Byron David Smith: Murder Caught On Tape Old Vet Killed Teens, Haile, Nicholas, In Basement After Break-In

The Byron David Smith murder case will be documented on Hear No Evil tonight on Investigation Discovery. Byron David Smith shot and killed Haile Kifer and Nicholas ‘Nick’ Brady, two teens, during a break-in at his Little Falls, Minnesota, home five years ago. The retiree thought he’d get off if he could prove that it was self-defense. A jury convicted the former Vietnam vet of murder and sentenced him to life in prison, according to the Morrison County Record.

ID’s Hear No Evil has the same premise as See No Evil. However, Hear No Evil takes viewers into the crime scene as they listen to an actual murder as it is audio recorded. The Hear No Evil episode titled “Whispers from the Dead,” will chronicle the teen robbers last moments before they were shot and killed. Little Falls, Minnesota, detectives will appear, along with Bill Anderson, a friend and neighbor of Byron David Smith.

Double Killings At Little Falls Home: Murder Or Self Defense?

Police were dispatched to the home of a retired vet and security engineer in November 2012. When the officers arrived, they were met by Byron David Smith, who told them that he had shot two intruders who broke into his home on Thanksgiving Day. He failed to call the police the same day, which meant that he kept two dead bodies in his home.

The victims were 17-year-old Nicholas Brady and 18-year-old Haile Kifer. According to Byron David Smith, the two teens were responsible for a series of break-ins at his home. He had contacted police on several occasions to report the crime, but nothing was ever done.

Fearing for his life, according to Byron David Smith, he decided to take matters into his own hands and wait for the robbers to return. On Hear No Evil, his friend, Bill, states that there was an emotional build-up before the killings took place. Byron, who never married, was dealing with the death of his mother, and he was emotionally distraught by the previous break-ins. Some valuable items that he deeply treasured were stolen, such as his mother’s beautiful gold jewelry and several vintage guns. Large sums of cash were also reported stolen.

From Fearful To Feared

In the end, Byron David Smith decided that he was no longer going to live in fear in his own house, a house that he absolutely adored.

Prosecutors say what Byron David Smith did next was straight out of the book of ‘coldblooded and crazy.’ First, he made sure it looked like no one was home. Then he retreated to his basement with his beverages and guns and waited for hours. The tape recorder was set up to capture his every move.

Family releases new photos of #ByronSmith victims Haile Kifer and Nick Brady pic.twitter.com/IBZND0C91y

— Bill Keller (@billkellerfox9) April 29, 2014

In the audio recording below, at about 3:20, one can hear someone enter the room, and a shot is fired. The first victim is Nick Brady. Moments later, at around 13:34, Haile Kifer appears at the top of the stairs and can be heard calling out to Nick. When the seemingly worried teen descends the stairs, she is met by Byron David Smith, who blasts her with the gun. That happens on the audio at 13:48.

To piece it all together, the Daily Mail gives the following chilling details.

“Smith fired his first shot when he saw Nick Brady’s hips on the stairs. He shot a second time then delivered the fatal shot to his face. Then said to him, ‘You’re dead.’ 18 seconds later, he had the tarp ready to lay out and roll the body onto. Within ten minutes he managed to reload. Haile Kifer can be heard at the top of the steps asking, ‘Nick?’ She waited 12 seconds for a response that would never come before going down the steps and another shot rang out. There is a thud as she lands at the bottom of the steps, the loud click of a gun jamming, Smith stated: ‘Oh sorry about that,’ before there is a moan from Kifer and shot number two. Smith fired into the 18-year-old four more times – six times in total – and shot number five was the one that proved fatal. Once she is silent, Smith says simply,’B***.'”

Even more shocking than the brutal manner in which Byron Smith carried out the killings was that he knew them. A year prior, Nicholas ‘Nick’ Brady and Haile Kifer were among a group of teens who did odd jobs for him.

Some say a 17-year-old teen can kill a man with his bare hands and that Byron David Smith was within his right to stand his ground since police failed to handle it. To them, Byron had a right to stand his ground and defend himself. Others say these teens didn’t deserve what happened to them, and that Smith is obviously a crazy veteran who might suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

The story of killer Byron David Smith airs tonight on Hear No Evil at 9/8 p.m. Central.

[Featured Image by Minnesota Dept. of Corrections]