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Two teens turned their obsession with slasher films into a deadly real-life nightmare.
In September 2006, 16-year-old Cassie Jo Stoddart, who was house-sitting for relatives in Pocatello, Idaho, was found stabbed to death inside the property. Investigators in the small town focused on the last three people who saw the popular teen 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 being explored in the ABC News Studios true crime docuseries “The Scream Murder: A True Teen Horror Story.” It examines how Draper and Adamcik, both inspired by the 1996 film “Scream,” selected a victim and carried out the killing.
“In their minds, they were playing characters,” director Lisa Quijano Wolfinger told Fox News Digital. “In the videotape, you can hear them talk about how this was going to make them famous. When they committed this terrible crime, they imagined the FBI and others would see the tape and say, ‘Oh my gosh, these guys were such mastermind killers.’ They wanted notoriety. They wanted to be seen.”
But after killing their friend, investigators believe the boys were spooked.
“After the crime, they tried to burn the tape,” Wolfinger said. “They buried all of their evidence in a pit out in the canyon. So in the aftermath, they said to themselves, ‘Oh no, we should hide this.’ Ultimately, they didn’t want the tape found.”
Stoddart’s friends and classmates described her as a bubbly, well-liked teen with a close circle of friends. The community was blindsided and devastated by her sudden death.
“We talked to 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 recalled. “He said, ‘She wasn’t the best artist. She was just Cassie.’ To me, that was powerful because it was authentic. The love everyone had for her was genuine. Twenty years have passed, and it’s 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 speak with detectives.
Sitting beside his distraught parents, Draper told investigators that he and Adamcik went to the property where Stoddart was staying. He claimed they intended only to turn off the power and scare her while wearing masks. But then, according to Draper, Adamcik began stabbing Stoddart. Draper later led detectives to an area where they had buried the evidence. In the pit was a tape on which the boys chronicled their plot.
The recording showed the teens gleefully discussing plans for what they called their “first kill.” They referenced the movie “Scream,” saying they wanted to know what it felt like to take a life. The tape didn’t show the attack, but it captured Draper and Adamcik in Draper’s car soon afterward. They vividly described the adrenaline rush they felt and then talked about disposing of the evidence.
“This sense of raw excitement and glee in the aftermath of the crime was chilling to me,” Wolfinger said. “I found it fascinating that these two 16-year-old boys could do something like this without appearing traumatized at all.
“As a mother of teen boys, it was difficult to comprehend. I wanted to understand how that could happen — what was going on in their teenage brains that made them think it was OK or somehow justified?”
The community still wonders why Stoddart, who was friendly with Draper and Adamcik, was targeted.
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“I think, honestly, it’s because she was a friend,” Wolfinger said. “They knew her. It gave them access. They knew she would be house-sitting for her aunt and uncle, and it became a crime of opportunity. But they also had a kill list. They had a plan. This was something they wanted to do. They wanted to kill somebody.”
“When Friday morning came, they realized Cassie and Matt, their friends, 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 to the house and realized they had an opportunity to go into the basement.”
“It was truly a crime of opportunity,” Wolfinger continued. “I don’t think they sat there and said, ‘Oh, Cassie.’ It was in the moment — ‘She’s going to be home alone in a big, empty house. This is our opportunity.’ To me, that makes it even more chilling.”
In 2007, Draper and Adamcik were convicted of first-degree murder, The Associated Press reported. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 30 years to life for conspiracy to commit murder.
Their attorneys filed separate appeals at the Supreme Court in 2010 and 2011, the outlet noted. Both were denied.
Now both 35, Draper and Adamcik were interviewed from behind bars for the docuseries, along with their parents.
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“There were many conversations,” Wolfinger said. “What strikes me is that these are two middle-aged men who are very remorseful. They’ve had plenty of time to think about everything.”
“They know they did a terrible thing and can never bring Cassie back or repair the harm they caused to her family, their parents, or their community,” she shared. “As teenagers, they didn’t fully understand the consequences of their actions. Now, as 35-year-olds, they do.”
The docuseries also explores how this tragedy went beyond a fascination with “Scream.”
“They both loved horror movies,” said Wolfinger. “Horror movies spoke to them, especially Brian. He’s still a big movie buff. They clearly loved the movie ‘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 were inspired by other movies, too.”
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 wrestle with painful questions about how their sons became involved in the tragic crime.
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“It’s devastating for them,” said Wolfinger. “They don’t recognize their sons in that footage and can’t make sense of it. These were kids from good homes. They had some social struggles in high school — Brian wanted a girlfriend and struggled with confidence, while Torey faced other issues. But how did it lead to this?”
“This crime shattered so many lives,” Wolfinger added.
“The Scream Murder: A True Teen Horror Story” is streaming on Hulu.
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