Gerrard Kaonga
A Minnesota man was sentenced to life in prison after a shooting following a burglary.
A Minnesota homeowner shot and killed two teenagers who attempted to break in his home on Thanksgiving in 2012.
Byron Smith claimed self-defence but a jury rejected this and sentenced him to life in prison for the murder of Nick Brady, 17, and Haile Kifer, 18.
Smith had his home in Little Falls, Minnesota, broken in previously so he took steps to catch the burglars in the act. Smith was retiree who once set up security in American embassies for the U.S. State Department.
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During the trial, Smith’s attorney said he did this as he was fearful of future burglaries.
Earlier in the day, Smith parked his car away from his home to make it seem like he wasn’t in. He then sat in his basement chair with a book, energy bars, a bottle of water and two guns.
He also set up a recorder on a bookshelf and this device was able to catch the audio of the shooting, which was used as evidence against Smith in the trial.
The audio caught Brady going down steps into the basement before being shot three times by Smith. He is even heard saying ‘you’re dead’.
Prosecutors also said after shooting Brady, he put his body on a tarp and dragged him into another room, reloaded his gun and sat down again.
Minutes later, Kifer came down the stairs and the audio caught more shots being fired. Smith is again heard saying ‘you’re dying’ followed by another shot.
Investigators said Smith described this moment as ‘a good, clean finishing shot’, the audio also hears him refer to the two intruders as vermin.
After shooting, Smith waited a full day before asking a neighbor to call the police.
Despite his claims of self-defence, prosecutors argued he went beyond Minnesota's castle doctrine law in his use of deadly force.
He was eventually found guilty on two counts each of first degree and second degree murder and was sentenced to life without parole.
His case ended up stirring the debate around the state on how far an individual can go in regard to responding to a threat in a burglary.
In 2021 Smith attempted to appeal but had it denied and currently remains in prison. He is currently serving out his sentence at the Oak Park Heights correctional facility.