South African Man Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder for Torturing and Killing Alaska Native Women

A South African man, Brian Steven Smith, has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of two Alaska Native women. The jury in Anchorage deliberated for less than two hours before delivering a unanimous verdict against Smith, who showed no reaction in court as the judge read the jury's decision.

The crime and the sentence

Smith's arrest came after a woman stole his cellphone from his truck and discovered gruesome footage from 2019, in which he recorded the violent death of an Alaska Native woman. The woman, who became a key witness during the trial, copied the footage to a memory card she had stolen and ultimately turned it over to the police.

Subsequently, Smith confessed to killing another Alaska Native woman, whose body had been found earlier but had been misidentified. In addition to the first-degree murder charges, he was found guilty of multiple counts of sexual assault, totaling 14 charges.

Smith's sentencing was scheduled for July, with the possibility of facing a mandatory 99-year sentence for one of the murders. Notably, Alaska does not have the death penalty.

Relatives of the victims attended the trial, with Freda Dan, a member of the Abouchuk family, commending law enforcement and the judicial system for their thorough work. Smith's wife, Stephanie Bissland, also attended the trial, expressing her perspective on his actions and her intention to stay by his side despite the situation.

The graphic videos were shown to the jury during the trial, depicting the violent acts committed by Smith. Prosecutors provided details of how Smith drove around with one victim's body in the back of his truck for two days before dumping her corpse on a rural road south of Anchorage. The distinctive accent heard in the recordings helped identify Smith as the perpetrator.

The victims, Kathleen Henry and Veronica Abouchuk, hailed from small villages in western Alaska and had experienced homelessness. The crimes took place at a hotel in midtown Anchorage, and location data from Smith's phone corroborated the events leading to the discovery of the victims' bodies.

Brutal murders

Valerie Casler, the woman who provided the images to the police, changed her story over the years about how she came into possession of the SD memory card containing the incriminating evidence. Despite inconsistencies in her account, the evidence she provided was crucial in the case against Smith.

During an eight-hour police interrogation, Smith confessed to killing Abouchuk and provided details about the crime. He admitted to picking her up in Anchorage, becoming upset with her, and ultimately shooting her in the head before disposing of her body north of Anchorage.

The verdict against Brian Steven Smith in the brutal murders of Kathleen Henry and Veronica Abouchuk has brought a sense of closure to the families and communities impacted by these heinous crimes. As the legal process moves towards sentencing, the repercussions of these tragic events continue to resonate in Alaska and beyond.