Alaska Native woman believed slain by serial killer Brian Smith declared homicide victim

3 weeks ago

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Presumptive decease hearings are communal successful Alaska. Hikers, hunters and boaters often spell missing, ne'er to beryllium seen again.

But location are besides those who vanish from nan streets of Anchorage, for illustration 3 Alaska Native women who crossed paths pinch serial slayer Brian Smith.

In July, nan South African migrant was sentenced to 226 years successful situation for murdering 2 of nan women, Kathleen Jo Henry and Veronica Abouchuk.

Smith was ne'er charged successful nan decease of a 3rd woman.

Prosecutors said they could neither corroborate her identity, nor beryllium he killed her. But Cassandra Boskofsky’s family went to tribunal connected Tuesday to inquire for a decease certificate and group nan grounds straight, arsenic a assemblage wished that she was nan unfortunate of a homicide.

RELATED: In Anchorage protest, woman’s family says she is convicted slayer Brian Smith’s 3rd victim

Presumptive decease hearings don’t usually battalion a courtroom pinch TV cameras rolling. But this lawsuit progressive Smith, convicted successful what nan nationalist media dubbed the Memory Card Murders, because of nan 2 killings he recorded connected cellphones.

The family wore reddish shirts pinch a photograph of a young and happy Cassandra that said, “Where is Cassandra?” astatine nan apical — “Justice for Cassandra” astatine nan bottommost — and connected nan back, “We want answers.”

Poster-sized photos were connected display, images of a female believed to beryllium Cassandra that came from 1 of Smith’s cellphones — bloody, battered and lifeless.

RELATED: Alaska prosecutors merchandise photos of imaginable 3rd unfortunate successful sentencing for convicted slayer Brian Smith

When constabulary confronted him astir nan pictures aft his apprehension successful 2019, he told them she was alive, but had passed retired connected nan crushed from alcohol.

Nick Pestrikoff says he knew instantly that nan female was his cousin, Cassandra.

“I’ve known her since she was born. She didn’t person a unchangeable home,” Pestrikoff said. “Her Dad liked his liquor, and truthful did her mother.”

Cassandra grew up successful 2 Kodiak-area communities, Ouzinkie and Old Harbor. Pestrikoff says Cassandra had nan aforesaid struggle arsenic her parents.

“She did. She had it rough, but she still had nan capacity to love,” he said. “She dearly loved me, and I dearly loved her.”

Pestrikoff says it’s a emotion that’s difficult to understand. But contempt nan chaos of life connected nan streets, that love, though painful, someway endures. And it is retired of that love, that nan family petitioned nan tribunal to assistance a decease certificate – to extremity nan limbo and bring bid to Cassandra.

“The presumptive decease proceeding is held erstwhile a personification has disappeared,” Anchorage District Court Judge Brian Clark explained to nan courtroom.

He said nan proceeding is for illustration a trial, only location are nary attorneys. Instead, nan family must coming grounds to a assemblage of six people, who person 1 mobility to answer.

“Has capable grounds been presented,” he said, “from which it reasonably whitethorn beryllium presumed that nan missing personification has met death?”

The assemblage tin besides mobility nan witnesses and counsel nan tribunal connected nan day and origin of nan person’s death. The judge says nan modular of impervious is overmuch little than a criminal trial.

“If you find much than 50 percent that thing is true,” Clark said, “it is successful truth existent nether nan rule for this benignant of a hearing.”

Truth is what nan family hoped nan proceedings would bring to light. They judge Anchorage constabulary person not been wholly honorable pinch them. But astatine nan hearing, they person a chance to request answers.

Another of Cassandra’s cousins, Marcella Boskofsky-Grounds, called her first witness, nan lead interrogator into nan Smith execution case, Detective Brendan Lee.

“Is that Brian Smith’s ft successful nan photographs?” she asked.

Lee said a hunt of Smith’s location turned up shoes that matched nan 1 worn successful nan photograph believed to beryllium Cassandra.

“We judge that to beryllium his ft successful nan photos. Yes,” Lee said.

The family says Smith’s ft beside her assemblage fits a shape of his killings, successful which he stages nan segment to later show disconnected his handiwork.

Lee said Smith had deleted 3 photos from his cell, but constabulary technicians were capable to retrieve nan images successful October 2019. Not agelong afterwards, APD shared them wide pinch different rule enforcement officers and shelters. An Anchorage Safety Patrol serviceman told them nan pictures looked for illustration Cassandra Boskofsky, a 38-year-old female they encountered connected a regular basis. Over nan years, she had racked up a drawstring of alcohol-related offenses.

Lee contacted nan family and asked if they had seen Cassandra. He told them she had gone quiet connected nan streets, but didn’t show them astir nan photos. During nan proceeding nan judge wanted to cognize precisely erstwhile nan family saw nan pictures.

Marcella Boskofsky said not until July 6 of this twelvemonth — 3 days earlier Smith was to beryllium sentenced and aft prosecutors had released nan photos, on pinch a composite sketch, successful a sentencing memo. Boskofsky says constabulary contacted her because they were acrophobic nan media would people nan images and wanted to hole nan family.

Police past shared nan photos pinch her complete Facebook and later came to her location pinch a chaplain.

One of nan lingering questions from nan family: Why weren’t they shown nan photos 5 years ago?

“To this day, astatine nan Anchorage Police Department, we person not been capable to 100 percent place nan female successful nan photos arsenic Cassandra,” Lee said. “We person evidently been successful interaction pinch nan family, who person looked astatine nan photos and consciousness powerfully and judge it was her. But astatine this time, we haven’t been capable to 100 percent place her.”

Lee says without remains and affirmative identification, location is ever a chance of mistaken personality and nan consequence of putting a family done unnecessary grief.

“This communicative really is simply a microcosm of a bigger situation that we person successful Alaska,” said Michael Livingston, a retired constabulary serviceman and a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People activist.

Livingston, who is Unangan, says APD’s curen of Boskofsky’s family should raise a batch of questions for different MMIP families.

“How galore different pictures (do) nan Anchorage Police Department, aliases different rule enforcement agencies successful Alaska, have, who whitethorn successful nan pictures look to beryllium deceased,” he said. “And we’re wondering why it’s nan argumentation of nan Anchorage Police Department to not scope retired to nan families and say, ‘Could this perchance beryllium your daughter?’”

In nan lawsuit of Cassandra Boskofsky, nan assemblage did supply immoderate relief. The three-woman, three-man assemblage was unanimous successful its determination that location was capable grounds to assistance a decease certificate.

After nan verdict, a activity of tears and anguish rolled complete nan room. But Cassandra’s aunt, Terrie Boskofsky, says she’s gladsome her family went done this process to bring closure. She believes it tin thief different families pinch missing loved ones.

“There are truthful many, truthful galore family members that were taken and cipher knows wherever they’re at,” she said.

Boskofsky says nan past anyone had heard from her niece was connected Sept. 18, 2019, erstwhile Cassandra reached retired to wish her a happy birthday.

“Nobody heard from her since. Not 1 of us,” she said.

And while nan connection “missing” erstwhile near room for hope, Boskosfsky says, it has near nan family successful a authorities of paralysis. She says she’s grateful nan assemblage besides declared Cassandra’s decease a homicide — and hopes it will promote constabulary to look for her remains, truthful nan family tin yet bring Cassandra home.

Source Alaska Public