Murder of Kathleen Jo Henry

Murder of Kathleen Jo Henry
DateSeptember 4, 2019 (2019-09-04) (murder occurred)
October 2, 2019 (2019-10-02) (body discovered)
Location
ArrestsBrian Steven Smith
ChargesFirst degree murder
Second-degree murder
Sexual assault
Tampering with evidence
VerdictGuilty on all counts

The murder of Kathleen Jo Henry occurred on September 4, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. The murder occurred at a local TownePlace Suites hotel, room 323,[1] operated by Marriott International.

Overview

Henry's sexual assault and murder made international news when it was revealed that her killer, Brian Steven Smith, had recorded her death in both still photographs and numerous videos. Henry's remains were found along Alaska's Seward Highway on October 2, 2019.[2]

Detectives with the Anchorage Police Department recognized Smith from a previous investigation involving him, and obtained a warrant for his arrest. On October 8, 2019, Smith was arrested at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport upon returning from a trip. Smith was subsequently booked into an Anchorage jail. Police stated that they discovered thirty-nine photos and twelve videos related to Henry's assault and murder on an SD card, which was found by a woman on a phone she had earlier stolen from Smith's truck.[3][4]

Kathleen Jo Henry

Kathleen Jo Henry was an Alaska Native woman from the Yup'ik village of Eek, in Western Alaska. She was born December 22, 1988, in Bethel, Alaska. Henry was a mother, a frequent user of Facebook and other social media, and enjoyed writing poetry. She obtained her GED in 2012, while incarcerated in Alaska's Highland Mountain Correctional Center, a state prison in the Anchorage neighborhood of Eagle River. At the time of her death in September of 2019, Henry was 30 years old.[5] For a time preceding her death, Henry had reportedly struggled with addiction and had had previous contact with local law enforcement.

Suspect

Smith (b. March 23, 1971) was born in South Africa, in the Queenstown area, and later immigrated to the United States. He became a U.S. citizen in September 2019.

Smith was identified as the suspect in Henry's murder based on photograph and video evidence obtained by the Anchorage Police Department. Since then, Smith has been implicated in another murder, and authorities consider him a serial killer. His past in both the United States and South Africa is the subject of an ongoing, international investigation. Smith is also known to have expressed racist views on Quora posts. For example, he claimed that Black people are far more likely to commit crimes: "White people don’t assume it, everyone assumes it when they look at police crime statistics. Wherever black people go in the world, there is an immediate rise in crime. It is a statistical fact that blacks are ± 600% more likely to violate the law."[6]

Smith was also charged with murdering a second woman, Veronica Abouchuk, after allegedly confessing to her murder and telling authorities where they could find her body. The Police already had discovered the remains of Abouchuk on the 18th, likely before questioning.[7] Detectives with the Anchorage Police Department, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, continued to look into Smith's past.[8]

Trial

On February 22, 2024, an Anchorage jury found Smith guilty on 11 felony counts, including the murders of both Kathleen Henry and Veronica Abouchuk, sexual assault, and tampering with physical evidence.[9] On July 12, 2024, Smith was sentenced to 226 years in prison.[10]

Smith filed an appeal with the Alaska Court of Appeals on October 7th, 2024. Briefings have not yet been filed in that case as of February, 2026.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pelisek, Christine. "Brian Steven Smith Convicted of Murdering 2 Alaska Native Women". Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  2. ↑ Ortiz, Aimee (October 9, 2019). "Memory Card Found With Brutal Videos and Photos Leads to Murder Arrest". The New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  3. ↑ Pineda, Dhanika (February 22, 2024). "Brian Steven Smith found guilty on all counts for the murder of 2 Native Alaska women". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  4. ↑ "'In my movies, everybody always dies': The stolen memory card and double murder trial". Independent.co.uk. February 5, 2024. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  5. ↑ McBride, Jessica (October 11, 2019). "Kathleen Henry: A Tribute to the Murdered Alaska Woman". Heavy.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  6. ↑ "SA man accused of brutal murder in Alaska said black people are more likely to be criminals - report". The Citizen. October 13, 2019. Archived from the original on August 17, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Brian Smith Indicted in Murder of Second Alaska Native Woman". October 18, 2019. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Man Heard in Strangling Video Charged in Killing of 2nd Woman in Alaska". KTLA. KTLA Morning News. Associated Press. October 17, 2019. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  9. ↑ Pineda, Dhanika (February 22, 2024). "Brian Steven Smith found guilty on all counts for the murder of 2 Native Alaska women". ABC News. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Man gets 226 years in deaths of 2 Alaska Native women. He filmed the torture of one". Associated Press. July 12, 2024. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Case Summary". appellate-records.courts.alaska.gov. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
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