Minnesota man who killed teens in break-in charged with murder
 

wow, this sounds pretty messed up... Cant tell if his guy is nuts or if these kids were on drugs

By NBC News staff and wire services

A 64-year-old Minnesota man was charged Monday with murder for killing two teenagers who he said broke into his Little Falls home, shooting them in the head, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

AP file

Byron David Smith was arrested after he told police he shot and killed two teenagers who he said were breaking into his home on Thanksgiving Day.

"If you're trying to shoot somebody and they laugh at you, you go again," Byron David Smith of Little Falls told investigators, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.

Smith was charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Haile Kifer, 18, and her cousin, Nicholas Brady, 17, both of Little Falls. The teens were shot on Thanksgiving Day, but their deaths weren't reported until Friday.
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Brady has also used the name Schaeffel, which is his mother’s maiden name, at times for family reasons, according to the sheriff's office.

In the criminal complaint, Smith said he was in the basement of his remote home about 10 miles southwest of Little Falls when he heard a window breaking upstairs, followed by footsteps that eventually approached the basement stairwell. Fearful after several break-ins, according to the complaint, Smith said he fired when Brady came into view from the waist down.

After the teen fell down the stairs, Smith said he shot him in the face as he lay on the floor.

"I want him dead," the complaint quoted Smith telling an investigator.

Smith said he dragged Brady's body into his basement workshop, then sat back down on his chair, and after a few minutes Kifer began coming down the stairs. He said he shot her as soon as her hips appeared, and she fell down the steps.

Smith said he tried to shoot her again with his Mini 14 rifle, but that the gun jammed and Kifer laughed at him.

"Smith stated that it was not a very long laugh because she was already hurting," according to the complaint.

Smith said he then shot Kifer in the chest several times with a .22-caliber revolver, dragged her next to Brady, and with her still gasping for air, fired a shot under her chin "up into the cranium."

"Smith described it as 'a good clean finishing shot,'" according to the compliant, but also that he acknowledged he had fired "more shots than (he) needed to."

The following day he asked a neighbor to recommend a good lawyer, according to the complaint. He later asked his neighbor to call the police.

A prosecutor called Smith's reaction "appalling."

"Mr. Smith intentionally killed two teenagers in his home in a matter that goes well beyond self-defense," Morrison County Attorney Brian Middendorf said after Smith appeared at Morrison County District Court on Monday morning. Bail was set at $2 million.

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Minnesota law allows a homeowner to use deadly force on an intruder if a reasonable person would fear they're in danger of harm. Smith told investigators he was afraid the intruders might have a weapon.

Smith's actions "sound like an execution" rather than legitimate self-defense, said David Pecchia, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association. Pecchia said his statements to investigators suggest he had eliminated any threat to his safety by wounding the cousins.

Smith's brother, Bruce Smith, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that the incident was the eighth burglary at Byron Smith's home in recent years.

The only report the Morrison County sheriff's office has for a break-in at the home was for one on Oct. 27. It shows Byron Smith reported losing cash and gold coins worth $9,200, plus two guns worth $200 each, photo equipment worth more than $3,000 and a ring worth $300.

Little Falls is about 100 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

Brady's sister, Crystal Schaeffel, told the Star Tribune that Kifer had broken into her home before. Little Falls police records show Crystal Schaeffel reported a theft Aug. 28, but the department said the report was not public because that investigation was continuing and because it named juveniles.

Tessa Ruth, an aunt of Brady, attended Smith's hearing. She told the Star Tribune she wished the man had fired a warning shot or alerted the police instead of shooting the teens.

"It wasn't right for them to be there and, yes, he had a right to defend himself. But to execute them like that..."

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What a sick piece of shit.

Everybody involved here in this one is wrong. Kids are wrong for breaking and entering. The home owner was wrong for executing two teenagers. He could have stopped them without killing them.

The guy waited like a week didn't he before calling da police?

He's ****ed up IMO.

However, you break into someones house, expect negative consequences that included but are not limited to a bullet to teh face.

i don't understand the murder charges. those teens gave up their rights when they broke into a home that wasn't theirs.

edit: i do agree he screwed up by not calling police immediately, and he handled it wrong. the executions may have been over the line.

This quote gives him life in prison.

Good edit. I was about to explain it to you.


The executions ARE over the line.

Oh, do you think so?

and it all could have been avoided if he were a better shot. if the shot to the face is the only wound, this is a non story, other than man protects house from intruders.

Nobody has any idea how hard of a shot he had. Head shots are a lot harder than they look on a moving person.

There's some holes in this guys story.

Waste of good snatch

You mean man protects house from intruders and leaves their dead bodies in his basement overnight before calling police then brags about it to cops like a sociopathic killer.

i get that. still, if the first shot was the kill shot, he's ok. it was the repeated shots that screwed him. still don't think he should really be charged with anything. a man has a right to protect his home. even if it had been just the one previous break in, with over 10,000 dollars worth of losses i'm sure he'd been steaming about it for a while, and he saw his chance to make sure he wasn't taken advantage of again.

This could be a tragedy, but I'll need to see better pics of the girl to be sure.

hold on there buddy. go back and reread my post. the guy isn't totally innocent. he probably needs mental help, but i don't think he's a criminal for shooting the intruders.

I'm disputing your assertion that if he were a better shot, this would be a non-story.

WTF is wrong with his eyes?

I don't blame the man for defending himself from intruders. Breaking into someone's home SHOULD be dangerous for you and they lose their right to safety when they break in.

That said....Holy shit did this guy do it badly. He deserves some punishment, shooting them in defense is fine....the up close, dragging bodies around and waiting a day and then using the tone he did is sociopathic.

The "I want him dead" and the execution shot of the girl warrant murder.

if he is being charged with murder for fatally shooting already incapacitated victims, then yes, the fact he didn't kill with first shot makes a difference. he did in fact screw up by not reporting to police immediately. does he seem to have psychological issues, yes. however if he doesn't have to execute them (because his first shot was a kill shot) this is just a story of a mentally troubled individual protecting his home, and he isn't being charged with murder.

/thread

Apparently, he's part mole. Probably why he hangs out in his basement on Thanksgiving roasting grubs.

The moral of this story is, don't break into a house to steal stuff when the crazy, malicious, psychopathic owner is in residence and packing.

It is interesting, though. If the guy had been using a more powerful weapon ... say a 30.06, or something ... they would be dead and he would be free to go. There's a whole lot wrong with this story. The girl "laughs" at him after being shot? He drags the bodies around and leaves them overnight? He asks his neighbor to call the police?

It makes you wonder if those kids broke in his house at all.

FAX

He shot them when there legs/hips came into view as they were coming down the stairs. My guess is he didn't want to wait for a body/head shot in case they were armed (he was robbed of two guns a month prior, probably the same kids).

He's a ****ing psycho.

even psychos have a right to defend their homes.

There is a clear line in the sand on this issue.

damn, he's clearly lost a few marbles, but do you all think he deseves the same murder sentencing as someone who breaks into a house and executes the residents?

Don't kid yourself. There are limits to what you can do to protect your property.

Who gets shot and then laughs moments later because the second shot was jammed?

especially an 18 year old girl???? thats just bizarre

depends on the state, on whether there is a flight before fight clause in the castle doctrine adopted by the state you are residing in. missouri's is far more favorable to the resident, we don't have to prove the intruder a threat.

The outcome is good - two less criminals in the world - but he probably could've handled it a little better.

She was probably high on marijuana.

Story does not make sense to me.

what about compared to a drunk driver that hits and kills two teenagers in a car accident. Is this more, equal or less disturbing?

Shrug. It's possible. Ever get punched in the face and then laugh about it because you don't want the other person having the gratification from knowing they hurt you?

I have. It's usually followed up with a "you hit like a bitch".

FYP

Aside from the whole cold-blooded grabbing another gun when the first one jammed to fire a few execution shots into a person?

so you rate it "more disturbing"? I was only asking

maybe he thought he would end her suffering

Lol.

Only on Chiefsplanet do we get these gems.

I wish I could blame CP alone for the warping, but alas

Now that could work in court.

If he still felt threatened, he is within his right.


What he told the cops is going to sink him.

there has to be more to this story

Gross. I understand the right to defend yourself but executing incapacitated / wounded teenagers is wrong period. Rot in prison.

I am calling bath salts. Thats why the girl laughed after getting shot.

Still wrong but I would bet good money they were on bath salts.

You know after thinking about it, if I shot someone and then my gun jammed and then they laughed at me, I may find another gun to finish them off.

Yea, being a pig with a power trip is warping enough.

I bet he offered to let the girl live if she would go out with him, and that's why she laughed, which made him angry. Women - can't live with them, can't put a shot from their chin to their cranium.

2 100 pound teenage girls? u would not shoot 2 female teenagers walking down your stairs unless ur a complete nutcase. he didnt even give them a chance to identify themselves. they musta been on acid or something

What. The. ****. Are you serious? He didn't kill them in the act, he waited, waited, and boom. Then gloated about it. Ppl like this have a gun because they hope someday they can run into a situation that they can kill someone and get away with it. This guy seriously has sociopath tendencies.

I think one was a guy who just looked effeminate.

But I agree, if it's 2 100-pound teenage girls who are already in your basement, you don't shoot, especially if you can lure them into the dungeon area.*


(*Assuming they're 18, of course. It's completely wrong to capture underage teenage burglars and turn them into your basement dungeon slaves. We all know that.)

True. His words (although I must commend the honesty) will hang him. If he had just maintained his position and fired a kill shot after the invader(s) settled at the bottom of the stares he could easily have just claimed he was in fear for his life the entire time (not that I would condone it). Walking up to them and changing guns for an execution style shot is where where he stepped overboard.

Would be curious to know if the two were on something. Would explain the laughter. Would also explain the stupidity of the second invader entering the basement after hearing the shots. My mini 14 is definitely not a quiet gun, especially indoors. Call me a coward, but I'd have bolted.

hahahaha jesus

you punch like a girl

For a second there, scrolling down, I thought she was a Siamese twin... kinda awkward...

This.

Somebody breaks into your house, and you shoot them. Okay. If they are no longer a threat but aren't dead, you CALL THE COPS IMMEDIATELY AND REPORT THE CRIME. Everything he did afterward is ****ed.

no doubt the old dude's ****ed up. his eyes look pretty jacked up too, like how the hell can he see in the first place?

but if they not only broke in, then went downstairs...the 2nd one after the first one was shot. wtf.

no winners here...
sec

Here is a link from the St Paul Pioneer Press.
There are other stories linked there too.

I think this guy is done for. The OP talks about Minnesotas intruder rule. He will be found clearly in the wrong.

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/...ads?source=pkg

I did get distracted by NIU's avatar.

She was a good looking girl. WTF was wrong with them?

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/liv..._kifer_300.jpg

Lock his ass up.

Skip Towne moved to Minnesota?

never ever ever ever ever speak to the Po Po.
I'm not saying that he's right etc, but he made some remarks that probably ****ed him over good.

The same person that came downstairs in a strangers house to investigate gunshots....

Clearly.

There's just too much in the initial report that makes no sense. He's hanging out in the basement with no eyeballs. Perp #2 hears gunshots in the basement and goes down to check it out. Then, after being gut shot, Perp #2 laughs at Moleman's ineptitude at gun play. Moleman drags the bodies around, then delays contacting the authorities for a full day. Even then, Moleman asks his neighbor to make the call.

Nope. I think you're right, Mr. NIUhuskies. I think there's more to the story. In fact, I think there's a different set of facts entirely. I think Moleman had invited the two teenagers over to the house to engage in some sort of drug transaction or whatever. Then, Moleman lost a few more precious marbles and took out his guests. Afterwards, Moleman made up this wacky cover story in an effort to claim self-defense. Unfortunately for Moleman, he is probably the worst alibi fabricator in the entire universe.

FAX

I think a mental evaluation is the first order of business

Something definitely stinks, its not really adding up.

When he says a line like "it was a good, clean finishing shot" "right up under her chin"... the only reasonable conclusion is that this man is certifiable, to look upon two kids and do that, and wait a day before calling... get him behind bars asap.

The girl actually laughed? i call bullshit, the only possible way thats true is if Marcellus' bath salts usage theory is right, anything else, and what that crazy bastard heard was death weezes... and hopefully the coroner will answer that question soon enough.

It all stinks.

New story today-MPLS Star trib 11-28

Slain teenage cousins linked to an earlier Little Falls break-in?

Investigators were working late Tuesday to determine whether the two teenage cousins slain during a home burglary in Little Falls, Minn., on Thanksgiving Day committed a similar crime just hours before the fatal shootings.

Preliminary findings suggest that Nick Brady, 17, and Haile Kifer, 18, were involved in another break-in Wednesday night, 6 miles south of the home where Byron Smith claims he shot them in self-defense, said Morrison County Sheriff Michel Wetzel. Smith, 64, a retired U.S. State Department worker, is charged with second-degree murder in the double shooting, which Wetzel has characterized as "cold-blooded" executions carried out after the teens were disabled by initial shots.

In the latest development, investigators are piecing together evidence recovered from a red Mitsubishi Eclipse that Brady had been driving, and which was discovered Friday parked a block away and around the corner from Smith's property, 3 miles north of Little Falls.

That same car was seen in a driveway last Wednesday evening 3 miles south of Little Falls, in the vicinity of a house belonging to Richard L. Johnson, a retired Little Falls High School teacher who had been in Spain until Sunday evening.

Wetzel confirmed that deputies who had been called to the Johnson neighborhood about the car identified it as one used by Brady, but not registered to him.

The sheriff also said that Brady had walked up to the car, was questioned by the deputies and released. The burglary at Johnson's home was at that time undiscovered, he said.

"There are some preliminary indications that the Johnson burglary may have been committed by the Brady boy and the Kifer girl, but it's too early now to say definitively, but tomorrow morning [Wednesday] we'll have some more information and determine whether they're connected," Wetzel said.

Johnson said the items he reported stolen included less than $5 worth of pennies kept in a box on his dresser, silver and copper coins from foreign countries, and an assortment of prescription medication, including drugs for diabetes and controlling cholesterol. Johnson, 68, said the thieves had broken a sliding glass door at his house.

Wetzel could not immediately confirm whether any of Johnson's property was found in the car that Brady and Kifer left parked near Smith's house before they were slain. He said investigators are tracing an assortment of items.

Smith's brother, Bruce Johnson of California, whom Byron Smith called after the shootings, said his brother reported about $10,000 worth of items stolen in an Oct. 27 burglary, including guns, a camera and $3,000 to $4,000 in cash.

He said the Oct. 27 break-in was the latest in a string of six to eight before the shootings Thanksgiving Day.

The sheriff said he did not have the burglary report regarding the late October burglary that Byron Smith reported.

"I don't have the reports in front of me to indicate precisely what was found. I do know they found quite a bit of evidence in their vehicle that was parked near the Smith place," the sheriff said late Tuesday. "We're trying to investigate whether it might have come from the Johnson burglary."

Johnson, who taught 32 years at Little Falls High, said he didn't know Kifer or Brady, though he knew one of their siblings.

"The whole thing is very sad that they lost their lives," he said. "In the same instance, if they hadn't been breaking into houses, they'd be alive."

If anyone unknown to me or my family breaks a window and enters my home I will execute them. This is sad and it's wrong that he waited to call the police which brings into question his entire account of events. But plenty of innocent people / families have been murdered in thier own homes by intruders. I think even if I was protecting my family and put in a position where I had to kill somone I would regret it the rest of my life but I wouldn't hesitate even one moment and always shoot to kill.

Even if the first shots had disabled the intruders to the point of removing the threat?

What is really odd about his story is after he shot the boy twice, then the girl came down the stairs, too? Wouldn't she have headed for the way out instead once she heard a mini 14 shot?

This was the very first thing that came to mind. Maybe they walked through his yard and he lured them in. Guy deserves to spend the rest of his days in prison, period.

Some additional thoughts on this:

Sounds like these kids were basically terrorizing this guy. I've been in a situation before where somebody kept ****ing with me at my apartment (showing up with 5 guys in the middle of the night, blowing up M-80s on the porch, etc.) and I can tell you, it really makes you crazy. I had to run that ****er off at gunpoint a couple of times and really, really wanted to end him, so I understand this guy's frustration. Add in him being an old man and completely isolated, and well, I don't excuse his actions, but I get why he snapped.

Also, sounds like these kids were complete ****ing vermin, bravo for removing them from the gene pool.

They'll heal eventually and won't be friendly.

I'm not saying that's a reason to finish them off, but it's a rationale.

When I was in high school, my father got attacked at work by a couple of thugs. (He ran a restaurant and they came in at night and just did a random attack.) He had to testify against them in court and they got sent to prison for a couple of years, and when it was time for them to get out it was very worrisome. We got new beefy locks on our doors and all kinds of stuff.

Given the fact that they had been breaking into other houses, I think we can reject this theory. However else we judge the situation, we can safely conclude that the kids were scum.

A rational person would but a rational person isn’t going to go breaking into other people’s houses either.

If they were breaking and entering, yeah, you have to expect bad things and they had no excuse.

But this guy still went way over the line, dragging half dead people around and then "finishing" them as they gasp and weeze.

What a sad, sick story.

LOL at kids messing with crazy old frazod

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This.

I told my wife that anyone that breaks into our house will end up dead because I don't want to worry about them coming back wanting revenge.

Yeah that's because it's a bullshit lie. For all we know this nut found these kids on his property and forced them at gunpoint to come inside so he could execute him. Could have happened...

Well, I don't guess anyone will break into his next apartment but he is likely to have an annoying roommate.