Warning: The following article contains mentions of explicit themes and murder. Please read with caution.
The popular Scream movie franchise continues to insert itself into mainstream media more than 25 years after its initial release in 1996. What was intended to be harmless fun from the mind of Wes Craven, though, became a nightmarish reality when two students from Pocatello High School reenacted the crimes of the Scream series’ masked antagonist, Ghostface.
Cassie Jo Stoddart, another Pocatello student, was murdered on September 22, 2006, by her classmates, Brian Lee Draper and Torey Michael Adamcik, better known as the “Scream Killers.” The murder took place in Pocatello itself, the largest city of Bannock County, located in Idaho. For the brutal murder of Stoddart, Draper and Adamcik received life sentences without parole. Stoddart, Draper, and Adamcik were all in 11th grade.
Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik’s crime explained
It all started on the night of September 22, 2006, when Cassie Jo Stoddart was house-sitting for her aunt and uncle on Whispering Cliffs Drive in Bannock County. The Contreras family had hired Stoddart to look after their home while they were out of town for the weekend, leaving Stoddart in charge of their three cats and two dogs. Later that evening, Stoddart was visited by her boyfriend, Matt Beckham, Brian Draper, and Torey Adamcik, who wanted to “hang out.” Eventually, Stoddart and Beckham were alone, but unbeknownst to Stoddart, Draper had unlocked the basement door to allow himself and Adamcik to re-enter the house undetected.
Later that night, Draper and Adamcik returned to the neighborhood, parked their car down the street, and donned gloves, white masks, and all-black clothing. The pair quietly entered the house while Stoddart and Beckham were watching TV in the living room, intentionally making loud noises to lead Stoddart and Beckham downstairs “to scare them.” When that attempt failed, they found the circuit breaker and cut electricity to the house, hoping it would lure the couple downstairs. When it did not, they restored some of the power.
Stoddart was left alone
At approximately 10:30 p.m., Beckham’s mother picked him up, leaving Stoddart alone. Beckham called Adamcik to ask where they were, presumably to meet up with them, and Beckham commented on how he could barely hear Adamcik, who was whispering on the phone. He assumed the boys were in the movie theater. Once Draper and Adamcik heard Beckham leave, they turned out the power to make Stoddart come downstairs; she did not.
Eventually, the boys went upstairs, armed with a dagger-like weapon and a hunting knife purchased from a pawn shop. Draper slammed the closet door at the top of the stairs to scare Stoddart, who was lying on the couch. Draper and Adamcik then brutally attacked her, stabbing her around 30 times, 12 of which were fatal, according to The U.S. Sun.
During the investigation into Stoddart’s murder, police found out that the murder was premeditated by Draper and Adamcik, who had recorded themselves discussing the murder at school. At that time, Adamcik declared, “These people were mere amateurs to what we are going to be,” as Draper told Adamcik, “We are going to make history.” The two confessed to as many as nine previous murder attempts (via Film Daily).
How were Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik caught and charged?
Brian Draper and Roey Adamcik were arrested on September 27, 2006, and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. During the trials, each teen blamed the other. Draper initially denied stabbing Stoddart, then later changed his plea to a claim of coercion from Adamcik. Draper led investigators to Black Rock Canyon, where the Scream Killers had disposed of the clothing, masks, and murder weapons.
According to the prosecution at the trial, Draper was inspired by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who committed the Columbine High School massacre. Meanwhile, Adamcik was said to have been inspired by the Scream horror film franchise, hence the nickname they adopted. Adamcik and Draper are both serving their time at Idaho State Correctional Institution. In 2019, Adamcik’s appeal was denied by the Idaho Supreme Court, so his sentence still stands.