The Scream franchise is immensely popular, one of the greatest slashers ever made, and continues to insert itself into mainstream media over 25 years after its initial release in 1996. What was intended to be harmless fun from the mind of Wes Craven soon became a nightmarish reality as two students from Pocatello High School reenacted the grisly crimes of the series’ antagonist, Ghostface, who has been unmasked as many different characters over the years.
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 at the time.
It all started on the night of September 22, 2006, when Stoddart was house sitting for her aunt and uncle on Whispering Cliffs Drive in Bannock County. The Contreras family has 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, at around 6:00 p.m., as well as Draper and Adamcik, who wanted to “hang out.” Eventually, Stoddart and Beckham were left alone, but unbeknownst to Stoddart, Draper has unlocked the basement door to allow himself and Adamcik to re-enter the house undetected later on.
Some time after, Draper and Adamcik returned to the neighborhood, parked their car down the street, and donned all-black clothing, gloves, and white masks. The pair quietly entered the house while Stoddart and Beckham were watching TV in the living room, intentionally making loud noises in attempt 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, unnerved, commented on how she felt uneasy following the temporary outage, whereas Beckham noted how one of the Contreras’ dogs kept staring down the stairs into the basement and periodically barking. Beckham called his mother, asking if he could spend the night with her to ease her mind. His mother declined, but instead offered for Stoddart to spend the night at their house. She declined, insisting that it was her responsibility to watch over the Contreras’ home and care for their animals.
At approximately 10:30 p.m., Beckham’s mother picked him up, leaving Stoddart alone in the house. Beckham called Adamcik to ask where they were, presumably to meet up with them, but 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 once more, hoping it would make Stoddart come downstairs; it did not.
Eventually, the boys would make their way upstairs, armed with a dagger-like weapon and a hunting knife that were purchased from a pawn shop. Draper slammed the closet door at the top of the stairs in an attempt to scare Stoddart, who was lying on the couch, then he and Adamcik brutally attacked her, stabbing her approximately 30 times, 12 of which were potentially fatal.
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. Adamcik declares “These people were mere amateurs to what we are going to be” and Draper tells Adamcik that “We are going to make history.” The two also confess to having attempted murder at least eight or nine times before.
Draper and Adamcik were arrested on September 27, 2006, and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. During the trials, both teens blamed the other. Draper initially denied stabbing Stoddart, then later changed his plea to a claim of coercion from Adamcik. Draper was the one who led investigators to Black Rock Canyon, where the Scream Killers had disposed of the clothing, masks, and weapons they used for the murder.
Also at the trial, prosecution informed the court that 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 the duo 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.
This year, Cassie Jo Stoddart would be turning 34 years old.