GUILTY MN - Byron Smith charged with murder after shooting 2 teens

[mobeydick]

Same here. I have never once been in trouble for anything (not even a traffic ticket), but I was labeled a trouble maker too. I have never touched an illegal substance and I didn't have my first drink until I turned 21. I was also quiet and kept to myself mostly. I had friends, but definitely not the "good, popular kids" that were the teachers pets. Yet, as I worked at my full time job throughout High School, I would see and hear all the "good, popular" kids getting high (coke was the big thing).

I wasn't labeled a trouble maker especially with adults. The Girls for some reason thought I was into the drugs.

 

[iluvmua]

I'm from Minnesota and have been following this case. KSTP news had an interview with a teen boy that knows Smith and the teens. According to this boy, Smith would allow teens to have band practice in his garage and there would be up to 30 teens hanging out at his house. If 64-year-old Byron Smith is this chummy with the local teenagers to allow them to hang out at his house with garage bands, one has to wonder if a break in actually occurred. He claims that there were 8 break ins but he only reported one. Got to wonder why he didn't report the other 7 break ins. Perhaps they never occurred. Perhaps he fences stolen goods. Perhaps he is chemically dependent and parties with teens. This would explain why 2 teens would go into his basement. 24 hours is a long time not to report a home invasion with fatalities. There could be a reason for this like trying to stage a break in and get rid of evidence of his own illegal activities. Also, given his former career of security engineer for American embassies overseas, it seems strange to me that he would have 8 break ins in his own home and only report one of them. My brother installed an outside camera system and motion detectors after his house was robbed. You would think Smith would do the same. The forensics will tell the real story.

He said the other break ins were not significant enough.

They were there to steal things. They broke in his bedroom window with a lead pipe and they used a crow bar to break the sliding glass door of the retired teacher.

I have No idea if he knew these two teens specifically or not.

 

[Hatfield]

The homeowner should have refused to answer any questions at all to investigators. If there is one thing I learned from TV crime shows, it is this.....If you already know you are in a serious legal situation, dont say anything and ask for a lawyer. People dont realize they do not have to answer anything at all. As much as i feel for the homeowner having people try to rob him, his own words will probably be used against him now.

A jury will have a tough time hearing what he said, and may think he went too far. Why was he even dragging them around. That alone is bizarre because he should have known not to touch them. I suppose if he thought maybe others were in the house, he may have drug them away so the others would not see them and maybe he thought if they saw them, they would come running down shooting at him.

The bottom line is it does seem like he went too far once the threat was gone. He went too far IMO. I still think manslaughter would be a fair charge though because he did not start this situation. The fact they entered his home is what started it, so manslaughter seems like the proper charges, and then let a jury decide his sentence if any.

Here is link and parts of his statements below and according to LE, he himself is saying he fired more than he needed to:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...basement-claims-robbed-home-Thanksgiving.html

He then shot her several times in the chest with a .22-caliber revolver, dragged her next to her cousin, and with as she gasped 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, and acknowledged he had fired 'more shots than (he) needed to'.

 

[wispyspirit]

He said the other break ins were not significant enough.

They were there to steal things. They broke in his bedroom window with a lead pipe and they used a crow bar to break the sliding glass door of the retired teacher.

I have No idea if he knew these two teens specifically or not.

I find it incredulous that a homeowner would not report seven prior break ins and would not report a home invasion with two fatalities for over 24 hours. Also, he just so happens to be sitting in a chair dressed like Rambo with a rifle and another gun strapped on his person when his home is broken into again. He just so happens to have a tarp and can move a body onto a tarp while another intruder is prowling upstairs. It doesn't make sense. Mind you he was a security engineer for US embassies overseas. Why all of the unreported break ins? I would not take his word for gold on what happened. What if he did install security cameras and happened to spot those two outside and captured them and held them in his basement and toyed with them before shooting them?

 

[belimom]

I'm from Minnesota and have been following this case. KSTP news had an interview with a teen boy that knows Smith and the teens. According to this boy, Smith would allow teens to have band practice in his garage and there would be up to 30 teens hanging out at his house. If 64-year-old Byron Smith is this chummy with the local teenagers to allow them to hang out at his house with garage bands, one has to wonder if a break in actually occurred. He claims that there were 8 break ins but he only reported one. Got to wonder why he didn't report the other 7 break ins. Perhaps they never occurred. Perhaps he fences stolen goods. Perhaps he is chemically dependent and parties with teens. This would explain why 2 teens would go into his basement. 24 hours is a long time not to report a home invasion with fatalities. There could be a reason for this like trying to stage a break in and get rid of evidence of his own illegal activities. Also, given his former career of security engineer for American embassies overseas, it seems strange to me that he would have 8 break ins in his own home and only report one of them. My brother installed an outside camera system and motion detectors after his house was robbed. You would think Smith would do the same. The forensics will tell the real story.

He said the other break ins were not significant enough.

They were there to steal things. They broke in his bedroom window with a lead pipe and they used a crow bar to break the sliding glass door of the retired teacher.

I have No idea if he knew these two teens specifically or not.

I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. I wonder if he knew the teens and they used to party/hang out at his home. Then they did break in - and he felt betrayed and really pissed. Could explain him going overboard.

But I don't believe he's telling the whole truth. To the point of thinking that they were not killed immediately, hence the "24 hour delay" which I think was shorter than that, meaning they were alive much longer than he said. JMO

 

[Sonya610]

To the point of thinking that they were not killed immediately, hence the "24 hour delay" which I think was shorter than that, meaning they were alive much longer than he said. JMO

Well if he shot them and then let them linger for hours I would think that would be apparent during the autopsy (amount of blood loss etc...).

I believe he used a .22 handgun on the girl? Or was it a rifle? It would be very easy to torture someone with a small handgun like that.

Who knows maybe that is why she came down the stairs after her cousin was shot. He could have told her to come downstairs or he will kill the cousin, and the cousin could have been hollering for help as well.

Not saying I believe that is what happened but well....at this point it is possible.

 

[jjenny]

By his own admission he finished them off. So I believe they were dead quickly.

 

[Yoda]

Smith has surveillance footage of the two teens breaking in. Wow.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-Minnesota-home-Thanksgiving-shot-dead.html

 

[Yoda]

And audio. Double wow.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/12/10/video-audio-recordings-detail-little-falls-deaths/

 

[wispyspirit]

Prosecution reveals some of what was found on audio tape from shooting during bail hearing. I found it revolting.

http://brainerddispatch.com/news/cr...rge-little-falls-shooting-smiths-bail-reduced

 

[buffetoflies]

Little update: http://www.startribune.com/local/189944661.html

Basically there was another teen that participated in a few other burglaries with Nick Brady in the fall. He is being charged. The above article does not say, but according to the teen charged he was just a 'lookout' in those burglaries. He kept in contact with Nick Brady via cell phone to tell him if anyone was coming up the drive way. He claims he never went in the house. That part isn't in the linked article. I don't know why the printed paper and online article are different.

 

[Tugela]

This case is pretty clearly cold blooded murder. I am sort of appalled that people are actually defending this guy. He basically executed them, and was apparently ready for dealing with the bodies.

From the account given here I would have doubts as to whether they were actually breaking in even. It sounds more like he was getting rid of them and trying to cover it up as a robbery.

 

[iluvmua]

This case is pretty clearly cold blooded murder. I am sort of appalled that people are actually defending this guy. He basically executed them, and was apparently ready for dealing with the bodies.

From the account given here I would have doubts as to whether they were actually breaking in even. It sounds more like he was getting rid of them and trying to cover it up as a robbery.

They were breaking in, they had robbed a retired teacher, breaking into his home a couple of days before. (with a crow bar).

AND the teenage boy Nick, had broken into Mr. Smith's garage prior to this.

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s2922184.shtml

I think he snapped and finally had enough of the break in's.

If the two teenagers had learned to respect people and their property, they would not be dead.

I have a hard time feeling sorry for someone who thinks they are invincible and continues to break into people's houses.

 

[iluvmua]

Nick had previously broken into Mr. Smith's house two times before the Thanksgiving break in.

http://mcrecord.com/2013/02/08/two-lf-teens-charged-in-connection-with-burglary-of-smith-home/

During the summer of 2012, Kasper said he and Brady went to the Smith home. While he did not enter the home, Kasper said he acted as a lookout while Brady kicked in the basement door and returned with an envelope full of cash and a video camcorder.

Brady allegedly bought items for Kasper including shoes and clothing, using the cash stolen from Smith and gave him an ATV for his part in helping with the burglary.

 

[iluvmua]

Nick had previously broken into Mr. Smith's house two times before the Thanksgiving break in.

http://mcrecord.com/2013/02/08/two-lf-teens-charged-in-connection-with-burglary-of-smith-home/

During the summer of 2012, Kasper said he and Brady went to the Smith home. While he did not enter the home, Kasper said he acted as a lookout while Brady kicked in the basement door and returned with an envelope full of cash and a video camcorder.

Brady allegedly bought items for Kasper including shoes and clothing, using the cash stolen from Smith and gave him an ATV for his part in helping with the burglary.[/QUOTE]

And this is why I don't feel sorry for the two teenagers who broke into Mr. Smith's or anybody else's house.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Man who shot two teenage burglars charged with first-degree murder after shooting the cousins multiple times


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ing-cousins-multiple-times.html#ixzz2RZOZb3kj

 

[Jenni]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47881681

watching this on tv now, unbelievable the scams out there

 

[buffetoflies]

This is a little old - from a month ago, but hasn't been mentioned here.

A central Minnesota judge will decide later this year whether to dismiss first-degree murder charges against a man accused of killing two teens who broke into his home.

for the following reasons:

there is not enough evidence to support the indictment, prosecutors committed misconduct during grand jury proceedings, and that there were other flaws in the case.

http://www.twincities.com/localnews...-defense-wants-murder-charges-dismissed-teens

 

[buffetoflies]

The trial for this guy is starting tomorrow I think. Unfortunately still charged with 1st degree murder.

 

[fran]

Jury Selection Begins in Byron Smith Murder Trial

Read More: Jury Selection Begins in Byron Smith Murder Trial | http://wjon.com/jury-selection-begins-in-byron-smith-murder-trial/?trackback=tsmclip