The Case of Cassie Jo Stoddart and the "Scream Killers"
The iconic 1996 horror movie Scream not only transformed the horror scene, creating a film franchise with a collection of stellar and so-so sequels to further flesh out the traumatic life of its protagonist Sidney Prescott. It also, unwillingly, inspired a real-life murder, with much less fanfare and movie references.
On September 24, 2006, Pocatello, Idaho was shocked to learn of the grisly murder of a sixteen-year-old high school student. Cassie Jo Stoddart was found on the floor of Aunt’s home, who she was house sitting for, with up to 30 stab wounds. According to Oxygen, it was clear to even her Aunt and Uncle from the state of her body that she put up a hard fight against her attackers.
At first, police believe the killer could be Stoddart’s boyfriend, Matthew, but after an interview over a polygraph test, they discover the true culprits. Two other boys from school, Torey Adamcik and Brian Draper (both 16) had come over earlier that night, watching a movie with the couple before leaving. Police spoke to the boys, and quickly the real story unfolded.
The killers had been planning their attack for weeks in advance, as shown with found recordings of the two boys discussing their plans. On the day of the attack, September 22, after leaving the home they left the basement door unlocked. They returned a few hours later, causing a commotion in the basement and cutting the power to try and lure the couple downstairs to them. According to LAD Bible, when that didn’t work, and after Matthew was picked up by his mom, the two approached Cassie upstairs, donning dark clothes, gloves, masks, and hunting knives, and killed her. They made a video after the attack, with Draper stating: “I just killed Cassie. We’ve just left her house. This is not a f***ing joke.”
The two were eventually arrested and charged with first-degree murder. In their interrogations, the two not only blamed each other for the killing but also stated that they were inspired by Scream to kill Cassie and others, wanting to be like the killers. They were found guilty of murder and received life sentences without the possibility of parole, along with an additional 30 years each for conspiracy to commit murder.
