Alaskan Man Charged With Murder After Police Discover Thumb-Drive With Photos And Videos Of Alleged Act

An Alaska man faces murder charges following the discovery of a thumb-drive containing images and videos of an alleged homicide.

Brian Steven Smith, 48, was arrested Tuesday.

A thumb drive found Sept. 30 in Anchorage's Fairview neighborhood contained photos and videos of a woman being beaten and strangled at a Marriot hotel in the city. A man is allegedly heard saying “just die” to the woman in the video, according to documents acquired by the Associated Press.

Police said human remains were discovered just outside the city Oct. 2. While the remains have yet to be identified, police said they believe them to be those of the woman seen on the thumb-drive.

“We had two investigations going on,” Anchorage police spokesman MJ Thim told reporters.

The case saw a break after investigators were able to identify the man on the video from a previous investigation. Police determined the man stayed at the Marriot hotel Sept. 2-4 and his room matched the layout of the one seen in the video of the killing.

Smith was arrested at Ted Stevens International Airport. He pleaded not guilty in a court appearance Wednesday and currently is being held on $500,000 bail.