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The wife of the South African man convicted of murder has vowed to stay with him despite knowing he filmed and narrated as a woman slowly died.

Brian Steven Smith was convicted of brutally murdering two Alaska Native women and recording the killings, saying “What are my followers going to think of me? People need to know when they are being serial killed”.

The Eastern Cape man’s distinct Saffa accent led to his arrest, along with a memory card containing photos and videos of one murder that was discovered and handed to police. He is due to be sentenced in July, but despite his bragging about wanting to be a serial killer, his American wife says she will not divorce him.

Smith, originally from Queenstown (Komani), moved to Alaska five years before his arrest for the murder of Kathleen J Henry, 30, and 52-year-old Veronica Abouchuk between 2018 and 2019. He was convicted on Thursday on 14 charges, including murder and multiple counts of sexual assault, NBC News reported.

Image: Facebook

Notably present at the trial was Smith’s wife, Stephanie Bissland of Anchorage, who, despite the atrocities he committed, said she wouldn’t file for divorce, declaring: “I said my vows.”

“He was very good for me, but he had another life, I guess.” She claimed her husband’s acts were likely exacerbated by heavy drinking and that she plans to write to him and visit him in prison.

That “I guess” is terribly dissociated from the reality. One has to wonder if Stephanie is okay.

Kathleen Henry and Veronica Abouchuk hailed from small villages in western Alaska and had experienced homelessness. Smith’s chilling recordings captured Henry’s death at a hotel in midtown Anchorage, where he was registered as a guest. Jurors heard harrowing audio from the graphic videos, capturing the final moments of her life.  The recordings, although not showing Smith’s face, captured his distinct accent as he narrated while torturing Henry.

Image: Kathleen Henry / Facebook

Smith’s heinous acts came to light after a sex worker stole his cell phone from his truck and discovered the graphic footage. The sicko even confessed to the murder of another Alaska Native woman, who initially had been misidentified. He had also confessed to the murder of Abouchuk, whom he fatally shot before discarding her body north of Anchorage.

Image: Veronica Abouchuk / Anchorage Police Department / Facebook

Smith’s childhood friends previously told the Sunday Times he was “a quiet and meek man” who worked as an IT technician.

Image: Facebook

Bissland said when he was first jailed, he was in a very dark place, adding that “He got better”. She said she was horrified to learn about his hidden “dark” side.

“I’ve never seen anything that dark in him,” Bissland insisted.

But still, she plans to write to him and visit him when he is transferred to prison. Divorce is not on the cards, she says.

She meanwhile asked that people pray for the dead women and also for her husband.

“He also is in a dark place and needs to see the light,” she said.

Shame, it sounds like she’s plagued by the feminine urge to fix a man. Hopefully, she realises soon that her man is far, far gone.

[source:timeslive&mirror]