Man Guilty of Alaska Native Woman’s Brutal Murder—Which He Filmed

A man who made a video as he tortured and killed an Alaska Native woman was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday for her death and that of another Native woman he’d killed earlier.

Brian Steven Smith, a 52-year-old from South Africa, was convicted on 14 counts which included charges of sexual assault, misconduct with a corpse, and two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Kathleen Henry in 2019 and Veronica Abouchuk in either the same year or 2018. Smith was arrested after a woman stole his cellphone from his truck and found disturbing videos and images on the device.

The Anchorage jury also found that Smith had subjected Henry, 30, to “substantial physical torture,” an aggravating factor in the case that will mean he faces a mandatory 99-year sentence for her killing. He faces another sentence of 30 to 99 years for 52-year-old Abouchuk’s slaying.

Read more at The Daily Beast.