Man Sentenced for Murder After Woman Finds Horrific Footage on Stolen Phone: 'In My Movies, Everybody Always Dies'

Last week in Anchorage, Brian Steven Smith, 53, was sentenced to 226 years in prison for the murders of Kathleen Jo Henry, 30, (left) and Veronica Abouchuk, 52, (right) in September 2019 and August 2018. This after he was was convicted in February of 14 counts including two counts of Murder in the First Degree, Sexual Assault in the Second Degree, Tampering with Physical Evidence and Misconduct Involving a Corpse.

Per a press release from the State of Alaska Department of Law, when handing down the lengthy sentenced, Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby said, "There is no hope. There is no restoration. There is only preventing Mr. Smith from killing again."

"Both were treated about as horribly as a person can be treated," he added, "It's the stuff of nightmares."

Warning: Graphic details below.

The investigation into Smith began after a woman who reportedly met him for a "date" near Anchorage stole his phone from his truck after he left her alone to go get some money from an ATM. On the phone were 39 images and 12 videos showing Henry's murder.

The video of Henry showed the woman being beaten and strangled at a Marriott, as a man with a South African accent said, "In my movies, everybody always dies. What are my followers going to think of me? People need to know when they are being serial-killed."

"You saw the defendant repeatedly strangle Kathleen Henry," said Anchorage Deputy District Attorney Heather Nobrega 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."

"'Just take it. You live, you die'" Nobrega recounted, quoting the convicted killer. "He's saying this as he's taking his hands on and off of her throat."

Though he wasn't seen in the footage, authorities recognized Smith's voice from a previous interaction. He was also registered at an Anchorage Marriott in early September -- matching the time stamp on the video -- and phone location data matched where he was seen dumping the body several days later.

According to DA Brittany Dunlop, Smith also admitted -- "with no prompting" -- that he had killed another woman while being interrogated about Henry. "He tells the troopers in the bathroom, 'I'm going to make you famous,'" said Dunlop, "He comes back in and says ... 'You guys got some more time? You want to keep talking?’ And then discloses this other murder."

The other murder was of Abouchuk, whose body had previously been found with a bullet in her skull. Per Nobrega, Smith said he killed her because she "refused to shower."

"It just pissed him off and he went to his garage and he got his gun and he shot her in the head," she said, adding that detectives were able to restore a deleted drive found at his home which included videos of Abouchuk before and after her death.

Smith pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, with his defense attorney arguing during the trial that his client confessed after "eight hours of pre-planned psychological warfare." Smith's lawyer also called the woman who found the videos an unreliable witness.

Abouchuk's daughter, Kristy Grimaldi, gave an impact statement during a sentencing hearing -- in which she reportedly said she hoped Smith would "rot in prison" and "live the rest of his life with no hope."