Alaska
Killer filmed himself torturing 2 Alaska Native women: ‘In my movies, everyone dies’
A man who filmed himself torturing two Alaska Native women and was heard saying that in his movies “everybody always dies,” was sentenced Friday to 226 years in prison.
Brian Steven Smith received 99-year sentences each for the deaths of Kathleen Henry, 30, and Veronica Abouchuk, who was 52 when her family reported her missing in February 2019, seven months after they last saw her.
The remaining 28 years were for other charges, including sexual assault and tampering with evidence. Alaska does not have the death penalty.
Smith, a native of South Africa who became a naturalized US citizen shortly before torturing and killing Henry at an Anchorage hotel in September 2019, showed no emotion during sentencing. He also displayed no emotion when a jury deliberated for less than two hours and found him guilty after a three-week trial in February.
Smith was arrested in 2019 when a sex worker stole his cellphone from his truck and found the gruesome footage of Henry’s torture and murder. The images were eventually copied onto a memory card, and she turned it over to police.
Videos from a memory card were shown to the jury but hidden from the gallery. Smith’s face was never seen in the videos, but his distinctive South African accent — which police eventually recognized from previous encounters — was heard narrating as if there were an audience. On the tape, he repeatedly urged Henry to die as he beat and strangled her.
“In my movies, everybody always dies,” the voice says on one video. “What are my followers going to think of me? People need to know when they are being serial-killed.”
During the trial, the victims were not identified by name, only initials. Saxby said during sentencing that their names would be used in order to restore their personhood.
Smith eventually confessed to killing Henry and Abouchuk, whose body had been found earlier but was misidentified.
“Both were treated about as horribly as a person can be treated,” Alaska Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby said when imposing the sentence.
“It’s the stuff of nightmares,” he added.
Both Alaska Native women were from small villages in western Alaska and experienced homelessness when living in Anchorage.
Authorities identified Henry as the victim whose death was recorded at TownePlace Suites by Marriott in midtown Anchorage.
Smith, who worked at the hotel, was registered to stay there from September 2-4, 2019.
The first images from the card showed Henry’s body and were time-stamped about 1am on September 4, police said.
The last image, dated early September 6, showed Henry’s body in the back of black pickup. Charging documents said location data showed Smith’s phone in the same rural area south of Anchorage where Henry’s body was found a few weeks later.
During the eight-hour videotaped police interrogation, Smith confessed to killing Abouchuk after picking her up in Anchorage when his wife was out of town. He took her to his home, and she refused when he asked her to shower because of an odor.
Smith said he became upset, retrieved a pistol from the garage and shot her in the head, dumping her body north of Anchorage.
He told police the location, where authorities later found a skull with a bullet wound in it.
Abouchuk’s daughter, Kristy Grimaldi, gave the only victim impact statement during the sentencing, according to the Anchorage Daily News, saying Smith would “rot in prison.”
Alaska
Raised In Alaska Spotting Moose And Grizzly On Trail Cameras
We’re sharing some of the Last Frontier adventures of the popular YouTube account Raised In Alaska. This week: Moose and grizzly trail camera shots.
Subscribe to Raised In Alaska on YouTube. Follow on X, formerly known as Twitter (@akkingon).
Alaska
Fatal vehicle collision left one dead, two injured at mile 91 of Seward Highway, APD says
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – On Thursday, a vehicle collision at mile 91 of the Seward Highway left one dead and two injured, according to an update from APD.
The collision involved two vehicles — a semi-truck and a passenger vehicle.
The Girdwood Fire Department responded at about 8:41 p.m. and pronounced the male driver of the vehicle dead at the scene.
APD says a male and female were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
At the time of publication, the southbound and northbound lanes of the Seward Highway remain closed.
APD is currently investigating the circumstances of the collision and the victim’s identity will be released once they have completed next-of-kin procedures.
Original Story: An incident involving two vehicles at mile 91 of Seward Highway leaves two injured, according to Anchorage Police Department (APD).
APD is responding to the scene and travelers should expect closures at mile 91 for both northbound and southbound lanes of the Seward Highway for at least the next 3 to 4 hours.
Updates will be made as they become available.
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Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.
Alaska
Strong winds destroy deer shelter at Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Strong winds in the Portage area on Monday destroyed a shelter building at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center that was used to house Sitka deer. The conservation center says 80 mph winds swept through Portage Valley.
The conservation center says no animals were injured, but they are quickly raising money to rebuild. Their goal is $30,000, and as of Thursday morning, they have already fundraised over $26,000.
Sales & Marketing Director Nicole Geils said, “The shelter was in their habitat. It was essential for providing them a safe Haven during harsh weather. It’s a really useful area for when we’re feeding and doing enrichment with the deer and it’s also a safe space for recovery after medical procedures when needed.”
Executive Director Sarah Howard described how she learned about the damage.
“We had a staff member that radioed, ‘The shelter’s gone!’ And a couple of us were at least able to make a little light of the situation. Like, did it go to Oz? And thankfully, it didn’t go too far, and the deer were okay,” Howard said.
The conservation center is still accepting donations through their website.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.
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