Idaho teen Cassie Jo Stoddart killed by film-obsessed classmates in 2006

Two teens turned their obsession with horror movies into a real-life, deadly nightmare.

In September 2006, 16-year-old Cassie Jo Stoddart, who was boarding at her relatives’ house in Pocatello, Idaho, was found stabbed to death inside the house. Investigators in the small town focused on the last three people to see the famous teenager alive: classmates Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik, along with her boyfriend Matt Beckham. But the discovery of a buried videotape revealed a disturbing truth.

Stoddart’s case is explored in ABC News Studios’ true crime docuseries “The Scream Murder: A True Teen Horror Story.” The film, inspired by the 1996 film “Scream,” examines how Draper and Adamcik chose a victim and carried out the killing.

“In their minds, they were playing characters,” director Lisa Quijano Wolfinger told Fox News Digital. “In the video, you can hear them talking about how this made them famous. When they committed it A terrible crimeThey figured the FBI and others would see the tape and say, “Oh my God, these guys were mastermind killers.” They wanted fame. They wanted to be seen.”

Brian Draper is seen reading a statement to the court during his sentencing on August 24, 2007, in Pocatello, Idaho. (Doug Lindley/The Idaho State Journal/AP Photo)

But after their friend was killed, investigators believe the boys became terrified.

“After the crime, they tried to burn the tape,” Wolfinger said. “They buried all their evidence in a hole in the valley. And in the aftermath, they said to themselves: ‘Oh, no, we have to hide this.’ In the end, they didn’t want to find the tape.”

Cassie Jo Stoddart was murdered on September 22, 2006 in Pocatello, Idaho. She was 16 years old. (ABC News Studios)

Stoddart’s friends and colleagues described her as a likeable teenager with a close circle of friends. The community was shocked and devastated by her sudden death.

“We talked with her high school friends and her art teacher who knew her well and loved her very much,” Wolfinger said. “They all said the same thing – she was just Cassie. She was kind and caring, with a big soul and big plans for her future.”

“I remember talking to the art teacher,” Wolfinger recalls. “He said, ‘She wasn’t the best artist. She was just Cassie.’ For me, that was powerful because it was authentic. The love everyone had for her was real. “Twenty years have passed, and still not enough time. She was so loved.”

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Draper initially presented himself as a concerned friend eager to take a polygraph test to clear his name. But just before the exam, he broke down and said he needed to talk to investigators.

Sitting next to his stunned parents, Draper told investigators that he and Adamcik went to the property where Stoddart was staying. He claimed that they only intended to cut off the power and scare her while wearing the masks. But then, according to Draper, Adamcik began stabbing Stoddart. Draper later led investigators to the area where they buried the evidence. In the hole was a tape on which the boys recorded their plots.

The tape found by investigators. (ABC News Studios)

The recording showed the teens happily discussing plans for what they called their “first kill.” They referenced the movie “Scream.” Saying they want to know what it feels like to take a life. The tape did not show the attack, but it depicted Draper and Adamcik in Draper’s car shortly after. They vividly described the rush of adrenaline they felt and then talked about getting rid of the evidence.

Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik were said to draw inspiration from horror films, including the 1996 film “Scream.” (United Archives/TBM/Universal)

“That feeling of excitement and joy in the aftermath of the crime was scary to me,” Wolfinger said. “I found it amazing that these two 16-year-old boys could do something like this without looking shocked at all.

“As a mother of teenage boys, this was hard to understand. I wanted to understand how this could happen — what was going on in their teenage brains that made them think it was okay or justified in some way?”

The community is still wondering why Stoddart, who was friendly with Draper and Adamcik, was targeted.

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When high school student Cassie Stoddart was found stabbed to death in a home outside of Pocatello, Idaho, the community feared there was a random killer on the loose. (ABC News Studios)

“I honestly think it was because she was a friend,” Wolfinger said. “They knew her. They had access to her. They knew she was going to take care of her aunt and uncle’s house, and that became a crime of opportunity. But they also had a hit list. They had a plan. This was something they wanted to do. They wanted to kill someone.”

“When Friday morning came, they realized that their friends, Cassie and Matt, would be hanging out at the house alone,” Wolfinger said. “I don’t know if the plan was set in stone that morning or if it solidified once they went home and realized they had a chance to go downstairs.”

Tori Adamcik and Brian Draper created their own masks inspired by Ghostface from the movie “Scream” (shown here) before the murder. (Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images)

“It really was Crime of opportunity“I don’t think they sat there and said, ‘Oh, Cassie,'” Wolfinger continued. It was at that moment – “She’s going home alone to a big empty house.” This is our chance. “For me, that makes it even more chilling.”

Torey Adamcik listens as Judge Peter D. McDermott A jury returned a guilty verdict during a murder trial in Bannock County Circuit Court on June 8, 2007, in Pocatello, Idaho. (Joe Klein/Idaho State Journal/AP Photo)

In 2007, Draper and Adamcik were convicted of first-degree murder, Associated Press I mentioned. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 30 years to life for conspiracy to commit murder.

Their lawyers filed separate appeals with the Supreme Court in 2010 and 2011, the outlet noted. Both were rejected.

Both Draper and Adamcik, now 35, were interviewed from behind bars in the documentary series, along with their parents.

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Anna Stoddart’s reaction when she recognized the photo of her murdered daughter Cassie Jo Stoddart on April 11, 2007, in Pocatello, Idaho. (Doug Lindley/Idaho State Journal/AP Photo)

“There were a lot of conversations,” Wolfinger said. “What amazes me is that these two middle-aged men are so remorseful. They had plenty of time to think about everything.”

“They know they did a terrible thing and they will never be able to bring Cassie back or undo the damage they caused to her family, their parents or their community,” she said. “When they were teenagers, they didn’t fully understand the consequences of their actions. Now, when they’re 35, they do.”

Clip from recording taken by Brian Draper and Tori Adamcik at the library in Pocatello, Idaho. (ABC News Studios)

The docu-series also explores how this tragedy went beyond mere fascination with “Scream.”

“They both loved horror movies,” Wolfinger said. “Horror movies spoke to them, especially Brian. He’s still a movie buff. They obviously loved ‘Scream,’ and you can hear it on the tape. ‘This is going to be like ‘Scream.’ They made their own homemade “scream” masks. They were definitely inspired by the movie. “They took inspiration from other films as well.”

Stoddart’s mother, Anna Stoddart, became a relentless advocate for justice, publicly supporting prosecutors’ efforts to ensure her daughter’s killers received life sentences. She died in 2022. Draper and Adamcik’s parents continue to grapple with painful questions about how their sons were involved in the tragic crime.

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In the documentary series, Police Captain John Jansky talks about how the case was solved using key evidence. (ABC News Studios)

“It’s devastating for them,” Wolfinger said. “They don’t recognize their kids in that footage and they can’t understand it. These were kids from good homes. They had some social struggles in high school — Brian wanted a girlfriend and struggled with confidence, and Tori had other issues. But how did that lead to this?”

“This crime has shattered the lives of so many people,” Wolfinger added.

“The Scream Murder: A True Teen Horror Story” is streaming on Hulu.

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