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Solved case · 2019
Also known as Kathleen Jo Henry's murder · Kathleen Jo Henry murder
The short answer
Kathleen Jo Henry, a 30-year-old Alaska Native woman, was sexually assaulted and murdered in an Anchorage hotel room in September 2019 by Brian Steven Smith, who recorded the crime in photos and video. Smith was convicted in 2024 of her murder and that of a second victim, Veronica Abouchuk, and sentenced to 226 years in prison.
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Suggest coverage for Murder of Kathleen Jo HenryThe case file
Kathleen Jo Henry was killed on September 4, 2019, in room 323 of a TownePlace Suites hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. Henry was an Alaska Native woman from the Yup'ik village of Eek in western Alaska, born December 22, 1988, in Bethel, Alaska. She was a mother who was active on Facebook and other social media and enjoyed writing poetry. She earned her GED in 2012 while incarcerated at Highland Mountain Correctional Center in Anchorage's Eagle River neighborhood. At the time of her death she was 30 years old and had reportedly struggled with addiction, with prior contact with local law enforcement.
The case drew international news attention after it was revealed that Henry's killer had recorded her death in still photographs and numerous videos. Her remains were found along Alaska's Seward Highway on October 2, 2019. Anchorage Police Department detectives recognized the suspect, Brian Steven Smith, from a previous investigation and obtained a warrant for his arrest. Police stated that thirty-nine photos and twelve videos related to the assault and murder were discovered on an SD card, which was found by a woman on a phone she had earlier stolen from Smith's truck.
Smith was arrested on October 8, 2019, at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport as he returned from a trip, and was subsequently booked into an Anchorage jail. Smith was born March 23, 1971, in the Queenstown area of South Africa, later immigrated to the United States, and became a U.S. citizen in September 2019.
Following his arrest in Henry's case, Smith was also charged with murdering a second woman, Veronica Abouchuk, after allegedly confessing and directing authorities to her remains, which police had already discovered on the 18th, likely before questioning. Detectives with the Anchorage Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continued examining Smith's background in both the United States and South Africa as part of an ongoing investigation. Smith has also been reported to have expressed racist views in online posts, including claims about crime rates among Black people.
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. On July 12, 2024, he was sentenced to 226 years in prison. Smith filed an appeal with the Alaska Court of Appeals on October 7, 2024; as of February 2026, briefings had not yet been filed in that appeal.
10 dated entries · 1971–2024
Kathleen Jo Henry born in Bethel, Alaska.
Brian Steven Smith born in the Queenstown area of South Africa.
Henry obtains her GED while incarcerated at Highland Mountain Correctional Center in Anchorage.
Smith becomes a U.S. citizen.
Kathleen Jo Henry is sexually assaulted and murdered in room 323 of a TownePlace Suites hotel in Anchorage, Alaska.
Henry's remains are found along Alaska's Seward Highway.
Brian Steven Smith is arrested at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and booked into an Anchorage jail.
An Anchorage jury finds Smith guilty on 11 felony counts, including the murders of Kathleen Henry and Veronica Abouchuk, sexual assault, and tampering with physical evidence.
Smith is sentenced to 226 years in prison.
Smith files an appeal with the Alaska Court of Appeals.
3 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Alaska Native woman sexually assaulted and murdered in an Anchorage hotel room in September 2019.[3]
Second woman murdered by Brian Steven Smith, whose remains were found after Smith allegedly directed authorities to them.[3]
Found guilty by an Anchorage jury on February 22, 2024, of 11 felony counts including the murders of Kathleen Henry and Veronica Abouchuk, sexual assault, and tampering with physical evidence; sentenced to 226 years in prison.[3]
From the record
3 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
PressThe New York TimesAccessed Jul 7, 2026
PressABC NewsAccessed Jul 7, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 7, 2026
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