A man accused of killing a woman and recording it to an sD card later found on a street has been charged with the murder of a second Alaska woman, authorities announced Thursday.
Brian Smith, 48, was indicted by a Grand jury Thursday in the murder of Veronica Abuchuk, whose remains were found in April outside anchorage, the Alaska legal Department said.
The 52-year-old Abuchuk went missing in February, who was last seen in July 2018, police said.
When Smith was interviewed after his arrest earlier this month in the September killing of 30-year-old Kathleen Henry, he admitted to shooting another female victim between 2017 and 2018 “and provided the location of her body, officials said.
Smith pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Henry’s death.
“We hope these charges will help bring some closure to people for their missing loved ones,” Deputy district attorney Brittany Dunlop told reporters at a news conference Thursday.
Anchorage police chief Justin Doll addresses reporters about alleged killer Brian Smith in anchorage, Alaska October 17, 2019.Mark Thiessen / AP
The legal Department said Alaska state troopers who found the remains found a skull with a gunshot wound from an area Smith identified. The medical examiner’s office identified the remains on October 11 as those of Abuchuk, anchorage police chief Justin Doll said.
Both victims were Alaska natives, Dunlop said. Henry’s body was found near Seward Highway on October 2.
Smith, who is from South Africa, was arrested in Henry’s death after a man found SD cards in the Fairview area of anchorage on September 30 that contained videos that appeared to show the murder of a woman, police said.
The SD card was dubbed the “downtown Marriott murder,” according to charging documents reported by NBC affiliate ktuu anchorage. The murder is believed to have taken place at the Marriot hotel on September 4, the legal Department said.
Video footage captured on a map shows a woman being strangled and a man telling her to die, according to the Associated Press.
Doll said police were continuing to investigate the case.
“We will look at every aspect of the case and, if necessary, follow it where we need to,” he said on Thursday.
Smith was indicted on charges that include murder, sexual assault and tampering with evidence in Henry’s death, and a torture order was made that could result in a mandatory minimum sentence of 99 years if convicted, Dunlop said.
The Grand jury added charges of murder and tampering with evidence in Abuchuk’s killing, and the state also filed a charge of misconduct involving a corpse, she said.
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