ANCHORAGE, Alaska (TCN) -- A 53-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for torturing and recording the murders of two indigenous women in 2019.
The Alaska Department of Law announced Friday, July 12, that a judge sentenced Brian Steven Smith to 226 years in prison in connection with the deaths of Kathleen Jo Henry and Veronica Abouchuk. He was convicted of 14 charges in February, including two counts of murder, second-degree sexual assault, tampering with evidence, and misconduct involving a corpse.
On Sept. 30, 2019, a woman called the Anchorage Police Department and reported they found a memory card on the street that contained a video of a man torturing a woman "before killing her, disposing of her body, and attempting to hide the evidence." Two days later, human remains were found on Seward Highway.
Anchorage Police named Smith as the suspect and said Henry's killing was likely the one seen on tape. Police arrested Smith at the Ted Stevens International Airport on Oct. 8, 2019, on suspicion of murder. Henry's remains were positively identified Oct. 10, 2019.
When Smith spoke with police after his arrest, he reportedly confessed to killing another woman in 2018.
Abouchuk was reported missing to the Anchorage Police Department in July 2019, though she was last seen alive in October 2018 at a cafe. Her family had not seen her since July 2018. Alaska State Police discovered human remains in April 2019, but they were not positively identified as Abouchuk until Oct. 11, 2019.
Investigators reportedly obtained photos and videos of Abouchuk's killing as well.
KTUU-TV reports both women were shot in the head.
Alaska Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby said at the sentencing, "There is no hope. There is no restoration. There is only preventing Mr. Smith from killing again."
According to KTUU, District Attorney Brittany Dunlop called Smith "pure evil," adding, "Smith is a person that should never be permitted to walk among us."
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