Cassie Jo Stoddart was born on December 21, 1989 in Idaho to her mom Anne & had two siblings, Kristi who was six years older & Andrew who was 18 months younger. Cassie was raised in a loving household that was open & enjoyed each other’s company. Her brother Andrew considered her to be a role model & felt she was headstrong & since they were so close in age, they spent a lot of time together. She hoped to someday attend college. Cassie was an artist & loved to spend time in her room, listening to music & drawing. She was sympathetic, easygoing, loved to laugh & found safety in numbers, preferring to have someone by her side.
In 2006, Cassie was a junior in high school & had her whole life ahead of her. She was a straight-A, responsible student who was well-liked by her classmates. It was the night of Friday, September 22, 2006 & 16-year-old Cassie was housesitting for her aunt & uncle, Allison & Frank Contreras in their remote home on Whispering Cliffs Drive in Bannock County, Idaho, about sixteen miles away from her own home in Pocatello, Idaho. Cassie was taking care of their three cats & two dogs while they were out of town for the weekend.
That Friday morning began as a typical school day; Cassie’s mom dropped her off at school & she wore her white jacket & green t-shirt shirt. Anna picked Cassie & her boyfriend, Matt Becklam up at school at 3:45 pm & dropped the two off to house sit at 5:30 pm. Cassie was a little hesitant to be in the house by herself for the weekend so her mom agreed that Matt could spend a few hours with her that evening.
Matt invited his friend Torey Adamcik who brought along his friend Brian Draper & the group planned to watch Kill Bill: Volume 2. The two boys arrived at about 8:30 pm & hung out at the house for about an hour before they headed out in Torey’s car & indicated they were going to see a movie back in Pocatello. Cassie’s mom called to check in at about 9:30 pm & was happy to hear that everything was fine & Cassie & Matt were watching a movie. Cassie said she would call her in the morning.
As Cassie & Matt remained in the house, at 10:30 pm, the power went on & off multiple times which scared Matt & Cassie but soon the power came back on. Matt also noticed that one of the family dogs was staring down the basement stairs, barking & growling at what appeared to be nothing.
Both Cassie & Matt felt unnerved so when Matt’s mom called & told him she was coming to get him, he asked for permission to stay the night so Cassie would be at ease. Matt’s mom refused but offered that Cassie stay the night at their house & said she could take her back in the morning. Cassie declined, being a responsible individual & said that she made the obligation to look over her aunt & uncle’s house. At about 11:15 pm, Matt’s mom came to pick him up, leaving Cassie alone in the house. As they drove home, Matt called Torey’s phone, hoping to meet back up with him, but could barely hear his whispered voice & he assumed it was because he was in the movie theater.
The next day, Saturday, September 23, Matt & Torey met up & during the day & Matt called Cassie multiple times but she never answered. Anna, Cassie’s mom also tried to reach her daughter multiple times but didn’t hear from her. She got distracted with her weekend tasks, assuming Cassie was just fine & she’d see her in the morning when she went to pick her up.
Two days later, Cassie’s aunt & uncle came back home & found an absolutely horrifying scene. They found their niece’s body lying in a pool of her own blood & immediately called the police. The 911 call came through, “I need an ambulance at my house now there’s a girl dead on my floor & she’s missing a finger.” When they arrived, they saw that Cassie was covered in blood, deep lacerations & stab wounds. Responding paramedics confirmed that Cassie was dead. Anna arrived & wasn’t allowed into the house; she was in utter shock, just expecting her daughter to leave the house alive & well. She couldn’t fathom that her baby girl was gone. Based on the scene of the crime, it was clear that Cassie had fought for her life. There was no sign of a murder weapon, there was no sign of forced entry or robbery.
As classmates learned what happened to Cassie, they also couldn’t believe it. Rumors started to filter through the halls as to what could have happened & who would have been capable of hurting her. Many assumed it had to have been someone passing through their small town & wondered if a madman was on the loose.
Police began their investigation & retraced Cassie’s last day alive. Police began by interviewing Matt that day & broke the news of Cassie’s murder & noted that he had very little reaction with an overall flat affect. Matt discussed their Friday evening & mentioned that the power had gone off before he left. Police found the fuse box & checked it for fingerprints which they did find & were a match to Cassie’s mom’s boyfriend, Victor. Victor explained he’d previously done some work at the house & had to utilize the fuse box. He told police he was at the neighbor’s house playing video games & then with Cassie’s mom on the night of the murder; he couldn’t be placed at the scene & was eliminated as a suspect.
Matt told police that he called to check in on Cassie at 12:30 am & she didn’t pick up. He was given a polygraph test & passed with flying colors which encouraged police to believe that he was telling the truth. As the polygraph test was concluding & their conversation was wrapping up, he mentioned, in passing, that Torey & Brian had also stopped by the house that night. Police found it odd that he hadn’t mentioned this fact earlier.
When police spoke with Brian, he said they went to see the horror movie Pulse though when police asked, he was unable to describe what the movie was about. Police headed to the movie theater & found an employee that happened to be Brian & Torey’s classmate & confirmed that they hadn’t been there on Friday night. At this point, police needed to find out why he was lying. Brian then admitted that he lied about the movie because he & Torey were actually trying to burglarize random cars around the area & adamantly denied having anything to do with Cassie’s murder.
Torey said that he & Brian came back to his house at around 11:30 pm where they stayed the rest of the night. When police informed him that witnesses saw him at a convenience store, he said they stopped there so Brian could buy matches for his cigarettes.
Police found that Brian was much more forthcoming with information during their interviews. Brian was scheduled to take a polygraph test on September 27, three days after Cassie’s body was discovered. The polygrapher called detectives to tell them that Brian was very upset & wanted to speak with them; he had both of his parents with him. Brian changed his story & said that he & Torey came back to the house & snuck in with the intention of only scaring Cassie. He said when they came upstairs, it was Torey who started to stab Cassie & killed her.
Police brought Torey in for an interview & his parents accompanied him. Torey tried to stick with the story that he & Brian had only gone through cars. When police pushed him for the truth, he asked for an attorney. At this point, police had enough information to hold both & charge them each with first-degree murder.
Police set their sights back on Brian who eventually told them about items of clothing & weapons they had & discarded. He took investigators to the Black Rock Canyon area & showed them evidence that both he & Torey had buried at that location. This included two dagger style knives with sheaths, a smooth-edged knife, a folding knife, a homemade Sony videotape that had been burned, a box of matches, partially burned notebook paper, a partially melted multi-colored mask, a red & white mask, a pair of blue latex gloves, a single black glove, a pair of black Puma gloves as well as other items of clothing.
Brian Draper was born on March 21, 1990 & grew up on the desert terrain of Utah, raised by his parents Pam & Kerry. As he grew up, he had a stutter which led him to being bullied. Torey was born on June 14, 1990 in Pocatello to parents Shannon & Sean. He met & became friends with Brian at Pocatello High School & bonded over their shared love of filmmaking, recording everything that they could. Because Cassie had such a pleasant & kind personality, they, like most people, wanted to become friends with her.
When police viewed the contents of the VHS tape, they found footage of Torey & Brian wandering through the halls of school, stopping to briefly speak with Cassie as she stood at her locker. The video moved on to them planning Cassie’s murder & later reacting to having killed her. The contents of the tape were found to skip around & was not recorded in chronological order. As they tape was pieced together in order, it showed the findings:
September 21, 2006 at 8:05 pm, Torey & Brian were in a car; Torey was driving & Brian was filming from the passenger seat:
- Brian: We’re going for a high death count
- Torey: Plus, we’re not going to get caught Brian, if we’re going for guns, we’re just gonna end it. We’re just gonna grab the guns & get outta there & kill everybody & leave.
- Brian: We’re going to make history… We’re gonna make history.
- Torey: For all you FBI agents watching this
- Brian: (Laughing)
- Torey: Uh, you weren’t quick enough (laughing)
- Brian: You weren’t quick enough & you weren’t smart enough. And we’re going over to (Jane Doe 1’s) house & we’re going to snoop around over there & try to see if she’s home alone or not, and if she’s home alone, SPLAT!.. She’s dead!
- Torey: Don’t put your humor into this Brian.
- Brian: Uh, I’m not putting any humor into it.. Yep, people will die & memories will fade.
- Torey: Memories will fade.. I, hmm, I wonder what movie you go that from, Brian?
- Brian: Myself!
- Torey: (Laughing)
- Brian: That was from myself
- Torey: No wonder it was so lame
- Brian: Kay, we’re on our way & I’m gonna, I’ll let you stay tuned, we’re almost there
That same day, four minutes later, at 8:08 pm, Brian is filming Torey with the camera light on. Brian indicates that they went to Jane Doe 1’s house & that they’ve snooped around her house a couple of times. They indicated that she wasn’t home so they planned to call Cassie & Matt. They said that despite being friends with them, they still planned to kill them, “we have to make sacrifices.”
- Brian: Tonight is the night & I feel really weird and stuff. I feel like I want to kill somebody. Uh, I know that’s not normal, but what the hell.
- Torey: I feel we need to break away from normal life.
They both discuss that they’re obviously going to hell & that there should be no law against killing people because if you restrict people from it, they’re just going to want it more.
At 8:15 pm, the camera is turned back on & Brian who explains that they’re headed to the house where Cassie & Matt are. They’ll check if their parents are home & if they’re alone, they’ll leave & come back about ten minutes later. They said they would sneak in through the door because chances are, they’re probably in Cassie’s room. They planned to sneak in the front door & make a noise outside which would cause Matt to come out & investigate. When he did, they would kill him & then scare Cassie.
When they turned the camera back on at 8:36 pm, they said that Cassie was going to be alone in a big dark house in the middle of nowhere which was perfect. He said they would kill her & her friends & then move on. They indicated that Jane Doe 2 might be alone between 6-7 so they could kill her beforehand. They discussed what level of evil they were & decided they were sick psychopaths who get pleasure from killing others. They were going to be like the real life Scream killers or like Ted Bundy or the Hillside Strangler. They also compared themselves to the Zodiac Killer or Ed Gein. For those not familiar with Scream, two deranged, horror obsessed high school students begin killing off their classmates. When interviewed, Brian openly discussed his admiration & fascination with Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold who were responsible for the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999 that claimed the lives of twelve students & one teacher.
On September 22, 2006 at 12:10 pm, they sat at a table in the school library with the camera facing them as Torey wrote in a notebook. They said they were skipping their fourth period class to write out their plan & create a death list. They indicated they had made ten previous attempts at killing someone but the person was never home alone. They apologized to Cassie’s family but said she had to be the one, they had to stick to the plan & she was going to die.
On the night that Cassie was murdered, September 22 at 9:53 pm, the video started & Torey & Brian said they were down the street from where Cassie was staying. They said they were at the house for an hour & during that time, they checked the whole house & Brian said he unlocked the back doors. They said they were nervous but ready.
At 11:31 pm, the video started & they were sitting in the moving car as Brian announced that they had just killed Cassie. He said he stabbed her in the throat & he saw her lifeless body. He said that it didn’t feel real & it went by so fast. Torey told him to shut up & they needed to get their act straight. They indicated they were going to buy movie tickets at that point to create their alibi.
Cassie’s autopsy was complete on September 25 & the medical examiner determined that her cause of death was stab wounds to the trunk. In total, thirty stab wounds were found on her body, twelve of which were potentially fatal. It was the pathologist’s opinion that at least two knives had been used, one a serrated blade & one a non-serrated blade. The majority of the potentially fatal wounds had been inflicted using the serrated blade though wound number 1 which struck the right ventricle of Cassie’s heart was inflicted by the non-serrated blade. Torey’s friend Joe Lucero testified that he had purchased four knives for Torey & Brian for $45; Brian paid $40 & Torey paid $5. One had a serrated blade & three had non-serrated blades. Joe testified that Brian made a point to claim ownership of the serrated knife.
As the details of what happened that night came together, investigators were able to paint a picture of what actually happened the night that Cassie was murdered. When Torey & Brian came to the house, they hung out eating snacks & watching Kill Bill: Volume 2. At some point, they began to wander around the house. During this time, Brian snuck downstairs & unlocked a door in the basement. When they left & pretended to go see a movie, they parked down the street, got out of the car & put on costumes that consisted of dark clothing, gloves & white painted masks that had blood dripping from the eyes, nose & mouth. They came back to the house at 10 pm, quietly sneaking through the basement door while Matt & Cassie watched TV in the living room. They unsuccessfully made loud noises, hoping to lure the couple downstairs. When that didn’t work, they turned the power on & off, again, hoping to lure them to the basement to the fuse box. When that didn’t work, they put the lights back on. From the basement, they could hear Matt leave & they took their opportunity & turned the power off for a second time, hoping again that Cassie would investigate & come downstairs. Again, this didn’t work. They eventually went upstairs, Brian was armed with a dagger-style weapon & Torey had a hunting knife. When they reached the top of the stairs, Brian opened & slammed a closet door to scare Cassie who was lying on the couch in the living room. They then brutally attacked her. Police absolutely believe that had Matt come downstairs or stayed the night at the house, he would have been murdered as well. Had Matt been murdered, police may have never known that Torey & Brian had been at the house & they could have gotten away with murder.
At 1:30 am, Torey & Brian stopped at a local convenience store to buy matches & hydrogen peroxide, drove to Black Rock Canyon & tried to burn & bury the evidence. When Torey & Brian’s homes were searched after their arrests, both of their rooms were decorated with horror memorabilia, scary masks & contained shelves of horror movies on DVD. A kill list had also been found with a dozen other student names. It was their goal to complete a school shooting & felt that would be the perfect ending.
Because of the severity of the murder, Brian & Torey were tried as adults & they had separate trials; during each trial, one pointed the finger at the other as being the mastermind. On April 17, 2007, Brian Draper was found guilty of first-degree murder & conspiracy to commit murder. On June 8, 2007, the jury found Torey Adamcik guilty of both conspiracy to commit first-degree murder & first-degree murder & they were both sentenced to life without the possibility of parole despite being only sixteen at the time as they . They also received thirty years-to-life for being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.
On September 26, 2007, he filed an appeal. Torey maintained that he never stabbed Cassie & it was his understanding that they were just roleplaying that night in attempts to scare Cassie as part of a cruel prank. Brian takes responsibility for stabbing Cassie several times but maintains that Torey took part in the stabbing as well. In April of 2011, Brian filed an appeal seeking to have his conviction vacated or to be given a limited sentence that would allow his release on parole after thirty years.
Their first appeals were each denied though the high court vacated Brian’s conviction on conspiracy to commit first-degree murder indicating that the jurors were given erroneous instructions on that charge but his conviction for first-degree murder & life sentence without parole was upheld. Torey has submitted multiple appeals since, the last being denied in March 2022.
In February of 2022, Brian agreed to speak with Keith Morrison of Dateline from the Idaho State Correctional Institution. Brian wanted to answer why he had done what he did. He said he felt like nobody who would have been somebody had he done something big & bad. He said he felt like a loser & someone who didn’t matter because of his stutter. While in middle school, he began entering chat rooms & talking with others obsessed with the Columbine school shooting. He said when he met Torey, he was introduced to horror movies. One day, they skipped a school assembly & met in the bathroom & began talking about the movie Scream. Torey asked if he ever thought about doing that for real & Brian said he had since he was so fascinated with school shootings. Keith Morrison asked Brian if he felt that what he was doing was terrible when he entered the house to murder Cassie. He said he didn’t because at the time, he felt like he was being watched by an audience & he felt like he was there to be in the movie Scream. During the conversation, he urged any other kids who were having thoughts like this to get help. He said he would pay any amount of money or give his life to go back & change what he had done, he cried & apologized to Cassie’s family. Torey is in the same prison as Brian & they see each other in passing but don’t interact.
Cassie’s murder was a tragic & senseless act of violence that left those that knew her as well as the community reeling & devastated. Cassie was a bright & promising young woman that had her whole life ahead of her & her death was a profound loss felt by all those who loved her. In April of 2022, Cassie’s mother Anna died at age 57 of cancer.
This serves as a reminder of the dangers of unmonitored aggression & the importance of both identifying & addressing mental health in teenagers. The Stoddart family filed a civil lawsuit against the Idaho School District in 2010, claiming the school authorities were negligent & should have known that Torey & Brian were a threat to others. This case was dismissed & determined the actions of the killers were not foreseeable.
References:
- State v. Adamcik
- Wikipedia: Murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart
- ati: Inside the grisly case of Cassie Jo Stoddart, the teenage girl killed by her classmates – for fun
- The Crime Wire: The murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart: The real life “Scream” killers
- Medium: The Loss of Cassie Stoddart
- Dateline: The Last Day – Season 1, Episode 6
