Little Falls shooter a retired U.S. State Dept. security engineer

The Little Falls man charged with the murders of two teenagers previously worked for the U.S. State Department overseas as a security engineer.

Byron David Smith last worked for the State Department in 2006 and is now retired, according to a State Department spokesperson. Smith's job required technical expertise, the spokesperson said, and involved foreign travel. The State Department declined to provide any additional information about Smith's employment.

Smith, 64, was charged Monday with two counts of second-degree murder for the Thanksgiving Day shooting of Haile Kifer, 18, and Nicholas Brady, 17. Smith told authorities he shot the teenagers after they broke into his home.

Smith acknowledged that he fired "more shots than I needed to," and he described the final shot that killed one of the teenagers as "a good clean finishing shot," according to the criminal complaint.

Smith left the bodies in his basement overnight and told authorities he called a neighbor Friday morning to ask for a recommendation for an attorney. The neighbor called the Morrison County Sheriff's Office Friday afternoon and said he believed Smith had killed someone who was trying to break into his house.

Prosecutors requested a high bail amount because Smith had lived abroad in cities such as Bangkok, Cairo and Beijing. Judge Douglas Anderson set unconditional bail at $2 million. The judge said Smith could post $1 million bail if he surrendered his passport and weapons and agreed not to leave the state. Smith remains in custody and has not said whether he plans to post bail.

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