Man Convicted of Murder After Woman Finds Horrific Footage on Stolen Phone: 'In My Movies, Everybody Always Dies'
A South African man has been convicted of murdering two Native Alaska women -- after photos and video discovered on his stolen cell phone showed his actions in full, horrific detail. Brian Steven Smith (center) was found guilty this week of the murders of Kathleen Jo Henry, 30, (left) and Veronica Abouchuk, 52, (right) in September 2019 and August 2018, respectively. The jury found him guilty of all 14 criminal counts he faced, including first- and second-degree murder, sexual assault and tampering with evidence. Henry, the jury decided, was also subjected to "substantial physical torture," much of which was chronicled on video by Smith. The investigation into Smith began after a woman who reportedly met him for a "date" near Anchorage stole his phone from his truck after he left her alone to go get some money from an ATM. On the phone were 39 images and 12 videos showing Henry's murder. The woman initially told police she found an SD card labeled "Homicide at midtown Marriott" on the ground in September 2019, before testifying she actually transferred the files from the phone to an SD card and later lost the original phone. The video of Henry showed the woman being beaten and strangled at a Marriott, as a man with a South African accent said, "In my movies, everybody always dies. What are my followers going to think of me? People need to know when they are being serial-killed." "You saw the defendant repeatedly strangle Kathleen Henry," said Anchorage Deputy District Attorney Heather Nobrega during closing arguments. "You saw him step on her throat; you saw him step on her stomach. You see him fondle her and pinch her breasts. You see him poke her in the eye several times." "'Just take it. You live, you die'" Nobrega recounted, quoting the convicted killer. "He's saying this as he's taking his hands on and off of her throat." Though he wasn't seen in the footage, authorities recognized Smith's voice from a previous interaction. He was also registered at an Anchorage Marriott in early September -- matching the time stamp on the video -- and phone location data matched where he was seen dumping the body several days later. According to DA Brittany Dunlop, Smith also admitted -- "with no prompting" -- that he had killed another woman while being interrogated about Henry. "He tells the troopers in the bathroom, 'I'm going to make you famous,'" said Dunlop, "He comes back in and says ... 'You guys got some more time? You want to keep talking?’ And then discloses this other murder." The other murder was of Abouchuk, whose body had previously been found with a bullet in her skull. Per Nobrega, Smith said he killed her because she "refused to shower." "It just pissed him off and he went to his garage and he got his gun and he shot her in the head," she said, adding that detectives were able to restore a deleted drive found at his home which included videos of Abouchuk before and after her death. Smith pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, with his defense attorney arguing during the trial that his client confessed after "eight hours of pre-planned psychological warfare." Smith's lawyer also called the woman who found the videos an unreliable witness. He faces life behind bars; his sentencing is set for July. Per the AP, Smith's wife said she intends to stay married to him, despite the conviction. "He was very good for me, but he had another life, I guess," she said, adding that she'll visit him in prison. "I said my vows," she concluded.
Moderated by Tomas Kauer 
"What are my followers going to think of me? People need to know when they are being serial-killed," the man says in one of the gruesome videos uncovered in the disturbing investigation.
A South African man has been convicted of murdering two Native Alaska women -- after photos and video discovered on his stolen cell phone showed his actions in full, horrific detail.
Brian Steven Smith (center) was found guilty this week of the murders of Kathleen Jo Henry, 30, (left) and Veronica Abouchuk, 52, (right) in September 2019 and August 2018, respectively. The jury found him guilty of all 14 criminal counts he faced, including first- and second-degree murder, sexual assault and tampering with evidence.
Henry, the jury decided, was also subjected to "substantial physical torture," much of which was chronicled on video by Smith.
The investigation into Smith began after a woman who reportedly met him for a "date" near Anchorage stole his phone from his truck after he left her alone to go get some money from an ATM. On the phone were 39 images and 12 videos showing Henry's murder.
The woman initially told police she found an SD card labeled "Homicide at midtown Marriott" on the ground in September 2019, before testifying she actually transferred the files from the phone to an SD card and later lost the original phone.
The video of Henry showed the woman being beaten and strangled at a Marriott, as a man with a South African accent said, "In my movies, everybody always dies. What are my followers going to think of me? People need to know when they are being serial-killed."
"You saw the defendant repeatedly strangle Kathleen Henry," said Anchorage Deputy District Attorney Heather Nobrega during closing arguments. "You saw him step on her throat; you saw him step on her stomach. You see him fondle her and pinch her breasts. You see him poke her in the eye several times."
"'Just take it. You live, you die'" Nobrega recounted, quoting the convicted killer. "He's saying this as he's taking his hands on and off of her throat."
Though he wasn't seen in the footage, authorities recognized Smith's voice from a previous interaction. He was also registered at an Anchorage Marriott in early September -- matching the time stamp on the video -- and phone location data matched where he was seen dumping the body several days later.
According to DA Brittany Dunlop, Smith also admitted -- "with no prompting" -- that he had killed another woman while being interrogated about Henry. "He tells the troopers in the bathroom, 'I'm going to make you famous,'" said Dunlop, "He comes back in and says ... 'You guys got some more time? You want to keep talking?’ And then discloses this other murder."
The other murder was of Abouchuk, whose body had previously been found with a bullet in her skull. Per Nobrega, Smith said he killed her because she "refused to shower."
"It just pissed him off and he went to his garage and he got his gun and he shot her in the head," she said, adding that detectives were able to restore a deleted drive found at his home which included videos of Abouchuk before and after her death.
Smith pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, with his defense attorney arguing during the trial that his client confessed after "eight hours of pre-planned psychological warfare." Smith's lawyer also called the woman who found the videos an unreliable witness.
He faces life behind bars; his sentencing is set for July.
Per the AP, Smith's wife said she intends to stay married to him, despite the conviction. "He was very good for me, but he had another life, I guess," she said, adding that she'll visit him in prison. "I said my vows," she concluded.
