A man who killed two Alaska Native women and was heard while videotaping the torture death of one say that in his movies “everybody always dies” was sentenced in Anchorage Friday to 226 years in priso

A man who killed two Alaska Native women and was heard while videotaping the torture death of one say that in his movies “everybody always dies” was sentenced in Anchorage Friday to 226 years in prison

A man who killed two Alaska Native women and was heard while videotaping the torture death of one was sentenced to 226 years in prison. Brian Steven Smith, a 53-year-old man from Anchorage, was convicted of murdering two Alaska Native women, Veronica Abouchuk and Kathleen Jo Henry, in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The Crimes

Smith, a South African-born man, was arrested in 2019 after a sex worker stole his cellphone from his truck and found the gruesome footage of Henry’s torture and murder. During the trial, jurors heard how Smith sought out vulnerable women in Anchorage, often homeless, mentally ill, or addicted, for sexual encounters that turned violent.

The Sentencing

On Friday, Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby handed down the sentence, ensuring that Smith will spend the rest of his life in prison for the deaths of Abouchuk and Henry. Saxby described Smith as a person so dangerous that “if he is ever released, he will probably kill again.”

The Victims

Veronica Abouchuk, 52, was a mother from Stebbins who was reported missing in February 2019, seven months after her family last saw her. Kathleen Jo Henry, 30, was a homeless woman who was killed in September 2019 in a Midtown hotel room, where Smith filmed her torture and death by strangulation.

The Sentence

Smith received 99-year sentences each for the deaths of Abouchuk and Henry, with the sentences to be served consecutively. The sentence ensures that Smith will spend the rest of his life in prison, with no possibility of parole.

Reactions

The sentencing was met with relief from the victims’ families and advocates, who had been seeking justice for the murders. Abouchuk’s daughter, Kristy Grimaldi, gave the sole victim impact statement, thanking her mother for instilling a “love of family” in her and saying she felt relieved knowing Smith would “rot in prison.” 17GEN4.com