Murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart

Murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart
High school portrait of Stoddart
Location	Pocatello, Idaho, U.S.
Date	September 22, 2006; 17 years ago (2006-09-22)
Attack type	Thrill killing, child murder, stabbing
Victim	Cassie Jo Stoddart
Perpetrators	Brian Draper Torey Adamcik
Motive	Thrill
Verdict	Guilty of both charges
Convictions	First-degree murder Conspiracy to murder
Sentence	Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole
Litigation	Lawsuit against Pocatello School District by the victim's family

The murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart was a thrill killing that occurred in Pocatello, Idaho, on September 22, 2006.^[1] Stoddart, a 16-year-old high school student, was stabbed and murdered by her classmates Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik both 16, in her aunt and uncle's house. Stoddart's body was discovered two days later, when her relatives returned home from their trip.^[1]

The perpetrators claimed that they were inspired to murder Stoddart by the slasher film Scream, which led to them being nicknamed "The Scream Killers". Adamcik and Draper recorded documentary-style videos about how they were horror movie fans, especially Scream, and wanted to reenact a similar murder in real life. They started a "Death List" of other potential victims the day of Stoddart's murder, following their initial plan.^[2]

Both perpetrators received sentences of life imprisonment without parole on August 31, 2007.^[3]

Brian Lee Draper (born March 21, 1990) and Torey Michael Adamcik (born June 14, 1990)^[4] were American high school students who are currently serving life sentences for murdering their classmate Cassie Jo Stoddart on September 22, 2006.^[5]

Draper and Adamcik were both born in 1990. Draper was born in Sandy, Utah, while Adamcik was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho. Draper's family eventually settled in Idaho. Draper met Adamcik when they were both sophomores at Pocatello High School. Both boys were interested in films and started recording films of their own.^[6]

Stoddart, along with Draper and Adamcik, were 11th graders at Pocatello High School.^[6]

On the night of September 22, 2006, Stoddart was house sitting for her aunt and uncle, Allison and Frank Contreras, on Whispering Cliffs Drive in northeast Bannock County. The Contreras family was out of town and had hired Stoddart to house sit their pets for the weekend. Stoddart was visited that evening by her boyfriend, Matt Beckham, who arrived around 6:00 p.m. Later, classmates Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik, who were both aged 16 at the time, came over to the house to "hang out." Stoddart gave the friends a tour of the house, including the basement. The four teens went into the living room to watch the film Kill Bill, Volume II, but Adamcik and Draper ended up leaving before the film ended, saying they wanted to watch another movie at the movie theater instead.^[7]

Stoddart was unaware that before the boys left, Draper had unlocked the basement door so that he and Adamcik could re-enter the house undetected. Sometime after leaving the house on Whispering Cliffs, Draper and Adamcik returned to the neighborhood, parked down the street, got out of their car, and put on costumes consisting of dark clothing, gloves, and white, painted masks. The boys quietly entered the house through the basement door while the other couple was watching television in the living room. They intentionally made loud noises in an unsuccessful attempt to lure Beckham and Stoddart downstairs "so they could scare them." Next, they found the circuit breaker and turned off the power in the house, hoping the pair would come downstairs to check the breaker. When Beckham and Stoddart did not come downstairs, the boys turned some of the lights back on.

Stoddart became uneasy after the temporary power outage, and Beckham noticed that one of the Contreras' dogs kept staring down the basement stairs, periodically barking or growling. Seeing that Stoddart felt scared, Beckham called his mother to ask if he could stay the night at the house with her to ease her mind, but she denied his request – instead she offered to let Stoddart come home with Beckham and stay at their house for the night, and she would bring Stoddart back to the Whispering Cliffs house the next morning. However, Stoddart felt it was her responsibility to stay at the house as she was hired to do and care for the animals, and declined the offer from Beckham's mother.

At approximately 10:30 pm, Beckham's mother picked him up, leaving Stoddart at the house alone. Beckham called Adamcik's cell phone to see where he and Draper were, possibly to meet up with them later. Beckham said he could barely hear Adamcik, who was whispering on the phone, and assumed the boys were in the movie theater.

From the basement, Draper and Adamcik heard Beckham leave. The teens turned the lights out again at the circuit breaker and waited, hoping Stoddart would come downstairs to turn the lights back on; she did not. Eventually, the boys went upstairs. Draper was armed with a dagger-type weapon and Adamcik had a hunting knife, the weapons having been purchased at a pawn shop.^[8] Draper opened and slammed a closet door at the top of the stairs to scare Stoddart, who was lying on the couch in the living room. The boys then attacked her, stabbing her approximately thirty times; twelve wounds were potentially fatal.

During the investigation of the murder, police found that Draper and Adamcik had video recorded their plan to murder Stoddart while they were at school.^[3] This video footage was shown at their trials.

The boyfriend of Stoddart's mother was initially considered a person of interest after his fingerprints were found on the circuit breaker door in the basement, where the lights had been tampered with in the lead–up to the murder. However, he provided a reasonable explanation for this discovery, as he had done electrical work at the Contreras residence a few months prior to the murder, which was corroborated by the Contreras family.

The attention turned to Stoddart's boyfriend, Matt Beckham, who had been the last known person to see Stoddart alive. Beckham confirmed to police that the lights had been flickering on and off while he was present at the home. His mother explained to police that she heard Stoddart's voice from the house as Beckham came out the door. After he was cleared by a polygraph test and consistent alibi, detectives brought in Draper and Adamcik for further questioning.

Draper and Adamcik told police that after they left the Contreras residence, they went downtown to watch the movie Pulse. The teens couldn't recount any details from the movie, leading detectives to press harder to determine their whereabouts. They then claimed that they had instead "gone through cars" in the area and had not been to the movie theater. Draper eventually confessed to police, but downplayed his role in the crime.^[9]

Draper and Adamcik were arrested on September 27, 2006, and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.^[10] Across multiple interrogations, each teen blamed the other. Draper claimed he was in the same room with Adamcik when Stoddart was killed but denied stabbing her; in later interrogation he admitted to stabbing her at the behest of Adamcik, who told him to "Make sure she is dead". He led investigators to Black Rock Canyon, where the teens had partially burned and then buried the clothing, masks, and weapons they used for the murder. Police recovered a partially burned VHS Tape from the location, which after restoration, showed video footage of their plans to kill Stoddart.^[11][12][13]

At trial, the prosecution revealed that Draper had said he was inspired by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who committed the Columbine High School massacre. Later, Adamcik was said to have been inspired by the Scream horror film franchise. Both teens were convicted of first-degree murder, with Draper convicted on April 17, 2007 and Adamcik on June 8, 2007. On August 21, 2007, each received a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, plus thirty years-to-life for being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.^[3]

Adamcik and Draper are both serving their time at Idaho State Correctional Institution, located in unincorporated Ada County, Idaho, near Kuna.^[14] In November 2019, Adamcik's sentence was upheld after his appeal was denied by the Idaho Supreme Court.

Adamcik and Draper were called to testify in the 2024 trial for the murder of Nori Jones. The defense argued that there were other suspects who were not investigated by authorities. Neither of them testified, and the defendant was later found guilty.^[15]

The convicted men's attorneys filed separate appeals at the Idaho Supreme Court, in September 2010 for Adamcik^[16] and in April 2011 for Draper. Draper was seeking to have his conviction vacated or to be given a limited life sentence that would allow for his release on parole (if approved) after thirty years.^[10][17][18] The first appeal for both Adamcik and Draper was denied in a 3–2 decision. The high court vacated Draper's conviction on conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, saying that jurors were given erroneous instructions on that charge, but they affirmed his conviction for first-degree murder and life sentence without parole.^[19]

In July 2015, Adamcik gained a hearing for post-conviction relief with state Sixth District Magistrate Judge Mitchell W. Brown. He claimed that testimony from character witnesses could have changed the outcome of the sentencing, but that his former attorney, against his parents' wishes, chose not to call upon these witnesses. Adamcik said that his attorney believed that the prosecution would have submitted even more damaging evidence.^[20] In March 2016, Judge Brown denied his request for post-conviction relief.^[21] Adamcik appealed Judge Brown's decision to the Idaho Supreme Court, which on December 26, 2017, rejected Adamcik's appeal for post-conviction relief and upheld the district court decision.^[22][23]

Following the Idaho Supreme Court's decision, Adamcik filed a federal writ of habeas corpus in January 2018, in which he argued that the court denied his first appeal based on a theory that was not presented to the jury. Adamcik also argued that he should be entitled to a new sentencing hearing in light of the Miller and Montgomery decisions (see section US Supreme Court and mandatory life sentences below). Federal magistrate judge Candy W. Dale presided over Adamcik's writ and on November 25, 2019, she denied the writ.^[24][25]

Adamcik appealed Judge Dale's decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals with oral arguments on February 7, 2022, Jay Bybee, Morgan Christen, and James Selna (sitting by designation) presiding. On March 24, 2022, the court upheld the sentence in an unpublished decision.^[26]

In 2010, the Stoddart family filed a civil lawsuit against the Pocatello School District, claiming that school authorities were negligent and should have known that Draper and Adamcik posed a threat to others. Both the civil court and the Idaho Supreme Court dismissed the case, saying the actions of the killers were not foreseeable.^[27][28]

In January 2013, Shannon Adamcik, Torey's mother, self-published the book The Guilty Innocent.^[29]

On February 16, 2023, the tape recordings that Draper and Adamcik made, along with a complete transcript of the tape recordings, were obtained from the Bannock County, Idaho court system through the Idaho Public Records Act.^[30]

This case has been featured in several different television shows and programs including a February 18, 2024, episode of the popular true crime series Dateline with correspondent Keith Morrison.^[13]

Draper and Adamcik were featured in "Lost for Life" (2013), a documentary about juveniles who are serving life in prison without parole and their victims' families.^[31]

• Your Worst Nightmare: When the Lights Go Out, S1 E2 - Oct 29, 2014
• CopyCat Killers: Scream, S1 E1 - Feb 27, 2016
• Murder Among Friends (TV series): Stick to the Plan, S2 E16 - Jul 20, 2017
• Unmasked: The Final Scream, S1 E2 - October 22, 2018
• A Time to Kill: Evil in the Basement, S4 E6 - Aug 13, 2021

• Murder of Nori Jones
• Columbine effect