MS - Alexandria "Ally" Kostial, 21, Ole Miss student, found dead, Harmontown, 20 July 2019 *ARREST*

[Seattle1]

I saw an article saying that she was not shot 8 times. Can't find it now, but I'm still looking. The links to it are in this thread though, since it's the only place I've been reading..

The link in my post cites Ally shot 8 times but I've also heard that multiple rounds were found at the site (which I'm translating to mean he fired more, but only 8 struck her).

I don't think we'll know for certain until autopsy report.

MOO

 

[Lillymac]

I'm not placing blame as I think this is typical of a fast moving story but before the report was reduced to soundbites and tweets, I heard live news stream from So Memphis that TB was taken into custody, vehicle (Black F-150) impounded, and that investigators located fire arm and clothes with blood on them from inside his vehicle.

Fast forward 8 hours and ever since all I'm reading is that BT was wearing bloody clothes!!

I guess we'll have to wait for discovery to know the facts.

MOO

I read that too so if course I checked out the picture if his arrest. I couldn't see any blood on his clothes, but I could have just missed it.

 

[Seattle1]

Friends of Murdered Ole Miss Student Recall Her as 'A Bright Light in Our Lives'

Ally Kostial, 21, displayed empathy and compassion that others say made all around her feel included.

Close friends of a murdered Ole Miss student recall her as a vibrant, empathetic person who never wanted others to feel left out.

“She’s so outgoing, and really wanted to make sure everyone was doing okay and had a fun time and enjoyed themselves,”
S M, 21, a close friend of Alexandria “Ally” Kostial, tells PEOPLE.

Both were classmates of the 21-year-old Kostial at Lindbergh High School in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, where a candlelight vigil at sunset Thursday drew about 200 people who remembered the 2016 graduate as an adventurer, cheerleader, swimmer, long-distance runner and honor society member fiercely loyal to those she cared about, while also opening her heart to all.

 

[Seattle1]

Ole Miss student's murder puts spotlight on violence against women

The death of University of Mississippi student Alexandria "Ally" Kostial, and the subsequent arrest of one of her male classmates for murder, has drawn renewed attention to violence against women, particularly gun violence.

The body of Kostial, a 21-year-old St. Louis native studying marketing at Ole Miss, was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds in Harmontown, Mississippi, Saturday morning, authorities said.

Brandon Theesfeld, 22, has been arrested, and his defense attorney, Tony Farese, told ABC News Thursday that he plans to enter a plea of not guilty.

Dozens of people attended a vigil at Kostial’s high school in St. Louis Thursday night. One of Kostial’s best friends, S M, told ABC News her late friend was the “kindest, nicest, sweetest person,” who, “didn’t have a bad bone in her body.”

 

[Seattle1]

ETA: BT's lawyer speaks to WMC5 News at link below:

Steve Farese laid out what the defense team is doing.

“What you do is you start from the beginning and you talk to the client. You retrace steps to see if there are any other possible suspects," said Farese.

He said he doesn’t know of any other suspects but the team is looking.

There is video evidence that shows some of what Theesfeld and Kostial were doing beginning with Friday night.

Police say video surveillance from the Oxford Square shows Kostial walking along the sidewalk, looking at her phone.

Employees at the Lakeside Market in Harmontown, Mississippi confirmed that Theesfeld and Kostial, stopped at the market early Saturday morning. The pair were also seen on video.

Kostial’s body was found a few hours later near Sardis Lake by a patrolling deputy.

[...]

Steve Farese is aware of some pretty brutal comments on social media about Theesfeld.

“Most of them don’t know what they are talking about," said Farese.

Currently, no date has been set for a Theesfeld’s bond hearing.

“We don’t think it’s a proper time in favor of the aggrieved family to get into those things right now," said Farese.

Prosecutors have filed a motion to hold Theesfeld without bond.

Farese said he will plead not guilty.

Brandon Theesfeld lays out days leading up to murder of Ole Miss student to attorneys

 

[Seattle1]

Keith Kostial posted a photo of his daughter as a little girl on Facebook Thursday, writing that "This is one of my all-time favorite pics."

He also posted a message of thanks on Facebook for the comforting words the family has received since her death.

Father of slain Ole Miss student shares old photo and a message on day of vigil

 

[TristanP]

Keith Kostial posted a photo of his daughter as a little girl on Facebook Thursday, writing that "This is one of my all-time favorite pics."

He also posted a message of thanks on Facebook for the comforting words the family has received since her death.

Father of slain Ole Miss student shares old photo and a message on day of vigil

She looks so much like my own daughter Allie that I am choking back tears right now. I don’t know how her parents can handle the pain.

 

[Whiteorchids]

Not to throw a wrench in anyone’s hopes of conviction and a stiff sentence but I think right now there isn’t much we know as fact as far as evidence. All we really know is that his clothes appeared to have blood on them. I’m having a hard time believing he would still be wearing bloody clothes after 2 days but maybe it wasn’t the clothes he was wearing and was actually clothes in his truck. Even still, that could very well have panned out to not be blood or not be AK’s. We just don’t know. Next we know he had a gun. Could be the murder weapon and then yes that would make it much easier to convict. But it could also not be. He was known to have one. Many people keep guns in their glove box.
Next we know she was shot multiple times per the coroner report. The 8 times that had been released in media was incorrect or at least not in the released report and neither was the location of where she was shot. With all the rumors and false information that was put out there i’m Skeptical at this point to believe all shots were to the torso until the official report is ever released.
And lastly the father indicated he knew more info than he could say that leads him to believe his son is innocent. I keep wondering what that could possibly be. What’s the story there even if it is a story.
Have to say right now i’m Not feeling confident this guy will be convicted based on what we do know right now. To many maybes.

There is video surveillance of AK and BT together in the market minutes away from where she was killed that morning. He just happened to be in Memphis getting gas a day later where he was arrested.

 

[Whiteorchids]

I read that too so if course I checked out the picture if his arrest. I couldn't see any blood on his clothes, but I could have just missed it.

Bloody clothes were in his truck not what he was wearing.

 

[EllaMae]

Gosh, that was the first real murder case I ever followed.... I can picture the attorneys sitting around the conference table trying to come up with alternate scenarios to get him off....

Robert Chambers and BT seem to be very similar....IMHO

 

[EllaMae]

Bloody clothes were in his truck not what he was wearing.

Thanks. The article I read implied that he was wearing bloody clothes. It's good to get that detail clarified.

 

[EllaMae]

He would still be a murderer if he got someone else to do the actual shooting. And if he was far away, he'd have a hard time explaining his texts with Ally that night.

But that's why people hire another person to do the job....to remove themselves from proximity to, and responsibility for, the actual murder. They set up alibis and stay away from the murder scene because they think they won't caught. They try to eliminate any connection and it's usually a carefully planned crime.
We know that didn't happen here. BT was with Ally. What would be the point in hiring someone else if he was going to be implicated anyway by being with her around the time she died?

It's a much simpler crime IMHO....and BT is the shooter. He wanted to annihilate Ally.

 

[katydid23]

Bloody clothes were in his truck not what he was wearing.

Wow. He really must have a drinking problem, to be so sloppy and stupid, and leaving bloody clothes in the truck. Why didn't he get rid of those? Too arrogant?

 

[EllaMae]

Wow. He really must have a drinking problem, to be so sloppy and stupid, and leaving bloody clothes in the truck. Why didn't he get rid of those? Too arrogant?

Maybe he was planning to drop them in a dumpster somewhere in Memphis but hadn't had an opportunity to do it before he was arrested. He was definitely either drunk, sloppy or secretly panicked and not thinking clearly.

It's a good thing he was so disorganized about that physical evidence. It will be difficult to defend.

 

[katydid23]

Maybe he was planning to drop them in a dumpster somewhere in Memphis but hadn't had an opportunity to do it before he was arrested.

Maybe so, but that was a bad decision. He shouldn't have stuck around town, with that evidence in his possession. But I am glad he did.

 

[Seattle1]

Wow. He really must have a drinking problem, to be so sloppy and stupid, and leaving bloody clothes in the truck. Why didn't he get rid of those? Too arrogant?

My understanding he was only an hour away from campus when he was arrested in So Memphis.

I agree -- I think he wanted to dispose of evidence -- clothes and gun in a certain location but was too arrogant to realize he'd be caught so soon.

I'd like to know what/where he spent Saturday and Sunday while Ally was collected from the camp ground and hauled to the coroners office.

I'm sorry Ally didn't meet a genuine man that made her forget all about this jerk.

 

[Inthedetails]

Robert Chambers and BT seem to be very similar....IMHO

Yes - you're right.

Ugh.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

Maybe he was planning to drop them in a dumpster somewhere in Memphis but hadn't had an opportunity to do it before he was arrested. He was definitely either drunk, sloppy or secretly panicked and not thinking clearly.

It's a good thing he was so disorganized about that physical evidence. It will be difficult to defend.

I think his sloppiness was due to arrogance that surely HE wouldn't be accused....and if he were to be caught, he'd get a great legal team, so why worry too much about clean up? Just re-tweet a few tweets on twitter, take a shower, shove the clothes in the car, and drive to Memphis. I think it's likely he was going to dump the clothes there - good thinking. Maybe the gun too that he could then claim was stolen. (Speculation, not fact).

Just my opinion.

 

[justiceforwomen27]

My understanding he was only an hour away from campus when he was arrested in So Memphis.

I agree -- I think he wanted to dispose of evidence -- clothes and gun in a certain location but was too arrogant to realize he'd be caught so soon.

I'd like to know what/where he spent Saturday and Sunday while Ally was collected from the camp ground and hauled to the coroners office.

I'm sorry Ally didn't meet a genuine man that made her forget all about this jerk.

I agree. I also think the defense would have a hard time planting doubt along the lines of a gang killing/rogue killer. Mainly because BT never called LE or any other authority to help after the fact. I am really, really curious to know his whereabouts and actions on Saturday and Sunday. My guess,since he was tweeting, was that he was holed up in his apartment. Got wind of Ally Sunday night, woke up kind of early on Monday, or maybe never went to bed, and went to Memphis to dispose of evidence. Probably thought crossing state lines would buy him time and make evidence harder to uncover.

 

[Inthedetails]

I agree. I also think the defense would have a hard time planting doubt along the lines of a gang killing/rogue killer. Mainly because BT never called LE or any other authority to help after the fact. I am really, really curious to know his whereabouts and actions on Saturday and Sunday. My guess,since he was tweeting, was that he was holed up in his apartment. Got wind of Ally Sunday night, woke up kind of early on Monday, or maybe never went to bed, and went to Memphis to dispose of evidence. Probably thought crossing state lines would buy him time and make evidence harder to uncover.

For locals: Does Memphis have a reputation in Oxford as the place where criminals live? I"m wondering if he planned to dispose of evidence there not only because it was far away from the scene but because locals would believe a bad person from Memphis would be a believable killer of a beautiful girl in Oxford?

Just thinking aloud, speculating, brainstorming. Not fact.

jmo