Charity Run Held To Benefit Foundation Of Slain Palisades Woman

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — Family and friends of a Pacific Palisades native stabbed to death in January hosted a charity run over the weekend at her alma mater, the Brentwood School.

Guests gathered to run, do yoga, and dance on what would have been Brianna Kupfer’s 25th birthday. Proceeds from the event will go to the Brianna Kupfer Foundation, which benefits causes that Kupfer cared about, like the environment and women’s rights.

"Today's a day that, you know, that's indelible in our memories, an event that occurred three months ago," Brianna's father, Todd Kupfer, told ABC7 News. "We wanted to have a day where we really honored her and appreciate all the great values that she stood for."

Kupfer grew up in the Palisades, and graduated from the Brentwood School and the University of Miami, according to Fox News. In January, she was pursuing a master’s degree in architectural design at UCLA, and working at the Croft House, a luxury furniture store in Hancock Park.

On Jan. 13, 2022, a 31-year-old man named Shawn Leval Smith allegedly walked into the store, where she was working alone, and stabbed her. Smith has a long criminal history, and was out on a $50,000 bond for allegedly shooting a flare gun into a car with a toddler inside in South Carolina, according to Fox News.

Smith has been arrested and charged with murder.

The dozens of attendees remembered Kupfer as joyful, free-spirited, and caring.

"She just had a magnetic, positive spirit about her that kinda was undeniable, and all these people just loved her so much and are here to support her,” her friend Kendall Klotz told ABC7.

Related:

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• Police Ask For Help Finding Palisades Woman's Killer