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

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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.
So, so sad. What a loss of a wonderful human being.

Who knows what we might have seen or heard that she had done next in her life? Why do we lose so many good people?

IMO, she was all that he was not.
 
As long as the investigation and finding, collecting, etc., of this evidence and his arrest were solid WRT discovery, rules of evidence, reading his rights, etc., and it was done under totally proper procedures -- then he should be toast. And let me say that I do feel sure that LE was careful and did do it by the book.

His attorneys will probably pick at it like a dog with a bone and try to have this and that thrown out, etc. I also feel sure that LE knew what they had and they were extra-careful to do it correctly and to document it fully.
That's my main concern -- many of us have seen this kind of evidence collection and arrest, etc., torn up in court, and IMO his defense team is probably aces at this kind of thing.
I'm also hoping that their suspect blabbed his head off with LE, but I'm not betting on it.

I agree with all of the above. And I hope he did blab and I think there is a good chance he did not stay silent--whether he told the truth or some far fetched story is anyone's guess...

Jmo.
 
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.
>>> RSBM <<<
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.
I have to agree -- it's not that I doubt the ability of LE and the Prosecution; it's not that I doubt that he is guilty; and certainly AK did not deserve or tempt even a thought of this kind of horror.
The big time attorneys make me nervous; LE and the prosecution going up against that law firm makes me nervous; medical experts in alcohol and drug dependence or influence make me nervous; jury selection makes me nervous; a jury makes me nervous; and things we have no idea that will be introduced prior to or at trial make me nervous.
I've seen these type law firms do their jobs -- they earn their money and it makes me crazy.
But you never know -- sometimes the Good Guys do win, and I'm counting on that here, too.
Justice.
 
I wondered if BT’s sister (who was in same sorority) as Ally knew her..and her relationship with her brother. Sororities have lots of members each year. Her body was found early early Saturday. Black ribbons were put up at each house. I wondered if the sister saw the ribbons and suspected her brother. I asked a friend from Oxford with 3 daughters there this question and she said she heard the sister had no idea of anything and that the parents called her early Monday morning asking her if she had spoken to her brother because they were unable to reach him...whether he ended up calling them before his arrest in Memphis I don’t know??

I guarantee AK knew who BT's little sister was. It might be why she ended up in that sorority (when passing thru for rush, members can vouch positively or negatively for you, significantly impacting how far you make it in the rounds for that sorority). However, BT's sister may not have known AK very well. It seems whatever relationship they (AK and BT) had past freshmen year was not public, and if I know anything about older brothers its that they don't usually offer up a lot of information to their family about their personal or romantic lives. So BT's sister may have known AK but not that her and her brother were dating/seeing each other in relative secret. The sororities there are big, but I knew everyone by name up until I was a senior (so I knew the classes above me, and the two below me), and we brought in 137 girls, almost all freshmen. At that point there was little point to try and know them all because I was leaving in less than a year, and as a senior you don't have as many commitments to the sorority. Assuming BT's little sister is a rising sophomore, and AK a rising senior, they probably knew of each other at the least.
 
I went on a 4.8 mile hike today, preparing for Peru, which turned into a 7.2 mile hike due to some poorly marked trails. Anyways, I had TONS of time to think things through. We've discussed/brought up BT possibly being a drug supplier/dealer to students in Oxford. When I attended Ole Miss from 2010-2014 you mainly saw pot, sometimes cocaine, and i heard rumors about a small group of guys getting into heroin really bad. Generally, the pot is coming from Memphis, I imagine cocaine and heroin also make its way from there. At some point someone mentioned that Harmontown/Buford Ridge was not a good part of town and was known for drugs. It got me thinking... What if BT knew that side of the lake because he had purchased drugs there (either for himself, or to re-sell) before, and thats how he knew about that side being more isolated, less populated etc. We know killers will sometimes attack or leave a body at a place of meaning. Wondering if the spot wasn't because him and Ally used to go out there, but because he had sort of staked it out previously, even if he didn't have criminal intent at the time he saw it. Just a thought! IMO
 
I went on a 4.8 mile hike today, preparing for Peru, which turned into a 7.2 mile hike due to some poorly marked trails. Anyways, I had TONS of time to think things through. We've discussed/brought up BT possibly being a drug supplier/dealer to students in Oxford. When I attended Ole Miss from 2010-2014 you mainly saw pot, sometimes cocaine, and i heard rumors about a small group of guys getting into heroin really bad. Generally, the pot is coming from Memphis, I imagine cocaine and heroin also make its way from there. At some point someone mentioned that Harmontown/Buford Ridge was not a good part of town and was known for drugs. It got me thinking... What if BT knew that side of the lake because he had purchased drugs there (either for himself, or to re-sell) before, and thats how he knew about that side being more isolated, less populated etc. We know killers will sometimes attack or leave a body at a place of meaning. Wondering if the spot wasn't because him and Ally used to go out there, but because he had sort of staked it out previously, even if he didn't have criminal intent at the time he saw it. Just a thought! IMO
I think you’re right on track. Idk if he personally sold or purchased drugs there but I’m sure he knew the reputation of the area at least. He chose that location so the murder would be chalked up to gang/drug related activity and was going to dump the evidence at the heart of gang-related activity in the area to seal the deal, Memphis. It would look like a Memphis distributer was selling to an Oxford dealer and Ally stumbled upon it or something of that nature.
 
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I went on a 4.8 mile hike today, preparing for Peru, which turned into a 7.2 mile hike due to some poorly marked trails. Anyways, I had TONS of time to think things through. We've discussed/brought up BT possibly being a drug supplier/dealer to students in Oxford. When I attended Ole Miss from 2010-2014 you mainly saw pot, sometimes cocaine, and i heard rumors about a small group of guys getting into heroin really bad. Generally, the pot is coming from Memphis, I imagine cocaine and heroin also make its way from there. At some point someone mentioned that Harmontown/Buford Ridge was not a good part of town and was known for drugs. It got me thinking... What if BT knew that side of the lake because he had purchased drugs there (either for himself, or to re-sell) before, and thats how he knew about that side being more isolated, less populated etc. We know killers will sometimes attack or leave a body at a place of meaning. Wondering if the spot wasn't because him and Ally used to go out there, but because he had sort of staked it out previously, even if he didn't have criminal intent at the time he saw it. Just a thought! IMO
Sounds like good thinking to me.

jmo
 
I went on a 4.8 mile hike today, preparing for Peru, which turned into a 7.2 mile hike due to some poorly marked trails. Anyways, I had TONS of time to think things through. We've discussed/brought up BT possibly being a drug supplier/dealer to students in Oxford. When I attended Ole Miss from 2010-2014 you mainly saw pot, sometimes cocaine, and i heard rumors about a small group of guys getting into heroin really bad. Generally, the pot is coming from Memphis, I imagine cocaine and heroin also make its way from there. At some point someone mentioned that Harmontown/Buford Ridge was not a good part of town and was known for drugs. It got me thinking... What if BT knew that side of the lake because he had purchased drugs there (either for himself, or to re-sell) before, and thats how he knew about that side being more isolated, less populated etc. We know killers will sometimes attack or leave a body at a place of meaning. Wondering if the spot wasn't because him and Ally used to go out there, but because he had sort of staked it out previously, even if he didn't have criminal intent at the time he saw it. Just a thought! IMO

I think you’re right on track. Idk if he personally sold or purchased drugs there but I’m sure he knew the reputation of the area at least. He chose that location so the murder would be chalked up to gang/drug related activity was going to dump the evidence at the heart of gang-related activity in the area to seal the deal, Memphis.

I noted the same about this location earlier, and still believe he will use this in his defense. Perhaps he will say they had a fight shortly after leaving Lakeside Market, and AK got in a vehicle with somebody else, or that he last saw her walking down the road, etc. Just coincidence that AK's bullet riddled body is found in the dark zone of Buford Ridge.......

MOO
 
I think you’re right on track. Idk if he personally sold or purchased drugs there but I’m sure he knew the reputation of the area at least. He chose that location so the murder would be chalked up to gang/drug related activity and was going to dump the evidence at the heart of gang-related activity in the area to seal the deal, Memphis. It would look like a Memphis distributer was selling to an Oxford dealer and Ally stumbled upon it or something of that nature.
I think that you guys are on to his possible "alibi." I don't know how believable it will be; however, it might be that they went to the area to buy drugs, and it was a drug deal gone bad. The only thing is that I don't know how he is going to explain the use and return of his weapon in AK's murder and no harm being done to him.

I guess that we will have to wait and hear his story. His father apparently has his blinders on and believes him to be 100 percent innocent. Police don't and apparently have enough to arrest and hold him on murder.
 
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I'm with you. I wouldn't buy it; however, they might parlay it into her having a secret life, especially, if she kept it a secret from her family. I don't know what their defense is going to be. Personally, I just do not see him getting off of this murder. I think that they hope for reduced charges down to manslaughter, perhaps.

IMO, this kid is dangerous, and he has mental issues. He needs lots of counseling before he is ever released back into society. To commit murder is one of the worst things a person could do. Remember, though, he told people that he could do anything and his Dad would come to the rescue. On that point, he was right. Dad has hired a team of high powered lawyers.

I personally don't blame the father. As a parent, we all love our children. We want them to be successful and happy. I don't believe that this father is condoning what his son has done. If I could reach into this father's mind, he probably now understands that his son is very disturbed and needs to be in an inpatient hospital and treated or a prison with a mental health wing.

Or maybe BT's father needs to face up to the fact that his son is just brutal and mean to the core.

(We're not allowed to speculate about the father so I won't.)

I'm betting he was allowed to get away with serious misbehavior that escalated from early childhood on.

Classmates from the Day School are probably not going to step up for interviews but I'll be surprised if BT didn't commit violence of some kind there before he was forced to leave. Maybe he had been violent for years and the other parents finally had all they could take. Or maybe Daddy could no longer donate enough cash to buy his attendance there. (I don't believe it was academics alone.)

I think he needs to be treated just the way any man who shot a woman dead in Mississippi would be.

He needs to be thrown into general population at Parchman and, for the first time in his life, face the consequences of his actions.
 
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<modsnip - making a generalized statement without proof>

<modsnip - implying inside info>
if cocaine was a factor, would it cause rage? More worrying, would a drug problem be a defense and would rehab be a means to get a reduced sentence? I am not at all implying that Ally had any type of drug issue. I’m merely speculating about Brandon’s behavior. First time poster, so I apologize if I’ve misunderstood the rules of posting. I live in South MS and went to grad school at Ole Miss.

Hi from Memphis, Lulu! You've probably seen the work of the Fareses in the news over the years so you know Brandon's drug and alcohol issues will be used in his defense. Those and everything else.....

Anything Ally has done that didn't get a Girl Scout badge will, as well. (It will be a gravy train for Private Investigators from Oxford to St. Louis!)

The Fareses will pull out all the stops and we'll have to cringe while we watch.

God bless her family if there's a trial. I'd be happy to see BT plead down to 25 to life and send him on to Parchman for Christmas but I expect they will draw it out so he stays in the more comfortable Lafayette County Jail for a few years.
 
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Hi from Memphis, Lulu! You've probably seen the work of the Fareses in the news over the years so you know Brandon's drug and alcohol issues will be used in his defense. Those and everything else.....

Anything Ally has done that didn't get a Girl Scout badge will, as well. (It will be a gravy train for Private Investigators from Oxford to St. Louis!)

It's what the Fareses do and we'll have to cringe while we watch.

God bless her family if there's a trial. I'd be happy to see BT plead down to 25 to life and send him on to Parchman for Christmas but I expect they will draw it out so he stays in the more comfortable Lafayette County Jail for a few years.

Thanks much for answering lingering question about the practices of this stellar firm.

I’ve been trying to convince myself this will be a display of southern gentlemen but you’re correct- lots of $$$$ and job security on the line.

MOO
 
Welcome to Websleuths,
Lex Sleuther !!

Join us in sleuthing and discussing this one and others -- it's challenging, we learn a lot, and we're a good group of just regular folks! :) :cool: :D :confused: :rolleyes: ;)
 
Would LE have had time to get back dna results for the bloody clothes they found before they arrested BT?
 
I think you’re right on track. Idk if he personally sold or purchased drugs there but I’m sure he knew the reputation of the area at least. He chose that location so the murder would be chalked up to gang/drug related activity and was going to dump the evidence at the heart of gang-related activity in the area to seal the deal, Memphis. It would look like a Memphis distributer was selling to an Oxford dealer and Ally stumbled upon it or something of that nature.
Something to think about -- the long trip to Memphis makes that a real possibility, IMO. Another point to bring up at trial for the prosecution, too. Instead of dumping evidence near Ol' Miss, he took a little road trip. Not the dumbest idea he had that weekend... not by a long shot.
And this:

Welcome to Websleuths,
JaneTennessee !!
 
Another little thought just hit me -- let's hope LE did a gunshot residue test on the suspect -- it doesn't sound like he did a lot of clean-up before he got on the road.
Let's hope for that little piece of evidence, too. Apparently, it only lasts about six hours, so he might luck out on it, but it can also be deposited on clothing. That, IMO, might be somewhat of a tuff get-around for him if it is if found (steering wheel, car door handle, belt, etc.), but he could always claim a bit of pistol practice, I guess.
 
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Would LE have had time to get back dna results for the bloody clothes they found before they arrested BT?
We had a case here in NC where LE captured a cigarette butt one afternoon and had the results the next day. They knew who the killer was, but they didn't have enuff for a Probable Cause warrant until they had the DNA results from the cigarette. They arrested him that afternoon.
 
I think that you guys are on to his possible "alibi." I don't know how believable it will be; however, it might be that they went to the area to buy drugs, and it was a drug deal gone bad. The only thing is that I don't know how he is going to explain the use and return of his weapon in AK's murder and no harm being done to him.

I guess that we will have to wait and hear his story. His father apparently has his blinders on and believes him to be 100 percent innocent. Police don't and apparently have enough to arrest and hold him on murder.
What if BT wasn’t the one one who pulled the trigger and maybe wasn’t his gun.
Is it possible he hired someone to do it and was in Memphis to pay the person?
Could explain why his Dad was saying he was innocent because he thinks if his son didn’t pull the trigger then he didn’t commit murder.
 
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