A convicted prostitute who stole a memory card from a date was horrified to find gruesome footage of a woman being beaten and strangled β with the stolen card now at the heart of a double-murder trial.
People need to know when they are being serial killed. Authorities believe the footage was taken at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Anchorage β where Smith was registered to stay from Sept. You want to keep talking? Abouchuk was 52 when her family formally reported her missing in February , several months after they had last seen her.
Like Henry, she had been through periods of homelessness. But dental records later confirmed she was the woman whose skull was found with a bullet wound where Smith told cops to look, authorities have said. Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Smith has since pleaded not guilty to 14 charges, including first- and second-degree murder, sexual assault and tampering with evidence. He faces a possible 99 years behind bars if convicted.
But Third Judicial District Judge Kevin Saxby ruled late Friday that the woman who snagged the SD card can testify about taking it and holding it for a week before she turned it in to cops, and that the recordings can be properly authenticated.
The trial is scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection, and will likely take three to four weeks to complete. Authorities said Smith came to Alaska in and became a naturalized US citizen the same month Henry was killed. His wife, Stephanie Bissland of Anchorage, and a sister acting as a family spokesperson in South Africa both declined to comment until after the trial. Never Miss a Story Sign up to get the best stories straight to your inbox.
