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A 52-year-old man who recorded the violent death of a woman on his phone has been convicted of first-degree murder on Thursday in her death and that of another woman. According to The Independent, Brian Steven Smith from South Africa was arrested in the US after a woman stole his mobile phone from his truck and discovered the gruesome murder footage from 2019. The woman, whose identity hasn't been revealed, then copied the footage to a memory card and ultimately turned it over the to police. That card contained 39 images and 12 videos.
On Thursday, a jury in Alaska convicted Smith of the murders of Kathleen Henry, 30, in September 2019 and Veronica Abouchuk, 52, in 2017 or 2018. Both are Alaska Native women, the outlet reported. Smith was found guilty of first and second-degree murder as well as tampering with evidence and sexual assault.
According to the People, the graphic videos showed the man repeatedly strangling Ms Henry, prosecutors said during closing arguments. "You saw him step on her throat; you saw him step on her stomach. You see him fondle her and pinch her breasts. You see him poke her in the eye several times," Anchorage Deputy District Attorney Heather Nobrega said about the clips.
The attorney also pointed out that Smith's thick South African accent could be heard in the videos, telling the victim, "'Just take it. You live, you die.' He's saying this as he's taking his hands on and off of her throat".
Investigators discovered that Smith had allegedly stayed at the TownePlace Suites by Marriot where the murder occurred from September 2 and September 4 in 2019. According to prosecutors, the man drove around with Ms Henry's body in the back of his pickup for two days before dumping it on a rural road south of Anchorage. A coroner later ruled that she was strangled to death.
After being interviewed for hours, Smith admitted to the murder of 52-year-old Veronica Abouchuk, whose skull was found by mushroom pickers along a highway earlier, People reported. He also admitted to picking up Ms Abouchuk and bringing her back to his home because his wife was out of town. He said he killed her after refused to take a shower.
"She refused to shower and it just pissed him off and he went to his garage and he got his gun and he shot her in the head," the attorney said.
Police later found the gun in Smith's house as well as numerous digital devices. They also discovered a drive that had deleted but recoverable video Smith had taken of the 52-year-old at his home before and after her death.
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Meanwhile, as per The Independent, the woman who provided the images and videos to police has changed her story over the years about how she came into the possession of the memory card. She handed cops the card in 2019. She first claimed she found the card, labelled "Murder at the Midtown Marriott" on the ground. Later, she claimed she stole the card from a centre console of Smith's pickup when they were on what she described as a "date," but then changed it to say she stole the phone from the truck.
Smith's attorney said the woman was a "habitual, forceful and very comfortable liar. Nothing that she said adds up and nothing that she said could be corroborated was corroborated". During the closing arguments, the attorney also added that the prosecution had failed to prove their case, saying that they should have tested more DNA in the case.
The jury on Thursday convicted Smith despite him pleading guilty to all 14 charges, including two counts of first-degree murder.
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