Homicide; Milepost 108 Seward Highway
Update on 7/12/24:
From the Attorney General’s Office:
Today, Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby sentenced Brian Steven Smith, 53, to 226 years in prison for the murders of Kathleen Jo Henry and Veronica Abouchuk.
Smith was convicted in February of 14 counts including two counts of Murder in the First Degree. A jury also found him guilty of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree, Tampering with Physical Evidence and Misconduct Involving a Corpse.
Homicide detectives with the Anchorage Police Department were alerted about a murder when a woman in possession of Smith’s phone shared videos with them from Smith’s phone. The video along with photos found on the device showed that Smith had tortured a then unknown woman before killing her, disposing of her body, and attempting to hide the evidence.
Further investigation resulted in the victim, murdered in 2019, being identified as 30-year-old Kathleen Jo Henry. While he was being questioned, Smith admitted to killing a second victim, a year prior in 2018. That woman was identified as 52-year-old Veronica Abouchuk.
Family members and members of the community gathered in the courtroom for the sentencing, and Veronica Abouchuk’s daughter provided a statement wishing that Smith would live the rest of his life with no hope. In handing down the lengthy sentence advocated for by the State, Judge Saxby said, “There is no hope. There is no restoration. There is only preventing Mr. Smith from killing again.”
The case was tried by Anchorage District Attorney Brittany Dunlop and Deputy District Attorney Heather Nobrega before Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby.
Update on 2/26/24:
From the Attorney General’s Office:
Feb. 22, 2024 (Anchorage, AK) – Today, an Anchorage Jury found Brian Steven Smith, 53, guilty of fourteen counts including two counts of Murder in the First Degree for the murders of Kathleen Jo Henry and Veronica Abouchuk. They also found him guilty of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree, Tampering with Evidence and Misconduct Involving a Corpse.
Homicide detectives with the Anchorage Police Department were alerted about a murder when a woman shared video with them from Smith’s phone. The video along with photos found on the device showed that Smith had tortured the then unknown woman before killing her, disposing of her body, and attempting to hide the evidence.
Further investigation resulted in the victim being identified as Kathleen Jo Henry. While he was being questioned, Smith admitted to killing a second victim, a year prior. That woman was identified as Veronica Abouchuk. The jury was presented with Smith’s lengthy and detailed confession with investigators as well as videos of Kathleen Jo Henry’s murder, and videos of Veronica Abouchuk before and after her murder.
After delivering their verdicts, the jury also found Smith guilty of an aggravating factor that he had subjected Kathleen Jo Henry to substantial physical torture. That aggravating factor will subject Smith to a mandatory 99-year sentence on the murder of Henry. For Abouchuk’s murder he faces a sentence of 30-99 years. Sentencing is scheduled for July 12 and July 19, 2024.
Update on 10/10/19:
The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Kathleen J. Henry. Next-of-kin notification has been made.
Original on 10/9/19:
At 4:06 PM on September 30, 2019, Anchorage Police responded to the 3600-block of Lake Otis Parkway in reference to suspicious circumstances. A citizen had called APD Dispatch and claimed they found an SD card containing a video of a homicide. Officers met with the caller who stated the SD card was lying on the street in the Fairview neighborhood.
The SD card contained several videos which appeared to show the assault and subsequent homicide of an adult female. Detectives with the Homicide Unit were notified and began an investigation.
At 9:14 AM on October 2, 2019, officers responded to milepost 108 of the Seward Highway in regards to human remains being found near the roadway.
Through the course of the investigation, detectives determined the crime took place in Anchorage during the first week of September. They identified 48-year-old Brian Steven Smith as the suspect and believe the human remains are of the adult female in the video. A warrant for his arrest for the charge of Murder I was obtained on October 7, 2019. On October 8, 2019 around 3:30 p.m., Smith was taken into custody at the Ted Stevens International Airport. He was questioned by detectives and remanded at the Anchorage Jail overnight on his outstanding warrant.
APD Detectives are working with the Medical Examiner’s Office to confirm the victim’s identity and manner of death. Once that has been completed, and next-of-kin notification has been made, her name will be released.
The Anchorage Police Department extends its gratitude to the citizen who stepped forward with the evidence of this crime. They played an instrumental role in making sure Smith will be held accountable for his actions. This serves as another example of when you see something suspicious, say something.
APD Case 19-35212
