial.
He was previously arrested in 2015, 2016, and 2018 in Cherokee, North Carolina.
The charges were unclear and the cases have been disposed.
Smith was wanted on 14 active warrants for bicycle thefts in Charlotte.
'CAREER CRIMINAL'
He was accused of shoplifting, and allegedly assaulted a police officer, a law enforcement source told Fox News Digital.
His previous charges include assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, trespassing, and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Smith has also failed to show before the court and has been arrested on bench warrants in both 2016 and 2019.
The 31-year-old was arrested on suspicion of firing a weapon into an unoccupied vehicle in November 2019.
He was released on a $50,000 bond and the case remains pending.
Kupfer was attacked in broad daylight and was found by a customer.
New surveillance video from LAPD's homicide unit showed the suspect at a 7-Eleven store approximately 30 minutes after Kupfer was slain.
The man in a dark hoodie, sunglasses, and a white N-95 mask is seen walking into the store with a black backpack and interacting with the store clerk.
'A KIND SOUL'
Kupfer, a University of Miami graduate, returned to the Golden State to study design at UCLA.
She had worked at the furniture store part-time as a consultant for about a year, her father Todd Kupfer told Fox News.
Todd described his daughter as strong and vivacious, and the kind of person "we need on this earth."
He said she had a bucket list on her phone that mapped out travel and life plans.
Todd added: “She was a kind soul and always trying to make herself better and everything around her better.”
He said that her 21-year-old sister has been left “completely broken” by the loss.
A family statement said: "While she (Brianna) could be shy at times, she lit up any room she was in and strove to elevate everyone she met so they could be better versions of themselves."
HUNT FOR KILLER
There is a $250,000 reward for information leading to Smith’s arrest.
Paul Koretz, of the Los Angeles City Council, said: “We will get him arrested and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”
LAPD police chief Michel Moore said officers are "pulling out every stop" to solve the crime.
Anyone with information should call the LAPD's West Bureau Homicide investigators at 213-382-9470.
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