Murder of Kathleen Jo Henry: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{short description|2019 murder of Alaska Native woman, recorded on the assailants SD card}}

{{Infobox event

| title = =

| image =

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| caption =

| date = {{start date|2019|10|02}} (body discovered)

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| place = [[Anchorage]], [[Alaska]], U.S.

| coordinates =

| arrests = Brian Steven Smith

| convicted =

| sentence =

| charges = [[First degree murder]]<br>[[Second-degree murder]]<br>[[Sexual assault]]<br>[[Tampering with evidence]]

| verdict = Guilty on all = Trial pendingcounts

}}

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 322, operated by [[Marriott International]]. The murder of Kathleen Henry, who was also sexually assaulted before her death, made international news when it was revealed that her alleged killer, Brian Steven Smith, recorded her death in both still photograph as well as numerous videos which he recorded on an [[SD card]]. Henry's remains were found along Alaska's [[Seward Highway]] on October 2, 2019.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|last=Ortiz|first=Aimee|title=Memory Card Found With Brutal Videos and Photos Leads to Murder Arrest|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/us/anchorage-murder-sd-card-video.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 9, 2019|accessdate=October 16, 2019}}</ref>

==Overview==

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]], where he arrived after returning from a trip. Smith was subsequently booked into an Anchorage jail. Police have stated that they discovered thirty-nine photos and twelve videos related to Henry's assault and murder on the SD card, which was found by a woman on the street in the [[Fairview, Anchorage|Fairview]] section of Anchorage.<ref name="CrimeHunter">{{cite news|last=Hunter|first=Brad|title=CRIME HUNTER: An accent, a memory card and a brutal murder|url=https://torontosun.com/news/world/crime-hunter-an-accent-a-memory-card-and-a-brutal-murder|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]|date=October 12, 2019|accessdate=October 16, 2019}}</ref>▼

The murder of Kathleen Henry, who was also sexually assaulted before her death, made international news when it was revealed that her alleged killer, Brian Steven Smith, recorded her death in both still photograph as well as numerous videos which he recorded on an [[SD card]]. Henry's remains were found along Alaska's [[Seward Highway]] on October 2, 2019.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|last=Ortiz|first=Aimee|title=Memory Card Found With Brutal Videos and Photos Leads to Murder Arrest|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/us/anchorage-murder-sd-card-video.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 9, 2019|accessdate=October 16, 2019}}</ref>

▲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]], where he arrived after returning from a trip. Smith was subsequently booked into an Anchorage jail. Police have stated that they discovered thirty-nine photos and twelve videos related to Henry's assault and murder on the SD card, which was found by a woman on thea streetphone inshe thehad [[Fairview,earlier Anchorage|Fairview]]stolen sectionfrom ofSmith's Anchoragetruck.<ref name="CrimeHunter">{{cite news|last=HunterPineda|first=BradDhanika|title=CRIMEBrian HUNTER:Steven AnSmith accent,found aguilty memoryon cardall andcounts afor brutalthe murder of 2 Native Alaska women|url=https://torontosunabcnews.go.com/newsUS/world/crimeverdict-hunterreached-andouble-accentmurder-atrial-memory2-card-and-anative-brutal-murderalaskan/story?id=107453758|publisher=[[TorontoABC News (United States)|ABC SunNews]]|date=OctoberFebruary 1222, 20192024|accessdate=OctoberSeptember 1612, 20192024}}</ref><ref>https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/alaska-murder-videos-brian-steven-smith-b2490706.html</ref>

On October 17, 2019, Smith was charged with the murder of a second woman, Veronica Abouchuk, whom Smith allegedly confessed to killing. Smith allegedly admitted to her death, and told authorities where they could find her body.<ref name="KTLA">{{cite news|title=Man Seen in Strangling Video Charged in Killing of 2nd Woman in Alaska|url=https://ktla.com/2019/10/17/man-seen-in-strangling-video-charged-in-killing-of-2nd-woman-in-alaska/|publisher=[[KTLA]]|date=October 17, 2019|accessdate=October 17, 2019}}</ref>

==Kathleen Jo Henry==

Kathleen Jo Henry was born December 22, 1988, in [[Bethel, Alaska]]. An [[Alaska Native]] woman from the [[Yup'ik]] [[Eskimo]] village of [[Eek, Alaska|Eek]], Henry obtained her [[General Educational Development|GED]] in 2012, while incarcerated in Alaska's Highland Mountain Correctional Center, a state prison in the Anchorage neighborhood of [[Eagle River, Anchorage|Eagle River]]. A divorcee who was single at the time of her death, Henry struggled with addiction and criminal run -ins with law enforcement over the years. She was a frequent user of [[Facebook]] and other social media, and enjoyed writing poetry. At the time of her death, she was 30 years old.<ref name="Heavy">{{cite web |last=McBride |first=Jessica |date=2019-10-11 |title=Kathleen Henry: A Tribute to the Murdered Alaska Woman |url=https://heavy.com/news/2019/10/kathleen-j-henry/ |accessdate=October 16, 2019 |website=[[Heavy.com]] |publisher=}}</ref>

==Suspect==

Brian Steven Smith was identified as the suspect in the murder of Kathleen Henry, 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, as well as in South Africa, is the subject of an ongoing, international investigation.

Brian Steven Smith (b. March 23, 1971) was born in [[South Africa]], in the [[Queenstown, South Africa|Queenstown]] area, and later immigrated to the United States. Smith became a U.S. citizen in September 2019. In 2019, Smith was arrested in [[Anchorage, Alaska]], after he returned from an out of state trip, and was charged with the sexual assault and murder of Kathleen Jo Henry that past September, at a [[Marriott International]] affiliate, where he was an employee and had rented a discounted room from September 2-42–4. Police believe the murder of Henry occurred on September 4, 2019.

On October 17, 2019, Smith was 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://alaska-native-news.com/brian-smith-indicted-in-second-murder-of-alaska-native-woman/45251/ | title=Brian Smith Indicted in Murder of Second Alaska Native Woman | date=18 October 2019 }}</ref> Detectives with the [[Anchorage Police Department]], as well as the U.S. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]], continuecontinued to look into Smith's past.<ref>{{cite web|title=Man Heard in Strangling Video Charged in Killing of 2nd Woman in Alaska|url=https://ktla.com/2019/10/17/man-seen-in-strangling-video-charged-in-killing-of-2nd-woman-in-alaska/|publisher=[[KTLA Morning News]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=October 17, 2019|accessdate=October 18, 2019}}</ref>▼

==Trial==

▲On October 17, 2019, Smith was charged with murdering a second woman, Veronica Abouchuk, after allegedly confessing to her murder and telling authorities where they could find her body. Detectives with the [[Anchorage Police Department]], as well as the U.S. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]], continue to look into Smith's past.<ref>{{cite web|title=Man Heard in Strangling Video Charged in Killing of 2nd Woman in Alaska|url=https://ktla.com/2019/10/17/man-seen-in-strangling-video-charged-in-killing-of-2nd-woman-in-alaska/|publisher=[[KTLA Morning News]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=October 17, 2019|accessdate=October 18, 2019}}</ref>

On February 22, 2024, a jury found Smith guilty on all 14 charges against him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pineda |first=Dhanika |date=February 22, 2024 |title=Brian Steven Smith found guilty on all counts for the murder of 2 Native Alaska women |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/verdict-reached-double-murder-trial-2-native-alaskan/story?id=107453758 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223021410/https://abcnews.go.com/US/verdict-reached-double-murder-trial-2-native-alaskan/story?id=107453758 |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=February 22, 2024 |website=ABC News}}</ref> On July 12, 2024, Smith was sentenced to 226 years in prison.<ref>{{cite web|title=Man gets 226 years in deaths of 2 Alaska Native women. He filmed the torture of one|url=https://apnews.com/article/alaska-memory-card-killings-sentence-27c8769e5d0e4d7c2cce7736df8a5592|access-date=July 13, 2024|publisher=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

==See also==

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[[Category:Deaths by person in Alaska]]

[[Category:Female murder victims]]

[[Category:Filmed killings in North America]]

[[Category:Formerly missing people]]

[[Category:History of Anchorage, Alaska]]

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[[Category:September 2019 crimes in the United States]]

[[Category:September 2019 events in the United States]]

[[Category:Unsolved murders in the United States]]

[[Category:Violence against women in the United States]]

[[Category:History of women in Alaska]]