25 Years Later: LA Father and Daughter's Killer Found

A man has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 2001 double murder of a father and his toddler daughter. The sentencing concludes a 25-year pursuit of justice for the killings of Stephen Murphy and his 2-year-old daughter, Kali.

On August 8, 2001, Jahon Terez Smith was driving on South Willowbrook Avenue, searching for gang rivals. Smith and a passenger began shooting from their vehicle. Stephen Murphy, an airport employee, was attempting to buckle his daughter Kali into his car when gunfire erupted.

Murphy grabbed Kali and rushed toward his grandmother's home to shield her, but they were struck by a single bullet from the passenger's gun. Tragically, Kali died in her father's arms. The second shooter in the incident has never been identified.

Investigators used DNA evidence to link Smith to the crime. He was found guilty by a jury of two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder, with a special circumstance of multiple murders. Smith also targeted three other individuals that same night; two were shot but survived.