The recent handling of the Brian Steven Smith case has raised deep systemic concerns, with local media remaining largely silent after the trial was over.
Instead, The Three, along with national and international outlets in part because of information learned from The Three, have pursued evidence, asking difficult questions.
One such example is the role of phone records between Smith and Ian Calhoun, a critical piece of evidence that was used in Smith’s trial.
These records revealed that Calhoun had knowledge of Smith’s criminal activities, including his interaction with the body of Kathleen Jo Henry. Court documents show Calhoun warned Smith when Henry’s body was found, to which Smith callously responded, “oops.”
Yet, in response to public outcry and protests in Anchorage regarding Ian Calhoun, demanding further investigation and prosecution for his role, a commentary by the Department of Law dismissed these demands, just days before May 5, the National Day of Awareness for Missing Murdered Indigenous People.
The commentary in Alaska Beacon, titled “Prosecuting Crimes Against Alaska Native People is at Core of Department of Law Work” by John Skidmore, a 25-year prosecutor who serves as the Alaska deputy attorney general for the Criminal Division, downplayed Calhoun’s involvement, stating that his actions were “unethical and reprehensible” but fell short of the legal threshold for hindering prosecution under Alaska law.
Skidmore points out that there is no general legal duty for citizens to report a crime or aid law enforcement. Without proof that Calhoun actively rendered assistance to Smith, there is no basis for prosecution under Alaska Statutes 11.56.770.
Department of Law’s Criminal Division claim they seek justice and promote public safety, yet recent evidence suggests a troubling pattern of misconduct and complicity within the Anchorage Police Department (APD) regarding the Smith case.
While Skidmore publicly states that race and victim identity do not influence prosecution decisions, and that cases are handled based on facts and evidence, the reality appears to be problematic.
There was no follow up on a series of calls and complaints regarding Smith’s suspicious activities before the murder of Kathleen Jo Henry. The calls from Alicia Youngblood in August 2018 were dismissed, signaling a disturbing disregard for the safety of the Anchorage community. Read more here about that.
Smith was not even questioned. This allowed Smith to continue his violent actions unchecked, ultimately leading to the death of Henry, and possibly others, including Cassandra Lee Boskofsky, who is a missing woman and images of her were found on his phone at the time of his arrest in October 2019.
Instead of taking proactive measures, APD’s response has raised questions about the department’s commitment to protecting Alaska Native victims, who as Skidmore shared in his aptly ill-named article, experience disproportionately higher rates of violence.
This inaction undermines the Department of Law’s claim that they are working in the interest of all Alaskans, regardless of race or background.
In fact, Skidmore’s article should be titled “Prosecuting Alaska Native People is at Core of Department of Law Work” because of the high numbers of Alaska Natives incarcerated. The Prison Policy Initiative found that Alaska Natives make up 40% of the people incarcerated in Alaska, yet are only 14% of the state’s population.
The case of Smith exposes systemic issues within APD, the failure to act on information regarding a possible homicide is part of a larger issue. The public narrative by Skidmore, stating that prosecution decisions are purely evidence-based, collapses with the revelation that Smith was not questioned in 2018.
Rather than embodying a justice system that serves all, the Smith case reflects a deeply troubling reality: that often Alaska Native victims, and others deemed less-than, such as sex workers, remain marginalized, and that law enforcement’s failure to act may have contributed to preventable violence.
In fact in Smith’s own words “If the police had contacted me and I am guilty that contact would have stopped me doing anything and therefore any this that happens after that …after the crime stopper thing already because I mean she initially right in the beginning she gave them all the recordings so any deaths after that could have been prevented.”
It remains to be seen whether the Alaska justice system can truly rise to meet the demands of Indigenous communities.
The silence of local media only compounds the issue, leaving many to turn to figuring things out themselves, like The Three, in hopes for media coverage and justice.
What can you do? Share this story, and sign the petition below.
We are calling on the Anchorage Police Department and the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office to investigate and arrest Ian Calhoun immediately for his involvement with convicted murderer Brian Steven Smith. Ian was in communication with the now-convicted murderer and appears to have had firsthand knowledge of the crimes committed by Brian Steven Smith and he did not report them to authorities. The lead detective for Brian Steven Smith’s case, Brendan Lee (Brendan.Lee@anchorageak.gov) from the Anchorage Police Department, and the district attorney for that case, Brittany Dunlop (lawanchoragedao@alaska.gov), have both said they are not pursuing charges until more evidence is presented.
We feel very unsafe with a person out on the streets who had knowledge of these violent crimes being committed and did not report them. There is enough evidence here to charge with with the following crimes:
AS 11.56.770 Hindering Prosecution and/or
AS 11.56.767 Failure to Report a Violent Crime Committed Against an Adult
This Is How We Rise 
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