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On Thanksgiving Day of 2012, cousins Nick Brady and Haile Kifer were fatally shot by a retiree homeowner, Byron Smith, whose house the two teens were attempting to break into. The teenagers were shot multiple times and killed execution-style by the 64-year-old retiree, who suspected that the victims were involved in earlier burglaries at his property and only reported the incident to authorities the next day.
Smith was found guilty of two counts of premeditated murder in April 2014 for planning their murders and then repeatedly shooting them even after having neutralized the threat. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Nick Brady and Haile Kifer's killings are scheduled to feature on Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on Thursday, May 11, at 8:00 pm ET, in an episode titled 12 Minutes on Elm Street. The synopsis reads:
"Cousins Nick Brady and Haile Kifer were best friends; to their family, they seemed like typical teenagers; turns out, the cousins had a secret that led to tragedy."
Nick Brady and Haile Kifer's murders: Five quick facts to know about the teen cousins' shooting deaths
1) Nick Brady and Haile Kifer were caught on surveillance scanning Byron Smith's property
According to surveillance footage, teen cousins 17-year-old Brady and 18-year-old Kifer were caught on surveillance scanning Smith's property prior to their attempt to break into his house. Smith himself revealed that while visiting his neighbors earlier that day, he saw Kifer driving past his house. He even said that at the time, he believed she was behind the burglaries which had taken place on his property.
2) Smith gunned down Brady minutes before shooting Kifer multiple times
As per Byron Smith's version of the events, he was lying in wait for Nick Brady and Haile Kifer, who he suspected were behind the earlier burglaries that took place on his property after having spotted the latter driving by his house. He claimed he first moved his truck to a different spot to make it seem like nobody was home and then went and sat on a chair in his basement with two firearms, as per NBC News. He also turned on a recording device.
Brady was the first to enter the basement and also the first to die. Smith shot the 17-year-old twice while he was at the top of the stairs and a third one, execution-style in the head, as he fell to the ground. Kifer who entered the basement minutes later was also shot at the top of the stairs after which the shooter's rifle jammed. He then shot her in the face with a .22 caliber revolver.
3) The teens had been involved in multiple burglaries prior to their deaths
Byron Smith only informed authorities about the happening a day after Thanksgiving, claiming that he did not want to bother them on a holiday. He allegedly kept Nick Brady and Haile Kifer's bodies in the closet.
Reports state that the teen cousins had been involved in a couple of burglaries prior to the shooting incident and an autopsy revealed that Kifer had drugs in her system at the time of her death. Moreover, Brady's sister informed authorities that he stole drugs from her home on August 28. Additional evidence found in the 17-year-old's car suggested that he was involved in a burglary that took place at a retired teacher's house the night before Thanksgiving.
Brady was also seen driving a red Mitsubishi Shroud which was found close by to the crime scene. The same car was also linked to a home invasion at Richard L. Johnson's house.
4) Prosecutors alleged that Byron Smith planned Nick Brady and Haile Kifer's killings
At Smith's 2014 trial, prosecutors claimed that the retiree intended to murder the teenagers and that the plan was set in motion ever since he spotted Haile Kifer driving by his house earlier that day. He allegedly waited in his basement - armed - and even recorded the incident on a device purposely set for that purpose.
The recordings, which were later played in court, described the shootings in detail as Smith was heard insulting and taunting the victims as he shot them even after they were badly injured.
5) Smith was found guilty in the controversial case that sparked discussions around the castle doctrine
Byron Smith was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of teen cousins Nick Brady and Haile Kifer. The case spurred discussion around the castle doctrine, which permits property owners to use fatal force to defend their properties.
The prosecution, however, claimed that Smith used excessive force after neutralizing the danger and that his conduct and a tape he made while the shootings were happening proved premeditation. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after the jury rejected his self-defense claim.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered airs this Thursday, May 11, at 8 pm ET on Oxygen.
