Byron Smith was found guilty on four counts of murder for shooting two teens after they broke into his house in November 2012, according to news sources.
Immediately following the verdict Smith, 65, was sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to the Star Tribune.
Smith’s attorney told the judge that Smith intends to appeal the sentence, the Star Tribune reported.
The teenage cousins, Haile Kifer, 18, and Nick Brady, 17, were shot a total of nine times in Smith’s Little Falls home, according to KSTP.
Prosecutors argued that Smith’s home and adjoining property had previously been broken into, which prompted him to take matters into his own hands, according to the Star Tribune.
The prosecution alleged that Smith moved his car to appear as though he wasn’t home, and then sat in his basement with a loaded gun and waited for the intruders to descend the home’s basement steps, according to the Star Tribune. The two were shot as the came down the steps, about 10 minutes apart.
But Smith’s attorney painted a picture of a frightened homeowner who feared the intruders had a weapon, KSTP reported.
Smith waited a full day after the intrusion to call the police, according to KSTP.
JustMe
Jul 9, 2025 at 6:36 pm
The guy’s house had been broken into multiple times. The police did nothing, even with viable suspects available. No wonder. I saw a deputy interviewed on TV. He seemed totally stupid and incompetent and only interested in feeling sorry for the so-called ‘victims’.
After discovering how liberal the state’s governor is, I am no longer surprised that Byron Smith was convicted. Apparently, the residents of this town are the same. Where were they when Mr. Smith’s home was being invaded?
Just too bad that those teenagers’ parents didn’t raise them better! As far as I am concerned, they got what they deserved! But no justice for Byron Smith.