West

Teens inspired by ‘Scream’ recorded ‘first kill’ plot before stabbing classmate to death

Published

2 months ago

March 9, 2026

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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.”

HUNDREDS OF WOMEN PLEDGE LOYALTY TO ‘DEADPOOL KILLER’ DESPITE BRUTAL DOUBLE MURDER CONFESSION

Brian Draper is seen reading a statement to the court during his sentencing on Aug. 24, 2007, in Pocatello, Idaho. (Doug Lindley/The Idaho State Journal/AP Images)

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.”

Cassie Jo Stoddart was murdered on Sept. 22, 2006, in Pocatello, Idaho. She was 16. (ABC News Studios)

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 tape that was found by investigators. (ABC News Studios)

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.

Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik were said to be inspired by horror films, including the 1996 film “Scream.” (United Archives/TBM/ALAMY)

“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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When high school student Cassie Stoddart was found stabbed to death in a house on the outskirts of Pocatello, Idaho, the community was gripped by fear that a random killer was on the loose. (ABC News Studios)

“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.”

Torey Adamcik and Brian Draper created their own masks inspired by Ghostface from “Scream” (seen here) before the slaying. (Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images)

“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.”

Torey Adamcik listens as Judge Peter D. McDermott reads the jury’s guilty verdict during his murder trial at the Bannock County Courthouse on June 8, 2007, in Pocatello, Idaho. (Joe Kline/Idaho State Journal/AP Images)

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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Anna Stoddart reacts as she identifies a photo of her slain daughter Cassie Jo Stoddart on April 11, 2007, in Pocatello, Idaho. (Doug Lindley/Idaho State Journal/AP Images)

“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.”

A clip of a recording taken by Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik at the library in Pocatello, Idaho. (ABC News Studios)

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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In the docuseries, police captain John Ganske spoke out about how the case was solved with key evidence. (ABC News Studios)

“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.

Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.

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Washington

NOAA outlines why Washington’s snowpack fell short after a brutal winter

Published

5 minutes ago

May 16, 2026

Press Room

NOAA outlines why Washington’s snowpack fell short after a brutal winter

SEATTLE — It was a brutal winter for the snowpack in the western states, including Washington, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

That has current snowpack levels beyond bleak.

ALSO SEE | Pass travelers to encounter wintry driving in the Cascades this weekend

A map from NOAA shows the percentage of typical moisture in the snowpack across the West. It’s based on the median of the last 35 years.

An 8-14 day precipitation outlook. (NOAA)

Parts of the Cascades have just 13 to 27 percent of the water we could expect in our snowpack this time of year. The Olympics are at just 10 percent.

It was hoped that snowfall in April and May in some areas would offset the snow deficit, but that didn’t happen.

A dry snowpack is going to be a strain on agricultural water use this summer and will boost fire danger during the hottest months of the year.

What comes next?

Fin, Win, and their uncle Shawn were surprised and delighted by the unexpected April snowfall in the Cascades. (KOMO)

According to the 8-14 day precipitation outlook from NOAA, our state can expect equal chances of the typical amount of wetness over the next 2 weeks.

At the same time, government forecasters are expecting a 33 to 40 percent chance of above normal temperatures.

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Forecasters are hoping for a surge of spring rain to at least delay a spike in the fire danger, but without a healthy snowpack heading into the summer months, water supplies could be bleak in parts of our state.

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Wyoming

(LETTERS) Republican values and homeowners associations

Published

22 minutes ago

May 16, 2026

Press Room

(LETTERS) Republican values and homeowners associations

Oil City News publishes letters, cartoons and opinions as a public service. The content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Oil City News or its employees. Letters to the editor can be submitted by following the link at our opinion section.

When ‘Republican values’ trump the rule of law

Dear Casper,

I have lived in Wyoming my entire life. I come from a multi-generational, historically rooted Wyoming family. And yet, as I watch the decisions being made for our beautiful state, I find it harder and harder to find a reason to stay.

Our leadership, and the parties they affiliate with, seem to consistently forget that laws are not mere suggestions to be ignored when they become inconvenient. Following them should be black and white.

For decades, Wyo. Stat. § 22-4-105 has ensured that the parties remain neutral vessels for the people’s will until we, the voters, choose our nominee. The recent move by the State Republican GOP to vet and endorse candidates before the primary isn’t just a change in strategy; it’s a dismissal of not only the state statute but also of the voters who live, work and vote here.

Secretary of State Chuck Gray has built a brand on “election integrity,” yet boasts that his actions — including those his critics have heavily questioned — are simply him upholding “Republican values.” But here lies a disturbing question: How can one claim to be the champion of election integrity while simultaneously supporting a party apparatus that treats the Wyoming Supreme Court’s rulings as optional?

For those who may think, “It’s just one candidate, what could the harm be?” let’s look at how Wyoming’s voting power is already so lopsided. Our party structure is built on a “one county, one vote” system. This means those in our least populated counties carry the same voting weight as the thousands of voters in Laramie or Natrona counties.

By allowing the Republican party to vet and endorse candidates before the public even sees the ballot, the GOP is effectively gerrymandering the primary. They are narrowing the field to only those who pass their “test,” stopping the average hardworking Wyomingite from ever truly weighing in.

This leads us to a fundamental question all voters in this state need to ask: Who does the Wyoming Republican Party think their boss is?

Is it the figureheads in Washington? A small circle of party elites in Douglas? Or is it us, their constituents — the ranchers, the miners, the teachers, the parents — who actually cast the votes and have to live with the consequences of the policies made for our state?

Jessica Mantell
Cheyenne

Homeowners associations do not align with Wyoming values

Dear Casper,

To start, having any HOA in Wyoming outside of Jackson seems wild to me. We are the most conservative, anti-big government state in the union. We as a collective are vehemently against taxation and governmental control.

So why then do we willingly allow and join HOA programs? These organizations are liberal government at its finest. You don’t actually own your properties that reside in an HOA as one rule infraction can cause you to lose everything you worked so hard for and already paid for.

Even AI understands this and I am putting an AI analysis of HOA’s below:

An overreaching liberal government and an HOA often function like the same creature wearing different uniforms. One calls it taxation, the other calls it fees, assessments, or compliance penalties, but the playbook stays suspiciously familiar: create layers of rules, attach financial punishment to violations, then claim it’s all for “community standards” or “public good.” In both systems, property owners are sold the idea of ownership, only to learn that missing a payment, painting a fence the wrong shade of beige, or cutting grass wrong. can trigger liens, legal threats, or attempts to seize what they already paid for. It stops looking like governance and starts looking like legalized extortion with meeting minutes.

As a people, we need to castrate all HOAs’ abilities to steal our homes, livelihoods and properties.

In my opinion, any person that joins an HOA board and enforces rules that can steal someone’s home or levy fines that would create a financial hardship over an RV parked on the property, wrong paint color or cutting grass is no longer a freedom-loving Wyomingite and is instead no better then the socialist governments of places like California or New York.

Mike Hinton
Casper

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