Brian Smith found guilty on 14 charges related to murders of 2 Alaska Native women

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Brian Smith was found guilty Thursday on 14 charges related to the murders of two Alaska Native women; Kathleen Henry, 30, and Veronica Abouchuk, 52.

The jury took about two hours to come up with a verdict Thursday afternoon after the case was handed over to the jury for deliberations at about 12:30 p.m.

Smith was accused of killing Henry and Abouchuk between 2017 and 2019.

Henry was from the village of Eek and Abouchuk was from Stebbins.

Both women struggled with addiction and experienced homelessness in Anchorage. Their family, friends, and supporters — many wearing red, the color of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People — packed the courtroom at times crying or fleeing from the courtroom in tears.

As the verdict was read the families of Henry and Abouchuk cried.

A person in the gallery whispered, “Kathleen and Veronica got justice.”

Smith stood silent as a statue.

His wife stared ahead.

The pair never made eye contact.

There was a slight delay in hearing the verdict as the courtroom was set up for the livestream. Meanwhile, for about 30 minutes, people connected to the trial chatted in the sunshine-filled hallway.

While waiting for a verdict, Smith’s wife changed out of a turtleneck with a gold cross dangling from her neck to a blue sweatshirt and black snow boots.

Supporters of the two slain women wore red. One woman had white beaded earrings with a red palm print.

The prosecution declined to say if a plea agreement had been offered to Smith.

For three weeks, the jury has watched horrific footage of a woman being beaten and strangled to death. There were dozens of screen grabs, pictures and photos showing two bodies being manipulated and touched sexually.

The defense maintained that the women in the images were never linked by family or friends to the human remains found along the Glenn and Seward Highways.

Henry’s skeletal remains were discovered by Alaska Railroad employees Oct. 2, 2019, along the railroad tracks near mile 108.5 of the Seward Highway.

Abouchuk’s remains were found along the Old Glenn Highway by mushroom hunters. Only part of her skull, with a gunshot wound to the side of the head, was recovered.

Smith confessed to killing Abouchuk, shooting her in the head because — as he says — she wouldn’t take a shower.

His defense contended Smith only confessed because he was under duress after being interrogated by Anchorage Police for eight hours.

During closing arguments Thursday morning, the prosecution told the jury that Smith had dumped their bodies “like trash.”

The case gained national attention when Anchorage Police said “a good Samaritan” had found an SD card on the streets of Anchorage titled “Homicide at midtown Marriott,” which contained 39 images and 12 videos of a woman being beaten to death and other images of a second woman naked and dead.

The images have been a key part of this case, but how the videos were obtained became a huge sticking point.

Valerie Casler initially told police she had found a memory card containing the gruesome images of death on a street in Anchorage with the strange homicide label. She later changed her story and testified that she stole Smith’s phone from his truck and then transferred the pictures to a stolen SD card, which she admitted to labeling.

Casler said she had initially lied about it because she did not want to be arrested for theft or attempted prostitution.

During closing arguments, Smith’s defense attorney continuously called her a “liar” who couldn’t be trusted, and therefore guilt couldn’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

After the verdict was read, the jury agreed there was also an aggravating factor of torture. That meant jurors thought Smith did cause physical torture and substantial suffering in the death of Henry.

“Consider what it must have been like for 36 minutes, fighting for your life and not being able to breathe,” prosecutor Brittany Dunlop said.

Before and after her death the prosecutors say Smith recorded himself kicking, choking, straddling, sexually touching and screaming at Henry to die.

Before she left the courthouse, Abouchuk’s sister said the verdict brought her “peace.”

“It was pretty difficult, but also, for me and my sister it’s more of letting go so our sister and Kathleen, their spirits can be released in peace,” Rena Sapp said.

The grieving sister was in the gallery watching every day of this trial.

“They’re at peace now,” Sapp said. “That’s the most important thing. And, for me, her sister, Veronica’s sister, and Kathleen’s family, it’s been too long and today is a life celebration and a spiritual celebration.”

Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.