Videos show woman being strangled; suspect arrested
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Latest on a death investigation in Alaska (all times local):
4:55 p.m.
A charging document alleges a memory card found on a street in Alaska’s largest city contained videos of a woman being strangled and pictures of her face down in the back of a truck.
Anchorage police arrested 48-year-old Brian Steven Smith on a murder charge, and he had a brief court appearance Wednesday.
He did not enter a plea and a lawyer was being appointed. Authorities say the investigation is continuing.
The charging document filed by the Department of Law is based on a review of the investigation so far.
It says police reviewing the footage remembered Smith, who is from South Africa, from another investigation. The document says hotel records indicated Smith was registered in a room with carpets matching those in the footage.
Police believe human remains found along a highway earlier this month are those of the woman.
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11:40 a.m.
Police in Alaska say a man is in custody after videos were found on a digital memory card depicting a woman being assaulted and killed.
Anchorage police say a caller last week reported finding the card on a city street.
They believe human remains found along a highway earlier this month are those of the woman depicted in the videos.
Authorities are working to identify the woman and her manner of death.
Police say they obtained a warrant for the arrest of 48-year-old Brian Steven Smith on a murder charge and arrested him Tuesday at an Anchorage airport.
Court records did not list an attorney for Smith.
AP-WF-10-10-19 0105GMT