The murder of 16 year-old Cassie Jo Stoddart took place on September 22 2006. She was stabbed 30 times by her so-called ‘friends’ Torey Adamcik and Brian Draper.
Their Video Diaries
What makes this case interesting is the videos that Brian and Torey took in the days leading up to the murder.
In the car together the day before the murder Brian states that they are ‘gonna be just like scream’ to which Torey responds ‘That sounds good baby’. It is clear that the two have garnered some sick inspiration from the movie and almost look up to the characters portrayed in this movie. They move on to discuss the fact ‘there should be no laws against killing people’. I mean just this comment alone shows how wrapped up they had become in the fantasy of taking a life. Brian moves on to talk about the fact they're going to hell but ‘who gives a shit’. Having both been raised in christian households it is clear the two are looking to rebel against the ideas installed in them as children. After this conversation they also begin taunting the FBI saying they are not ‘quick’ enough or ‘smart’ enough to catch them. As is reinforced later these comments clearly show how narcissistic these boys had become and they obviously felt untouchable, which was proven not to be the case.
There is another rather ominous clip of Brian talking to Cassie on the day of the murder. On the surface the clip seems like a regular interaction but once you learn the sinister undertones it becomes quite a scary and creepy clip.
On the day of the murder the two record themselves talking in the library stating: ‘We’re going for a high death count’ ‘My goal is twenty’ ‘We're going to make history’. It seems by these comments that both Brian and Torey were looking to gain fame and become serial killers. In one clip they also call out serial killers like Ted Bundy and call them amateurs compared to them. This shows such an inflated ego and narcissistic personality given the two were only 16. They later commented how they were excited to get their ‘first kill done’. Clearly their intentions were for more victims however they were ‘amateurs’ and were caught within 3 days of the murder. While analyzing the clip from the library further it is clear that they both feed off each other's energy and encourage each other further. Having watched all the clips I think that without the support of another person neither of these two would have been able to commit such an act. Below are a few clips from the library.
The Murder
On the night of the murder Cassie was house sitting for her auntie and uncle with boyfriend Matt round to keep her company. Torey and Brian came round to watch a film with the couple, however both left before the end making excuses as to why they had to leave. As they were leaving they left the garage door unlocked to give them easy access later. This shows a clear sign of premeditation along with a comment Brian made in one of the tapes ‘I’m sorry to Cassie’s family but she had to be the one’. It is later uncovered that Brian had a crush on Cassie and it is believed he was more intent on the victim being Cassie whereras Torey wanted to kill ‘20 people’ but didn’t show signs of a specific victim.
Once they returned to the house later, wearing black clothing and horror masks, they switched the power off and made loud noises in the basement in attempts to lure boyfriend Matt down so they could kill him. This did not happen and Matt’s mother would eventually come to pick him before the boys could carry out their original plan. Matt had tried to stay with Cassie, calling his mom and asking to stay however she didn’t allow him to stay but offered that Cassie could come to theirs. Cassie turned down this offer due to her feeling responsible for the pets and house.
Once Matt left the boys stepped up their efforts to lure Cassie out by smashing two ashtrays and slamming doors. None of this worked and left the boys frustrated. Eventually they had run out of patience and decided to attack Cassie where she lay. They stabbed her 30 times with many of the wounds believed to be fatal.
As they drove away from the house they reached for their camera again. Brian can be heard shouting ‘We just killed Cassie’ ‘I’m shaking’ ‘I stabbed her in the throat and I saw her lifeless body’ ‘That felt like it wasn’t real’. Brian seems to be switching between excitement and nervousness, he is clearly euphoric at what he has just done. Before Brian can get carried away Torey tell him to ‘Shut the fuck up, we need to get our act straight’. This suggests Torey was more relaxed and maybe held the power in this relationship, although it could just be due to Brian’s emotional ties with Cassie. Either Way the clip is a very interesting insight into what was going on in the killers minds directly after they had committed such an act.
Brian and Torey were later arrested due to evidence placing them at the scene. Brian was the first to break and downplay his role. Stating it was Torey who had done the stabbing however if we listen to the above clip again you can clearly hear Brian use the ‘I’ when he describes killing and stabbing Cassie. No matter who was the leader they were both found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The Interviews After the Crime
Brian’s Interviews
Brain originally sticks to his story of going to the movie however it is clear Brian is lying. The investigators push this and Brian begins to claim they weren’t at the movies but were stealing cars which is why they didn’t tell the detectives. The detectives quickly rebuff this idea and over an hour into the interview Brian begins to crack. Brian however doesn’t quite tell the whole truth and tries to downplay his role saying that Torey stabbed her while he looked away. Immediately we know this to be untrue given all the forensic evidence collected by police.
In a later interview police attempt to obtain a full confession from Brian by downplaying his role in the crime. The interview builds up with the detective saying they completely believe his story and that he would never willingly stab someone. Despite the fact they do not believe this it is key to eliciting a confession from Brian. They use lines such as ‘did you stab her accidentally’ or ‘did he make you do it’, to try and get Brian to admit to the stabbing. Eventually Brian confesses to being forced into stabbing Cassie by Torey and that he didn’t want to do it. It seems highly unlikely this was the case given the previous video clips we have of Brian. Below is a clip of the confession that Brian gives.
Torey’s Interviews
Torey remains a lot quieter than Brian and only really talks to request an attorney. He clearly doesn’t grasp the gravity of the situation early on, perhaps he thought he might get away with it which speaks to his narcissistic personality. He makes a statement of ‘everybody at school is gonna know right’ this seems the least of his concerns but also highlights how young these boys were at the time of the crime. Eventually given Torey’s request for an attorney the detectives reveal everything they know including Brian’s confession. The news of this angers Torey and he finally starts to grasp the gravity once the detectives tell him what is going to happen.
Torey's only real line of confession is ‘It all happened so fast’, however the detectives are unable to press this statement given Torey’s earlier request. Once the detectives leave the room it seems Torey finally realizes that there is no way out from this one and panic sets in. The interview clip finishes with Torey being spoken to by his parents who both remain supportive, stating they love him before hugging and kissing him.
Overall this is a sad story that ended such a young life prematurely and brutally. Both boys were as guilty as one another but I think without the influence or confidence they garnered from each other this crime may not have happened. Having watched all the clips I don’t think they would have done this alone, it seems they fed off each other and egged each other on to go further. Both are behind bars for life without parole and have had numerous appeals declined.
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