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Convicted Killer Sues Minnesota Investigator over Book About Murder Case
Byron Smith alleges the 2023 book contains falsehoods that harm his reputation and seeks an injunction to halt its distribution, claiming actual malice by the author and publisher.
- Byron Smith, 77, filed a defamation lawsuit in Morrison County District Court in Little Falls against Jeremy Luberts and Beaver's Pond Press, alleging the 2023 book contains false statements.
- Smith was convicted in 2014 of first-degree murder for the Nov. 22, 2012 break-in killings of Nicholas Brady and Haile Kifer at his Little Falls, Minnesota home, and sentenced to two concurrent life terms without parole.
- Smith's lawsuit lists alleged inaccuracies in Luberts' 2023 book and accuses Luberts and Beaver's Pond Press of publishing false statements with actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth.
- Smith is seeking an injunction to stop sales and distribution of Murder on Elm Street, citing reputational harm and emotional distress; no court date is set, and Luberts vows to fight the suit.
- Luberts says he stands by his reporting and will fight the lawsuit, defending his book as a First Amendment exercise amid national debate over homeowners' self‑defense and true‑crime accuracy.
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18 Articles
18 Articles
Convicted killer sues Minnesota investigator over book about murder case
Jeremy Luberts' 2023 book “Murder on Elm Street” details his work as lead investigator in the criminal case for which Byron Smith was convicted for killing two people in his Little Falls, Minnesota, home.
·Fargo, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources18
Leaning Left0Leaning Right10Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Right
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Right
67% Right
C 33%
R 67%
Factuality
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