SA man accused of brutal murder in Alaska said black people are more likely to be criminals – report

The South African man accused of brutally murdering a woman in Alaska in the US has answered hundreds of questions about South Africa, apartheid and the history of Africa on the Quora website in recent months, according to Rapport.

In August, Brian Smith reportedly responded to a question about whether all white people assumed that black people are criminals.

“White people don’t assume it, everyone assumes it when they look at police crime statistics. Wherever black people go in the world, there is an immediate rise in crime. It is a statistical fact that blacks are ± 600% more likely to violate the law,” Smith said in response to the question.

Smith, who was born in the Eastern Cape and raised in Queenstown, was arrested in Anchorage, Alaska, on Tuesday, according to a statement by the Anchorage police department.

The report follows the discovery of a SD card containing horrific video and images of the murder of a 30-year-old woman who has since been identified as Kathleen Henry.

According to the Anchorage Daily News, the memory card contains 39 images and 12 videos taken from September 4 to 6 this year in a hotel room.

The newspaper reported that the images show a naked Henry being brutally beaten and strangled. A video, which allegedly identified Smith, shows him yelling at her, telling her to die and laughing.

The explicit footage also allegedly shows Smith stomping on her neck and choking her death. Her body was found near the Seward Highway south of Anchorage on 2 October.

Detectives reportedly recognised Smith because he is involved in a separate ongoing investigation.

‘Loved by all’

Sunday Times reported that Smith’s family and friends described him as a meek man who was loved by all.

The newspaper reported that Smith’s cousin, Jacques Engelbrecht, was shocked to hear the arrest for murder, describing him as a quiet and kind man.

A friend of Smith, Debbie Driessel, reportedly said he was a caring and meek man who was never quick to anger.

“I spent so much time alone with him and I never felt threatened by him. I would phone him in a tizz about the computer and he was unflappable,” Sunday Times reported Driessel as saying.

Smith is expected to appear in court on October 21.

– Compiled by Alex Mitchley, News24 Wire

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.