Brandon Theesfeld, left, is led from the Lafayette County Courthouse in Oxford, Miss., Tuesday, July 23, 2019, after being arraigned in connection with the death of 21-year-old University of . Brandon was facing death penalty after being charged with capital one murder for allegedly abducting and murdering Ally Kostial. Brandon Theesfeld was arrested just days after Kostial was found shot to death in Harmontown on July 20, 2019. Cindy Kostial: No, we haven't read any of it. Ally's family and friends were there wearing her favorite color, pink. (WMC) - The judge accepted Brandon Theesfeld's guilty plea of first-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Ole Miss student Ally Kostial.. It just came out of nowhere? She hurt and she bled and he left her," Keith Kostial told the court through his statement last month. Ryan Smith is the development producer. Two days . Back at his Oxford apartment, authorities found a two-page handwritten letter. A gun, that apparently, he didn't even know how to use. She voluntarily gets in the truck. Elizabeth Brock: So, then we're like, oh my God, how did we like not meet until now? did the allegation of pregnancy going on and on and on contribute to that? Thanks for contacting us. Remembering Ally Stacy Wasenius Photography Ally Kostial's family and friends continue. Elizabeth Brock: She had a sunset Instagram account where she'd post pictures that she took of sunsets. appreciated. As Ally's friends and family waited for Brandon Theesfeld to go to trial for her murder, prosecutors were building their case. Brandon Theesfeld . All of . This dating app might be for you. And he had blood on him. All she wanted was to be enough for him and for him to want her, and he quite literally was the death of her, Kostials friend told People. The 22-year-old man from Texas is charged with the murder of his fellow classmate, 21-year-old Ally Kostial. In this text, Ally, it seems, was anxious and conflicted: ALLY KOSTIAL TEXT: "I'm not saying what I am gonna do bc idk what's happenin But even if you don't want to be involved like I am really pretty and sweet and I know I will meet a real man one day.". Theesfeld, a native of Texas, appeared in court Friday charged with capital murder. Jake Thompson: The big question, you know, of course why did it happen? Cindy and Keith Kostial are holding on to their memories. Tune in to 48 Hours on ID this Sunday, December 4, to learn more about Ally Kostial's 2019 murder case. Brandon Theesfeld shot and killed Ally on July 19, 2019, and stood trial for her homicide What happened to Ally's assailant Brandon Theesfeld? This Carote cookware set is $150 off at Walmart, Nearly 40% of Americans skipped medical care in 2022 over cost, 2023 Sling TV deal: Stream live TV and sports for just $20 a month, Ally Kostial murder: Inside her college life and evidence in the case. Kostial, 21, of St. Louis, Missouri, was found . Not to my knowledge. Theesfeld was facing a capital murder charge, but defense attorney Tony Farese and the State of Mississippi agreed on reducing the charge to murder in the first degree. Investigators hoped to find some answers in hundreds of text messages between Ally and Theesfeld. The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the start of his trial, but he eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in August 2021 and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. At the time of her death, Ally Kostial was a rising senior who had stayed behind in Oxford, Mississippi, to take summer classes. 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Michelle Miller: Do you sense that at all, based on what you've read that he has any desire to keep her on the sideline? Kostial's on-again-off-again boyfriend, Brandon Theesfeld, 22, was arrested and charged last Monday with her murder. OXFORD, Miss. At the time Jake Thompson was a reporter for the local paper, the Oxford Eagle. So, when Maddy went down to Oxford to visit, she was looking forward to meeting the new man in Ally's life. If she had any idea that this is what this person was capable of, she would never had gotten in that truck I think love can blind us to certain things that other people can see that we can't. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. On July 20, a Lafayette County Sheriff's Deputy on a routine patrol near Sardis Lake in Harmontown, which is about 30 miles from the Ole Miss campus in Oxford, discovered Kostial's bullet-ridden body. Ally Kostial was his girlfriend. Theesfeld responds almost nine hours later: BRANDON THEESFELD TEXT: "I can talk tomorrow. He continues, "I think this is the end for me. He was picked up in Tennessee. Her classmate and sometime boyfriend, Brandon Theesfeld, 24, is now headed to prison for life, after pleading guilty on Aug. 27 in to an amended charge of first-degree murder, sparing him the death penalty. Ally and Brandon met while they both attended the University of Mississippi. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. That "crush" would turn out to be fellow student Brandon Theesfeld from Fort Worth. They're going to try and say that we tricked her that's a very big stretch. "We didn't know it would be our last one.". and you could assume that she's thinking he wants to talk about the pregnancy issue and work on the relationship. Authorities further discovered that after successfully evading direct conversation for months, Theesfeld planned to meet Ally the night she was fatally shot. Here's what the synopsis says: A deputy patrolling the Sardis Lake area found 21-year-old Ally Kostial's bullet-riddled body at around 10:30 am on July 20, 2019. Cindy Kostial: We're stuck can't move forward days are just rough. It is unclear if Theesfeld and Kostial knew each other, and a motive in the shooting is also not known. Was that something so out of line for Ally and her behavior? Additionally, his internet search history indicated that he had researched abortion medications and abortion clinics. Kostial was found at 10:23 a.m. in Harmontown, Mississippi, near Sardis Lake, which. Cindy Kostial: She was my life. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcast producer. We've got shooting ranges here in Oxford so we deny that it was brought back for the sole purpose of killing Ally. We'll never know, but I think she was just so blinded by her desperation to talk about what to do, in their relationship. He didn't say he committed the murder. Brandon Theesfeld, 22, of Texas, was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of 21-year-old Kostial. Morgan Hull: By junior year we were thick as thieves, like best friends. Ally Kostial's family and friends continue to honor her memory. Brandon Theesfeld, a 22-year-old fellow business major, was charged with murder Tuesday after allegedly shooting Kostial, an Alpha Phi sorority sister and rising senior at Ole Miss, eight times. They went bowling, normal stuff. And I believe no good explanation for what he did. Despite Ally's phone being missing, investigators located her Apple Watch in her bedroom and uncovered some of her texts with Brandon Theesfeld, a fellow student at the University of Mississippi, with whom she had an on-and-off relationship. like head over heels. She died at the scene and her body was discovered by patrolling police officers. Michelle Miller: When you learned about that. It depends on how you view those when you start looking at someone's search history you are watching TV you've got all sorts of new shows that feature Ted Bundy. Michelle Miller: So, you're saying in that moment under the influence of alcohol and cocaine, he snapped? He regrets that, but that did occur and that's memorialized in the text messages. But I would ask everybody to please give him the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.. Farese said Theesfeld was almost finished with his sophomore year. They say they didn't know Brandon at all. Theesfeld was arrested in April 2017 for public intoxication and having a fake ID, according to the report. Her cell phone was gone, but they were able to track her life before her death through her Apple Watch. Theesfeld and Kostial had a "complicated" relationship. Michelle Miller: And 8:30 Monday morning came? If you or anyone you know is struggling with substance abuse or their mental health visit SAMHSA.gov or call 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Yes. Theesfeld, 22, is now facing murder charges after he was apprehended Monday at a South Memphis gas station; authorities tracked him to the location using his cell phone and credit card. A dashcam captured Theesfeld being taken into custody. On April 12, 2019, according to the prosecutor's evidence read in court, Ally told Theesfeld she might be pregnant. Brandon Theesfeld, seen here entering the Lafayette County Courthouse in Oxford, Miss., after his arrest, apologized as he admitted his guilt in Kostial's murder. Tony Farese: Yes, he did suggest an abortion. They also gave investigators clues about where Theesfeld was heading a week before Ally's death. Michelle Miller: So, when did you first meet him? Tony Farese: If you get a plea other than death, then guess what? Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. What her mom didn't know was Ally was focused on a different kind of test a home pregnancy test. I'm not saying it was smart the way he did it, but a pretty good indication that he was looking for a remote location so her body would not be discovered. Jarrett Bundren: That he was on Interstate 55 headed north toward Memphis. Ben Creekmore: under the guise of working the relationship out when he had a .40-caliber pistol and had planned her murder all along. We will always pray for the family and friends of Ally Kostial. Brandon is a resident at 8341 Ashbriar Lanes, Fort Worth, TX 76126-5169. The day after Ally's body was found, a manhunt had cornered Brandon Theesfeld 90 miles away at a gas station in a residential neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. Former Ole Miss student Brandon Theesfeld was charged with killing fellow student Ally Kostial in 2019. Prior to pleading guilty, Brandon was initially charged with capital murder and was facing a potential death sentence. The following day, Friday July 19 the day before her death Theesfeld texts Ally: BRANDON THEESFELD TEXT: "are you gonna be home today cause i could visit". Mickey Mallette: The first messages about it started in early April. As assistant District Attorney Mickey Mallette read in a detailed account of the evidence, Theesfeld drove Ally to Sardis Lake in the early hours of July 20, 2019, shot her multiple times and left her to die beside a picnic table. I want to extend our deepest sympathies once again to Allys family, friends and all others who knew her or interacted with her on campus, the Tuesday statement said. The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the start of his trial, but he. Brandon Theesfeld is reportedly being held at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, which is also known as Parchman. He was arrested three days after Kostial was found. BRANDON THEESFELD TEXT: ". Brandon denies that it was planned when he took her out there. Cindy and Keith had returned home to St. Louis when Cindy spoke with Ally on the phone just hours before she died. Bundren says Theesfeld was sitting at the pumps in his pickup truck, which had easy-to-spot license plates. Michelle Miller: Why? Brandon Theesfeld pleaded guilty to murdering Ally Kostial, his then-girlfriend. ", "Every time your cell door slams shut may it be a reminder for what you did and the life you took from us.". Investigator Jarrett Bundren: The watch was telling me she was having very lengthy text message conversation with Brandon. . His girlfriend is 21 years old as of death. Many of her messages are long, revealing, and troubling, says forensic psychologist Kris Mohandie. Back in Oxford on July 17, the same day Ally was seeing her parents off, Theesfeld for the first time since their last sexual encounter in April sent Ally a message, the prosector said in court, asking to meet. It's like, I'm going to have to get this dress (laughs). 8:38 PM EDT, Fri August 27, 2021. Aug 30. Within the next few hours, he was arrested at a gas station. Source: CBS News According to People, Kostial and Theesfeld met as they both attended Ole Miss. Cops tracked down Theesfelds cellphone and credit card, ultimately tracing him to a gas station in South Memphis, Tenn., two days after his alleged victims body was discovered, FOX 13 Memphis reported. Investigator Jarrett Bundren: We just started from there. After several days spent with her parents setting up her new off-campus apartment at the University of Mississippi, Ally Kostial was excited for the upcoming year, when she'd be a senior. The evidence against Brandon Theesfeld, according to prosecutors, was overwhelming. He was charged with capital murder in August, to which he pleaded not guilty. It was unclear how Kostial and Theesfeld knew each other, but a friend tweeted that their relationship was a troubled one. I'm busy today. Kostial was taking summer courses at the university and teaching fitness classes at the time of her death. Kostial, who was from St. Louis, Missouri, was discovered shot eight times Saturday morning near Sardis Lake, around 20 miles from the Ole Miss campus. Follow the article till the end to learn more. "A white female laying on the ground with multiple gun shots wounds to her back," Bundren replied. Ben Creekmore: When you put it together it would appear to us what his purpose was in bringing the gun back. So, the question is why would she claim to be pregnant if she were not pregnant. ( WTVA) - The man charged with killing former Ole Miss student Ally Kostial will plead guilty to first-degree murder, District Attorney Ben Creekmore confirmed Tuesday afternoon. The upcoming episode of ID's 48 Hours will chronicle the brutal murder case of 21-year-old Ally Kostial. She then sent him a picture of an inconclusive home pregnancy test, claiming she wanted to talk about the matter in person. She could not get enough of it. Ally's parents Keith and Cindy Kostial. " BRANDON THEESFELD TEXT: Don't share this with anyone. He says there's an innocent explanation for why his client brought that pistol back to Mississippi. 22-year-old Brandon Theesfeld, of Texas, was booked into the Lafayette County Jail at 3:43 p.m. Monday and charged with murder. On April 14, she texted Brandon Theesfeld a photo of an inconclusive home pregnancy test and this message: ALLY KOSTIAL TEXT: "Like it's a very faint blue line but idk I guess I can wait and see if my period comes ". Brandon confessed to the murder in 2021 and received a life sentence. Elizabeth Brock: I think we were just more like upset with how if she would show us texts from him or tell us things he would say there were really unkind to her. I spent countless nights holding Ally close drying her tears about this monster for years. They learned that he had been popping up all over Oxford, starting on Saturday. Reply. It wasn't long after arriving in Oxford that Theesfeld met Ally. Inside the Lafayette County Courthouse on Friday, Brandon Theesfeld plead guilty to first degree murder and admitted to shooting Kostial multiple times. Theesfeld knew all about that place on the lake; He'd been there his freshman year. Keith Kostial: It does seem like she's still away at school. Those thoughts have been fueled by cocaine and alcohol." The body was found near an abandoned fishing camp about 30 miles from the university with 11 shell casings at the crime scene. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Updated: 4:27 PM CDT August 30, 2019 LAFAYETTE COUNTY, Miss Brandon Theesfeld has been indicted by a grand jury for capital murder in the shooting death of 21-year-old Kirkwood-native Ally. 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