Shraman Mitra
The residents of Little Falls, Minnesota, witnessed a horrifying incident on November 22, 2012, when Nick Brady and his cousin, Haile Kifer, were murdered inside a home they planned to burgle. Even though Minnesota allows homeowners to defend their properties with lethal force, the shocking murders gave way to a flaming debate over the controversial law. ‘Dateline: Secrets Uncovered: Trouble at the 7-11 Ranch’ chronicles the gruesome murders and follows the investigation that finally brought the perpetrator to justice.
How Did Nick Brady and Haile Kifer Die?
Cousins and residents of Little Falls, Minnesota, Nicholas “Nick” Brady and Haile Kifer, were 17 and 18, respectively, at the time of the double homicide. Although the two had a normal upbringing, they were suspected of several burglaries in and around the area. In fact, on August 28, 2012, Nick’s sister claimed he stole drugs from her home. In another instance, the police insisted that his car linked him to the burglary of a retired teacher’s home, which occurred the day before his death. Still, the two were never persecuted and had no criminal records.
On November 22, 2012, Nick and Haile planned on breaking into a nearby home as they knew the owner would be out visiting a neighbor at a specific time. Hence, shortly before the burglary, the two teenagers conducted surveillance of the property before breaking in through the second-floor window. However, quite surprisingly, that was the last time anyone ever heard or saw Nick and Haile alive as they disappeared soon after and never exited the house. The following day, their families grew concerned with the teenagers’ continued absence and began combing through the local areas in search of the missing kids.
On November 24, a tip led authorities to the very house the teens had planned to rob. Inside, officers found Nick and Haile’s bodies stacked on each other, with several bullet wounds all over their bodies. Later, an autopsy determined that the two were shot at close range with a .22 caliber, leaving them injured on the floor. Yet, the killer refused to stop there and delivered the final shot in an execution-style slaying.
Byron Smith Convicted of Double Murder
When Nick and Haile went missing, their families and local volunteers searched high and low for the missing teens. Regardless, the police were never involved in the initial search, as they remained oblivious to the entire incident. Eventually, on November 24, authorities received a chilling call from a 64-year-old homeowner called Byron Smith, who claimed to have killed two intruders who had broken into his home on November 22. He also mentioned that since November 23 was Thanksgiving day, he did not want to bother the police with such a “minor” issue.
Upon receiving the call, investigators immediately went to Byron’s house, where they found Nick and Haile’s bodies lying on top of each other, with the blood pooling below. Moreover, an initial investigation revealed that the two were shot multiple times, indicating a cold and calculated murder. Furthermore, the police failed to find any weapons on the intruders, which made their deaths even more suspicious. Nevertheless, when questioned, Byron claimed he shot the two to defend his property and insisted that he feared being attacked.
Besides, the homeowner even spoke about murders in great detail and mentioned that after he injured Haile, she allegedly lay on the floor laughing and taunting him, which made him deliver the killing blow. On top of it, Byron stated that even though his property had been robbed several times before the double homicide, none of the murders were premeditated or planned. While investigating, the police thoroughly searched the burgled property and soon discovered that the incident was captured on the security cameras.
In addition, Byron even set up an audio device that had the recording of the entire incident. Using these devices, authorities built up a mental image of the crime and realized that he had prepared his house for the victims by removing all the lightbulbs and setting up the recording devices. On top of it, he drove his car to the neighbor’s home to give Nick and Haile a false sense of security. Thus, by the time the 17-year-old broke into the house, Byron was sitting with his revolver in his basement. Incidentally, his location was obscured from normal view, and he got to shoot Nick as the latter made his way into the basement.
The police realized Nick was lying injured on the floor and presented no threat when Byron shot him in the head. The homeowner then went upstairs for a good ten to fifteen minutes before returning to his position in the basement. He even shot Haile as she entered the basement looking for her cousin; the audio recording proved that she was terrified after the injury and not laughing as Byron had previously described. Such details confirmed that the entire incident was premeditated, and the police immediately took the homeowner into custody.
When presented in court, Byron Smith pled not guilty to the charges against him and claimed he was protecting his property. Yet, the law does not allow one to shoot indiscriminately, especially when the intruder poses no threat. Consequently, the homeowner was convicted on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder and two counts of second-degree murder, which saw him sentenced to life in prison in 2014. Since then, Byron has tried to get his conviction overturned. But with all his petitions denied, he remains behind bars at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota.
Read More: Byron Smith: Where is the Killer Now?
