Nicholas Brady (17) and his cousin Haile Kifer (18) were shot as they allegedly broke into a home on Thanksgiving Day

[krazegirl]

LITTLE FALLS, Minn. - The man accused of murdering two teenagers who broke into his home is on the verge of hiring a prominent Minneapolis attorney.

Sixty-four-year-old Byron Smith remains in jail on the verge of hiring well known attorney Steve Meshbesher who has been a part of many high profile cases, including a case involving a former Vikings player in 2003.

Meshbesher's office would not comment about the Smith case. A spokesperson told KARE 11 the firm has been in contact with Smith and expects he will officially hire his office Thursday morning. Smith is back in court in December.

Smith is accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Nick Brady and his cousin 18-year-old Haile Kifer on Thanksgiving day after police say the teens broke into his home on Thanksgiving day.

Meanwhile, investigators have connected the cousins to burglary in the area.

Richard Johnson just arrived home from Spain after Thanksgiving when he saw his sliding glass door shattered and his sense of security along with it.

"If there had been a confrontation who knows what might of happened," said Johnson.

Morrison County Sheriff investigators say the culprits Brady and Kifer allegedly broke into Johnson's home possibly a day before they did the same to Byron Smith's house. The two locations are only a few miles away from each other.

Johnson says nothing was damaged inside the home. Drawers were opened, things were riffled through, but he noticed several bottles of his prescription medication were missing, along with some old coins and loose change.

"I went to the drawer in the bathroom to get them and I noticed they were all gone, everyone one of them," he said about his medications.

The meds were found in the teens' car which was reported suspicious in that area the day before Thanksgiving, according to investigators.

"I always felt safe out here. But the whole thing is really mysterious," he said.

Johnson is now part of a tragic storyline that has the town he's lived for in decades baffled.

"It's tragic, it's so senseless the whole thing," he said.

(Copyright 2012 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/1...inent-attorney

He is like the Mark Geragos of MN.

[snowfallsoon]

I don't understand how they all ended up in the basement.

[g r ee n ey e s]

Great, so he gets a hot shot lawyer?

I don't understand how they all ended up in the basement.

He dragged them down there from what I gather..

[Keann Scissorhands Powley]

Where in Minneapolis do you live kraze?

Steve meshbesers commercials are annoying. I don't think there's any saving a Guy who is proud of shooting 2 kids.

[snowfallsoon]

Great, so he gets a hot shot lawyer?



He dragged them down there from what I gather..

OK thanks

[krazegirl]

Where in Minneapolis do you live kraze?

Steve meshbesers commercials are annoying. I don't think there's any saving a Guy who is proud of shooting 2 kids.

Used to be Northside but we just moved out to Hopkins.

[leapfreak]

Yea, but for some people statements like that are WAY out of their realm. And she's from England where the population isn't as gun happy as Americans are.

On Monday one of my friends was at home with her toddler when she found a man trying to break in to their house. She leaned out of an upstairs window, told him to fuck off and called the police. No one got shot.

[g r ee n ey e s]

On Monday one of my friends was at home with her toddler when she found a man trying to break in to their house. She leaned out of an upstairs window, told him to fuck off and called the police. No one got shot.

Maybe American's be crazy because I feel like this would not be typical or successful most times here. And even with guns being legal to own, that doesn't stop people at all from brazenly committing offenses on other people.

[krazegirl]

Maybe American's be crazy because I feel like this would not be typical or successful most times here. And even with guns being legal to own, that doesn't stop people at all from brazenly committing offenses on other people.

She should have dumped hot water on him like in Home Alone.

[leapfreak]

Maybe American's be crazy because I feel like this would not be typical or successful most times here. And even with guns being legal to own, that doesn't stop people at all from brazenly committing offenses on other people.

I think the difference is that we can turn around and tell someone to fuck off without worrying that they'll pull out a gun and murder us. My friend can lean out of a window and say what she wants, knowing that whilst the guy is out of arms reach, there is nothing he can do to her.

Like you say though, people owning guns doesn't stop people from committing offences on other people. You'd think the fear that the other person might be armed, would be enough to put you off.

[g r ee n ey e s]

She should have dumped hot water on him like in Home Alone.

I mean, honestly I would be throwing knives, pots, pans.. furniture, glass.. the whole house would be ransacked just from me trying to get this person the fuck off of my property.

[krazegirl]

I mean, honestly I would be throwing knives, pots, pans.. furniture, glass.. the whole house would be ransacked just from me trying to get this person the fuck off of my property.

I would have called the cops and hid in a closet.

[leapfreak]

I mean, honestly I would be throwing knives, pots, pans.. furniture, glass.. the whole house would be ransacked just from me trying to get this person the fuck off of my property.

He was outside and the door was locked. He couldn't get in and the police were on their way. There wasn't much need to do anything else.

[g r ee n ey e s]

Aaaaaaand I would be screaming bloody murder.

You cannot be hiding Kraze!! That's how they get you, every damn time!

[morbidT]

He was outside and the door was locked. He couldn't get in and the police were on their way. There wasn't much need to do anything else.

Except shoot him!


I keed. I keed.

[g r ee n ey e s]

He was outside and the door was locked. He couldn't get in and the police were on their way. There wasn't much need to do anything else.

So he just was trying the door and stopping there? No breaking of windows??

[krazegirl]

Aaaaaaand I would be screaming bloody murder.

You cannot be hiding Kraze!! That's how they get you, every damn time!

Everytime I move somewhere I think of places to hide if someone comes to kill me. I also have a lot of long jackets and boots in my coat closet. I would stand in the boots with the coat on and hang on the hanger. I would be so safe until the police get there.

[leapfreak]

I would have called the cops and hid in a closet.

We had a drunk guy in our house once who said he had a knife and was going to kill us. My housemate tried to barricade us in the kitchen (which is in our basement). I refused, grabbed a badminton racket and we chased him from the house whilst I screamed that I was going to beat the shit out of him. My housemate said that I was nuts and in hindsight it probably wasn't the best option to choose but I was adamant at the time that I wasn't going to be murdered in our basement whilst hiding from some moron.

[krazegirl]

We had a drunk guy in our house once who said he had a knife and was going to kill us. My housemate tried to barricade us in the kitchen (which is in our basement). I refused, grabbed a badminton racket and we chased him from the house whilst I screamed that I was going to beat the shit out of him. My housemate said that I was nuts and in hindsight it probably wasn't the best option to choose but I was adamant at the time that I wasn't going to be murdered in our basement whilst hiding from some moron.

I had an ex boyfriend break in once. Climbed 4 stories up my balcony. We called him the black spiderman after that. I screamed and called the cops. They guy I had over hid in the closet. But I have never had someone I don't know break into my house or even try.

[leapfreak]

So he just was trying the door and stopping there? No breaking of windows??

He was trying to open the front door and then peering through the letterbox when he couldn't open it. My friend by then was at the window yelling so he stopped whatever he was doing and tried to pretend that he was looking for someone who he claimed lived there. I think the police said there had been lots of reports of a man doing the same thing at other properties. I'm not sure if he managed to get in to any of the others.

[krazegirl]

He was trying to open the front door and then peering through the letterbox when he couldn't open it. My friend by then was at the window yelling so he stopped whatever he was doing and tried to pretend that he was looking for someone who he claimed lived there. I think the police said there had been lots of reports of a man doing the same thing at other properties. I'm not sure if he managed to get in to any of the others.

Your friend needs to watch Home Alone. She could have blinded him with something awesome in her house.

[leapfreak]

I had an ex boyfriend break in once. Climbed 4 stories up my balcony. We called him the black spiderman after that. I screamed and called the cops. They guy I had over hid in the closet. But I have never had someone I don't know break into my house or even try.

The guy that threatened us was a friend of one of our other housemates. We'd never met him and he turned up covered in blood late one night whilst running from the police. I think he'd been to the pub and then attacked someone in town. I'm fairly certain he didn't actually have a knife and was just trying to scare us because I told him to leave.

[Ron_NYC]

I mean, honestly I would be throwing knives, pots, pans.. furniture, glass.. the whole house would be ransacked just from me trying to get this person the fuck off of my property.

Aaaaaaand I would be screaming bloody murder.

You cannot be hiding Kraze!! That's how they get you, every damn time!

All jokes aside, I see why you guys say guns aren't the problem now. You guys are so bloodthirsty that the firearm is just an extension of your anger.

Me? I could ONLY do that kind of damage with a gun, and THAT'S it.

[g r ee n ey e s]

In all seriousness, I grew up in an area where gun shots and sirens were more commonplace than anything else. There is no walking down the street without being harassed, warned or otherwise. Neighbors steal from you, and the cops? If you are lucky they will show up within an hour. None of that means my gun is completely necessary, but it does make me feel a little bit better.

I do know this, if I am actually shooting at someone at all, it is because they are going to kill me and I am going to go out fighting. So yeah, maybe it is a combination Ron. But if you had people constantly warning you while living in your place, you might rethink your safety and how to defend yourself. Me screaming and dialing 911 is not going to stop the guy on drugs breaking into my home and doing possibly worse.

[Ron_NYC]

In all seriousness, I grew up in an area where gun shots and sirens were more commonplace than anything else. There is no walking down the street without being harassed, warned or otherwise. Neighbors steal from you, and the cops? If you are lucky they will show up within an hour. None of that means my gun is completely necessary, but it does make me feel a little bit better.

I do know this, if I am actually shooting at someone at all, it is because they are going to kill me and I am going to go out fighting. So yeah, maybe it is a combination Ron. But if you had people constantly warning you while living in your place, you might rethink your safety and how to defend yourself. Me screaming and dialing 911 is not going to stop the guy on drugs breaking into my home and doing possibly worse.

In all fairness, I grew up in Mayberry compared to that shit.