Brian Smith (Memory Card Killer)

Brian Steven Smith was born in South Africa and later moved to the United States, eventually settling in Anchorage, Alaska. He worked at a Midtown Anchorage hotel and lived in the city for several years.

Smith became known to investigators before the murders came to light. In 2019, police were already investigating him when a cellphone containing evidence of a killing was recovered.

Smith specifically targeted vulnerable women, including Alaska Native women experiencing homelessness. During police questioning, he acknowledged that he had targeted women who were vulnerable because they could be lured with offers of food, alcohol or shelter.

Smith was convicted of murdering Kathleen Jo Henry and Veronica Abouchuk.

Henry, 30, was an Alaska Native woman from the western Alaska village of Eek. In September 2019, she was with Smith at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Anchorage.

Smith recorded Henry's torture and killing on his cellphone. The footage showed him assaulting and strangling her while narrating what he was doing. He subsequently transported her body in his pickup truck and abandoned it south of Anchorage.

Henry's body was later recovered and investigators connected Smith to her death through the video evidence.

Veronica Abouchuk, 52, was from the village of Stebbins. Her family reported her missing in February 2019, several months after they had last seen her.

During police questioning about Henry's murder, Smith admitted that he had also killed Abouchuk. He identified her from a photograph and provided investigators with information about where her remains could be found.

Abouchuk's remains were subsequently recovered along the Old Glenn Highway north of Anchorage.

Smith targeted women he considered vulnerable and used offers of food, alcohol, shelter or companionship to gain access to them.

In Henry's case, Smith took her to a hotel room, where he subjected her to prolonged violence before killing her. He recorded the attack and narrated portions of it as though he were making a film.

The recording became one of the most significant pieces of evidence in the case.

Smith also photographed and recorded other women. Investigators later discovered photographs on one of his phones showing an unidentified woman who appeared to be unconscious or dead. Prosecutors believed the woman was potentially another victim, although they initially could not establish her identity or prove that Smith had killed her.

Smith's crimes might not have been discovered when they were without an extraordinary break in the investigation.

A sex worker who had been with Smith stole his cellphone from his pickup truck. After examining its contents, she discovered disturbing photographs and video footage of Henry's torture and murder.

She copied the material onto an SD memory card and eventually turned it over to police. The card was labelled “Homicide at Midtown Marriott.” Investigators recognized Smith's distinctive South African accent on the recording and began connecting him to Henry's death.

Police subsequently seized another cellphone from Smith at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport while questioning him about the investigation.

During questioning, Smith admitted killing another woman and identified Abouchuk. He provided information that helped investigators locate her remains.

Smith was arrested and charged with multiple counts relating to the murders and sexual assaults.

Smith's trial began in February 2024 in Anchorage Superior Court.

Prosecutors presented extensive digital evidence, including cellphone videos, photographs, location data and other information linking Smith to Henry and Abouchuk.

The jury heard the audio from the recording of Henry's killing, although the graphic video itself was shown only to the jury, attorneys and court personnel.

On February 22, 2024, the jury found Smith guilty on all 14 charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and multiple sexual-assault charges.

In July 2024, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby sentenced Smith to 226 years in prison.

The sentence effectively amounts to two life sentences and ensures that Smith will spend the remainder of his life behind bars. The judge described Smith as beyond rehabilitation and said the crimes were among the most disturbing he had encountered.

The case became nationally known as the “Memory Card Murders” because of the SD card that exposed Smith's crimes. The woman who stole his phone and preserved the footage became a crucial witness in the investigation.

The prosecution argued that Smith deliberately preyed upon women who were especially vulnerable because of homelessness and other difficult circumstances. Both Henry and Abouchuk had experienced homelessness and struggled to survive in Anchorage.

Investigators later discovered evidence suggesting Smith may have killed additional women.

In 2024, prosecutors released photographs found on one of Smith's phones showing an unidentified woman who appeared to have been badly beaten and possibly dead or unconscious. Police had not established the woman's identity at the time.

The family of Cassandra Boskofsky, an Alaska Native woman who disappeared in 2019, subsequently said they believed the woman in the photographs was Cassandra. In September 2024, a court determined that Boskofsky was the victim of a homicide, although Smith was never charged with her death and authorities have not established that he was responsible.

Prosecutors also raised questions about another man, Ian Calhoun, whom they believed may have had knowledge of at least one of Smith's crimes. Calhoun has not been charged.

Smith's case has therefore raised the possibility that his two murder convictions represent only a portion of his criminal activity.

Sources:

• Anchorage Police Department
• Alaska Department of Law
• Anchorage Superior Court
• Alaska Department of Corrections
• Missing and Murdered Indigenous People advocates
• Alaska Public Media
• Associated Press
• Court TV