The Murder of Ally Kostial

Ally Kostial was a 21-year-old rising senior at Ole Miss when she was brutally murdered on July 20th, 2019. Shortly thereafter, a fellow student and Ally's on-again, off-again romantic partner Brandon Theesfeld (22) was arrested and charged with Ally's murder. Ally's body was found just hours after she was killed, at Buford's Ridge in Harmontown, Mississippi. She had been shot 8 times in the stomach.

It did not take investigators long to identify Brandon as a suspect. He was known to frequent Buford's Ridge with friends, as it was approximately 30 miles away from the Ole Miss campus in Oxford. According to various people Ole Miss students, Brandon was also well-known for being disrespectful towards women. Many of Ally's friends stated that Brandon had manipulated her and treated her poorly during their on-again, off-again relationship. However, Ally's friends explained that Ally always saw the good in him.

Police located and arrested Brandon two days after Ally's murder, on July 22nd, 2019. Cell phone and credit card records led police to a gas station in South Memphis, where they were able to catch up to him. Authorities initially remained quiet about the investigation into the murder, however many of Ally's friends revealed a potential motive: Ally was rumored to be pregnant with Brandon's child. Brandon was furious that Ally did not want to have an abortion. 

As the case unfolded, the harrowing story about the real events that led up to Ally's murder was revealed. 

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2021: Theesfeld accepts a plea deal.

In August 2021, it was reported that, after initially pleading not guilty, Brandon Theesfeld had decided to plead guilty to Ally's murder. Brandon made this decision after a deal was made to reduce his charge from capital murder to first-degree murder. The first-degree murder charge results in an automatic life sentence. 

August 27th, 2021: Theesfeld pleads guilty. 

Brandon Theesfeld pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in court on August 27th, 2021. During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Ally and Brandon had a sexual relationship off-and-on throughout their time at University of Mississippi. As previously noted, Brandon was known to be disrespectful towards women, including Ally, but Ally was still interested in pursuing the relationship.

Ally Kostial and Brandon Theesfeld.

On April 12th, 2019, Ally reached out to Brandon to tell him that she thought she might be pregnant. A couple days later, she sent him a picture of an inconclusive pregnancy test. Over the next few months, Ally contacted Brandon several times and asked him to meet up with her - but he did not oblige. 

Finally, on July 12th, 2019, Brandon messaged Ally and said he did not want to meet up, but he did want her to get an abortion. Days later, on July 18th, Brandon messaged Ally again and said he had changed his mind and was willing to meet up. During the early morning hours of the 19th, Brandon picked Ally up from her residence in Oxford and drove her 40 miles away to Buford's Ridge at Sardis Lake. There, he shot her to death and then left her body behind. 

After pleading guilty in court, Brandon made the following statement: "I am sincerely sorry for the pain I've caused while taking Ally from you. My actions have forever changed your lives and my family's lives. I wish I could take it all back but I can't. There is no excuse for my actions, and I have asked God for forgiveness. I hope one day that you will find it in your heart to forgive me." 

Still, Brandon has not revealed a motive for the killing. There is inevitable speculation that he was motivated by Ally's alleged pregnancy - however, an autopsy confirmed that she was not actually pregnant at the time of her death.  

Brandon was sentenced to life in prison. 

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Sources:
CBS News
The Oxford Eagle
People