Byron Smith
Also known as: Little Falls Thanksgiving killings
- Active
- 2012–2012
- Region
- Little Falls, Minnesota, USA
- State
- MN
- Kind
- Single
- Status
- Convicted
- Victims
- 2
On Thanksgiving Day 2012, Byron Smith, a 64-year-old retired State Department employee whose house outside Little Falls, Minnesota, had been burglarized several times, shot and killed two teenage cousins, Nick Brady, 17, and Haile Kifer, 18, after they broke into his home. He waited in his basement, recorded the shootings on audio, and did not call police until a neighbor did the next day. In April 2014 a Morrison County jury rejected his self-defense claim and convicted him of first-degree premeditated murder; he was sentenced to life without parole, and his appeals failed.
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Victims
We remember the people whose lives were taken.
- Nicholas "Nick" Brady, 17 · November 22, 2012
Haile Kifer's cousin.
- Haile Kifer, 18 · November 22, 2012
Nick Brady's cousin.
Timeline of locations
- November 22, 2012Smith's home near Little Falls (Crime scene, approximate area)
The two teenagers were shot in the basement of Smith's house after breaking in. Their bodies stayed there until police arrived the next day.
- 2014Minnesota Correctional Facility, Oak Park Heights (Prison)
Smith is serving his life sentence at Oak Park Heights.
- April 21, 2014Morrison County Courthouse, Little Falls (Court / trial)
Smith's trial opened April 21, 2014. Jurors deliberated about three hours before convicting him of two counts of first-degree premeditated murder; he was sentenced to life without parole.
Watch, listen, read
Watch
- Dateline NBC: 12 Minutes on Elm Street (series, 2014, NBC News (Kate Snow))
Sources
- Murders of Haile Kifer and Nicholas Brady (Wikipedia)
- Minnesota man who killed teens in his home denied new trial (MPR News)
Each location also lists its own sources in the data file.