News Minnesota man who killed teens in break-in charged with murder - Page 13

NIUhuskies · 11-27-2012, 04:56 PM

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.

Follow @NBCNewsUS

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..."

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012...th-murder?lite

Radar Chief · 02-07-2013, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

yep, and used a bigger gun.

= why if I have to go clearing the house I’m grabbing my Colt .45.

**SAUTO** · 02-07-2013, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gravedigger

It would've been fun to see these "He was right to do what he did" if it were their child who would've been executed. They'd say, "My kids wouldn't break into a persons house." Or "My kid wouldn't steal my gun and bring it to school." Well somebody's kid does this stuff all the time, pray that it isn't your child next time because you won't get much sympathy on this board.

i have tried my damndest to teach my kids that this is what happens if you are in someone else's house or car.

**Lzen** · 02-07-2013, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rausch

OR we could look at the facts as they are.

Just throwing that out there...

Well, sure. But then we wouldn't have this long thread.

Lots of speculation here and we still don't know all of the facts. More and more are coming out all the time.

**SAUTO** · 02-07-2013, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

= why if I have to go clearing the house I’m grabbing my Colt .45.

i keep a judge next to the bed.

a .45 acp in the dresser.

a remington 870 in the front closet.

Frazod · 02-07-2013, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

I am shocked and saddened that so many of you believe that a couple of kids breaking into a house (which I venture a lot of you have done just as a goof) deserved to be executed.

Even if they DID intend to steal. Really? They deserve to be executed for stealing? Thanks, Al Qaeda.

WTF is wrong with you hillbillies?

I am shocked and saddened that there are so many ****ing pussies out there who think like this.

**Predarat** · 02-07-2013, 02:51 PM

This mans charges should be reduced to running a red light camera, make him pay a $50 fine and be done with it.

**ptlyon** · 02-07-2013, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Predarat

This mans charges should be reduced to running a red light camera, make him pay a $50 fine and be done with it.

Jesus, ours is $187 here, I think

**Predarat** · 02-07-2013, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptlyon

Jesus, ours is $187 here, I think

They all end up that way, its a scam. They will say its a $50 fine, claim they sent you a letter and a bill when they did not, so they send you another one with over $100 of late fees and court costs when they never sent the letter to begin with. Those damn things should be illegal.

**ptlyon** · 02-07-2013, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Predarat

They all end up that way, its a scam. They will say its a $50 fine, claim they sent you a letter and a bill when they did not, so they send you another one with over $100 of late fees and court costs when they never sent the letter to begin with. Those damn things should be illegal.

No, no added late fees. Thats what has people so pissed off. It's not like they were driving drunk or anything. They give a portion to the camera maker. & yes, they should be on the list of what govt imposes on you as illegal.

**Lzen** · 02-07-2013, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

i keep a judge next to the bed.

a .45 acp in the dresser.

a remington 870 in the front closet.

Holy crap!

You're not messing around.

**ptlyon** · 02-07-2013, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lzen

Holy crap!

You're not messing around.

Same here, except a 9 mil in the dresser, and the 870 behind the bedroom door

WhiteWhale · 02-07-2013, 03:16 PM

I'll say it again.

Fatally shooting a defenseless person is murder 100% of the time.

End of story.

Xanathol · 02-07-2013, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

I am shocked and saddened that so many of you believe that a couple of kids breaking into a house (which I venture a lot of you have done just as a goof) deserved to be executed.

Even if they DID intend to steal. Really? They deserve to be executed for stealing? Thanks, Al Qaeda.

WTF is wrong with you hillbillies?

People like you are what's wrong with the world today, where you want to twist the roles of what actually happened and punish those who should be defended, defending those who should be punished.

You want to toss a guy away for defending himself and his property from deadbeat piece of shit teens who have repeatedly executed crimes against him that the justice system hasn't managed to stop, yet dismiss these cancers on society, defending their CRIMES as not being 'that bad' or 'something we've all done'... No, we have not 'all done it' because we are not all criminals and if we were criminals, as a CRIMINAL you have given up the right to bitch about how your VICTIM decides to deal with you, because as a VICTIM, if you are willing to break one law to hurt me or my interest, how do I know you're not going to break another / escalate? Your line of thinking is the influence behind why our justice system doesn't adequately address these problem people to begin with, which leads to.... drum roll... them continuing to commit crimes and escalating those crimes!

I wonder how 'understanding' you would be if trash like this were constantly robbing and harassing you every time you turned around with no one there to help you and being unable to help yourself, because you know, its 'not that bad'...

Xanathol · 02-07-2013, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

I'll say it again.

Fatally shooting a defenseless person is murder 100% of the time.

End of story.

To spin a quote from Clint Eastwood, "well, they should have armed themselves if they were going to keep breaking the law".

Omaha · 02-07-2013, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

I'll say it again.

Fatally shooting a defenseless person is murder 100% of the time.

End of story.

Edit: You are 100% correct.

11-27-2012, 04:56 PM
NIUhuskies Veteran Join Date: May 2005 Location: Chicago, IL Casino cash: $8425050	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. Advertise \| AdChoices 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. Follow @NBCNewsUS 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..." http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012...th-murder?lite
Posts: 1,036

02-07-2013, 02:51 PM	#186
Predarat Run Chiefs fans, run!! Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Nashville, TN Casino cash: $9973863	This mans charges should be reduced to running a red light camera, make him pay a $50 fine and be done with it.
Posts: 10,776

02-07-2013, 03:16 PM	#192
WhiteWhale Bring it on Ahab! Join Date: May 2011 Location: Doo-Dah Casino cash: $10015152	I'll say it again. Fatally shooting a defenseless person is murder 100% of the time. End of story.
Posts: 14,861