GUILTY MS - Alexandria "Ally" Kostial, 21, Ole Miss student found dead, Harmontown, 20 Jul 2019 *ARREST* #2

[borndem]

This is an excellent article about why only tabloid media has reported rumors.

https://m.oxfordeagle.com/2019/07/27/editorial-the-importance-of-facts-and-local-news/

Thanks, @hellokitty88 for that nice breath of fresh air! It reads like a very nice and down-to-earth local paper. I wish we had one of those where I live!

 

[marcolepsy]

I think some of her friends likely warned her to stay away from him...this probably just led her to keep things from them ...maybe some of her friends didnt know much about him because of this reason...at least one of them did hence the police looking at him so quickly.

<modsnip- stating opinion as fact> it seems like some of these women have a mighty high tolerance for douchey bs from the men they date. But I don't blame AK - history is filled with remarkable men and women who hitched their wagons to awful people and paid the ultimate price for it.

 

[NEL10]

Does anyone believe that BT, who can't get through state school in 4 years or cover up a murder could possibly navigate the window of a pregnancy test?

Might not have been his first rodeo.

 

[Gsmithson]

I think some of her friends likely warned her to stay away from him...this probably just led her to keep things from them ...maybe some of her friends didnt know much about him because of this reason...at least one of them did hence the police looking at him so quickly.

I had a really close friend in college who dated a guy for years that we did not like...they would constantly break up and get back together. Awhile after they officially broke up we heard they had randomly gotten back together on multiple times which none of us knew about and she hadn’t told any of us (despite us all living together!). My point is, it’s definitely possible even her closest friends had no idea of the most recent details of her relationship with BT. I would have a hard time believing that if it weren’t for my prior experience with this friend (who is still one of my closest friends 5 years later).

 

[kgreg2529]

Most of my family went to schools in MS, still live there and my son was born there. It’s not all crazy dating and getting married early though. My mother had me at 28 and I’m the oldest of multiple children. None were in sororities though, but i can’t recall any that married insanely early, even my great grandparents and we/they are from the Deep South, much further south Mississippi than Oxford. Just an opinion.

Though still being young enough to have dated more recent types of men/boys like BT... there are some doozies, especially the ones with money. Wanna have you around when convenient and don’t you dare think you can ask anything personal, have an opinion on the situation, if you wanna know about their hook ups to take care of your own health (bc of course then you’re jealous), almost like they are doing YOU a favor because they’re so great. Barf.

I wish she could have gotten away from him. And even if the pregnancy info is true.. it seems her family is supportive and would be there for her. I hate that she felt (so it seems) that he had to be accountable. Sadly so many aren’t, and daddy dearest might have just paid her off, so you know, “his life wasn’t ruined.”

This is all my opinion. Sorry for the rant. He just grinds my gears.

 

[jens]

This is an excellent article about why only tabloid media has reported rumors.

https://m.oxfordeagle.com/2019/07/27/editorial-the-importance-of-facts-and-local-news/

Nice to see that some journalists maintain integrity instead of succumbing to tabloid journalism.

 

[Seattle1]

Ole Miss Murder Suspect Had 'Complicated Relationship' With Victim, Was 'Super Misogynistic': Friends

8/2/19

"All she wanted was to be enough for him and for him to want her," her friend tells PEOPLE

[...]

While the nature of the relationship between the victim and the accused is murky, “the things he’d say to Ally through text messages and stuff, it was so horrible — he’d say hurtful, degrading things,” the friend says.

“She was always down about him. I have all kinds of messages of her texting me paragraph after paragraph, asking me, ‘What do I do?,'” the friend says. “She was texting all her friends asking for advice. It was hard for me to watch.”

“He would tell her he loved her and then he’d say ‘F— you, I was just drunk, I don’t care about you,'” she says.

“All she wanted was to be enough for him and for him to want her, and he quite literally was the death of her.”

[...]

A defense attorney for Theesfeld, Tony Farese, tells PEOPLE that his client will plead not guilty when he is formally charged. To address specific comments about Brandon or rumors about the case “would be disrespectful to the Kostial family,” Farese says.

“Brandon comes from a good family, a good Christian home, his parents were divorced and have remarried and they all get along very well, and they have been very supportive of Brandon, and their hearts go out to the Kostial family and their loss,” he says.

 

[kgreg2529]

Ole Miss Murder Suspect Had 'Complicated Relationship' With Victim, Was 'Super Misogynistic': Friends

8/2/19

"All she wanted was to be enough for him and for him to want her," her friend tells PEOPLE

[...]

While the nature of the relationship between the victim and the accused is murky, “the things he’d say to Ally through text messages and stuff, it was so horrible — he’d say hurtful, degrading things,” the friend says.

“She was always down about him. I have all kinds of messages of her texting me paragraph after paragraph, asking me, ‘What do I do?,'” the friend says. “She was texting all her friends asking for advice. It was hard for me to watch.”

“He would tell her he loved her and then he’d say ‘F— you, I was just drunk, I don’t care about you,'” she says.

“All she wanted was to be enough for him and for him to want her, and he quite literally was the death of her.”

[...]

A defense attorney for Theesfeld, Tony Farese, tells PEOPLE that his client will plead not guilty when he is formally charged. To address specific comments about Brandon or rumors about the case “would be disrespectful to the Kostial family,” Farese says.

“Brandon comes from a good family, a good Christian home, his parents were divorced and have remarried and they all get along very well, and they have been very supportive of Brandon, and their hearts go out to the Kostial family and their loss,” he says.

This is so sad. Poor Ally. I wish she had realized she was enough and better off without him regardless of any pregnancy status.

 

[afitzy]

Does anyone local have a perspective on why so many students seem to be speaking to the press? And why do so many of the statements from students seem less that positive or supportive of the victim? There have been so many amazing statements made about the victim and yet there seems to be a very active victim shaming contingent present here that I'm trying to figure out as I find it profoundly disturbing. In particular the wholesale sharing of screenshots of convos from someone deceased is something that I believe should be sent to LE and NOT posted all over social media. Where is the University in all this? Does anyone know? It seems like the community is more interested in gossip than prosecuting a crime against a student that was violently murdered!

It doesn't sound like the suspect had many friends, he wasn't in a frat so its not some group of frat folks coming out in support of their member so I'm not sure the negatives against the victim are coming from supporters of suspect.

So, where are the negative words coming from? Seems like some of the negativity is coming from sorority sisters or second or third hand accounts from various dorms. This negative chatter from Alpha Phi sisters is surprising because the normal MO in these cases is for the sorority to step in and ban chatter to press and to threaten sanctions/punishment of any chatterboxes.

Its shocking what people have been posting online in terms of screen shots etc. I looked to see if the school issued a statement about the event in terms of advising students what to do and not to do and to advise students how to assist with the investigation and I cannot find anything. So far as what I'm seeing its a free for all with no coordination or guidance.

Is anyone on campus seeing anything differently? Why would any sorority sister of AK want to be on or off the record in talking about their deceased sister and particularly in a negative light?

Who is managing communication on behalf of the school? Is the school doing what it can to protect the victim here?

 

[Gsmithson]

Does anyone local have a perspective on why so many students seem to be speaking to the press? And why do so many of the statements from students seem less that positive or supportive of the victim? There have been so many amazing statements made about the victim and yet there seems to be a very active victim shaming contingent present here that I'm trying to figure out as I find it profoundly disturbing. In particular the wholesale sharing of screenshots of convos from someone deceased is something that I believe should be sent to LE and NOT posted all over social media. Where is the University in all this? Does anyone know? It seems like the community is more interested in gossip than prosecuting a crime against a student that was violently murdered!

It doesn't sound like the suspect had many friends, he wasn't in a frat so its not some group of frat folks coming out in support of their member so I'm not sure the negatives against the victim are coming from supporters of suspect.

So, where are the negative words coming from? Seems like some of the negativity is coming from sorority sisters or second or third hand accounts from various dorms. This negative chatter from Alpha Phi sisters is surprising because the normal MO in these cases is for the sorority to step in and ban chatter to press and to threaten sanctions/punishment of any chatterboxes.

Its shocking what people have been posting online in terms of screen shots etc. I looked to see if the school issued a statement about the event in terms of advising students what to do and not to do and to advise students how to assist with the investigation and I cannot find anything. So far as what I'm seeing its a free for all with no coordination or guidance.

Is anyone on campus seeing anything differently? Why would any sorority sister of AK want to be on or off the record in talking about their deceased sister and particularly in a negative light?

Who is managing communication on behalf of the school? Is the school doing what it can to protect the victim here?

Where are you seeing all these less than positive statements about the victim? The only ones I have seen are the DM article.

As to the screenshots, that is the nature of society. Everyone wants to know the details about everything and the screenshots are easy to pass along. MOO, but the sharing of the screenshots aren’t to put Ally in a negative light. They show that BT knew about the (alleged) pregnancy a couple months back and was unresponsive when Ally tried to talk to him about it. Shows he had a motive and that he was a d*ck. MOO

 

[Not a Belle]

This is shameful IMO but it sadly happens in cases like this as it almost seems to be a reflexive action from defense atty's of moderate skill and experience IMO. The good news is that victim blaming/shaming as a defense tactic is rarely successful for the defense in the long run and in fact has the potential to make the defendant look even more monstrous than they already look IMO!

But I'm wondering why you would assume that the University would be neutral in this entire situation, and ditto for local LE?

You might think that the University would want to seek justice for AK, but is that really in their best interest here? I don't know but we will have to wait and see. I just see many issues for the University but I think their primary focus is maintaining the status quo and calming fears of anxious parents who will be sending their children to Oxford over the next few weeks for the beginning of school!

No parent wants to think that a prevalent gun culture is in place in Oxford and that the normal response of a Univesity college male to hearing that someone he had sex with was pregnant was to shoot her brutally 8 times and leave her body abandoned and outdoors because she might have wanted to keep the child against his wishes?

Do you really have confidence that a solid and effective prosecution of this case and justice obtained for AK can be undertaken in Oxford? I have serious doubts and so I hope the family of AK is exploring all legal options available to them to obtain justice for their daughter.

Do you really think its possible for the University to not interfere or at best remain neutral to the outcome of the case?

Seems to me that the stakes are enormous here for the University too as they are faced with sliding enrollment stats, ongoing questions about quality of educational standards and allegations from a number of places over the years about a potentially toxic culture party culture on campus about which they never seem to address as things rarely seem to change in Oxford?

Seems like it just might be possible to see the University throw their hat in with the Defense on this one and even if its not public support it could be happening very much behind the scenes.

But even though school is not in full swing yet it seems like there were multiple PR blunders by the School and LE as it related to public safety concerns. If I were a parent looking at sending my child to Oxford I would look at the way this entire episode was handled by the University, a party culture on campus that appears beyond the ability of the University to control or change and LE and perhaps explore other places to send my child!

When was the last time records in a violent crime had been sealed up tight so quickly? Reading why all this happened its not clear that the seals were to protect the victim in any way IMO. Why was the coroner speaking on some matters and yet not on others when the chances are the pregnancy issue was addressed immediately? It would have been better for the coroner to simply answer, "No comment at this time" and leave it at that?

If there was early confirmation of the pregnancy why not immediately bring additional charges? Why the shroud of secrecy around something that was an easily verifiable medical fact even though the brutal murderer shot AK 8 times in the abdomen? Have politics from Jackson entered this case already and the political will or courage to do the right thing and add charges for murder of an unborn child simply doesn't exist? Or did the University weigh in and ask that additional charges not be brought? Don't the lack of additional charges at this point bother people if AK were in fact pregnant? We are talking about justice potentially for 2 people IMO. Not sure what all the debate is about behind the scenes and why the long delay from LE and the coroner? Are they thinking this case is going away? Not by a long shot. Whole thing is starting the smell worse by the day too IMO, the longer they delay.

I think you have to ask why what is happening is happening on this case, as so much of what we have seen play out IMO is simply not normal course of action in other places and on other cases.

I'm scratching my head and asking why and is the focus here from LE really justice for AK? I'm sadly not sure yet. But then again this could just be how things associated with justice for female victims of violent crime are handled in Oxford. IDK, but I hope not.

MOO

With regard to the gun culture, you have to remember that for many people here that is how it is; I live fairly close to Oxford, and the state of Mississippi itself is a gun culture. Many (possibly most?) of the parents here expect their students to have ready access to guns for hunting and other activities, including shooting targets for fun or sport. (I am not one of these parents, but I know many who are.) You might be surprised how many parents fight gun restrictions on campus.

 

[JBMDC]

Does anyone local have a perspective on why so many students seem to be speaking to the press? And why do so many of the statements from students seem less that positive or supportive of the victim? There have been so many amazing statements made about the victim and yet there seems to be a very active victim shaming contingent present here that I'm trying to figure out as I find it profoundly disturbing. In particular the wholesale sharing of screenshots of convos from someone deceased is something that I believe should be sent to LE and NOT posted all over social media. Where is the University in all this? Does anyone know? It seems like the community is more interested in gossip than prosecuting a crime against a student that was violently murdered!

It doesn't sound like the suspect had many friends, he wasn't in a frat so its not some group of frat folks coming out in support of their member so I'm not sure the negatives against the victim are coming from supporters of suspect.

So, where are the negative words coming from? Seems like some of the negativity is coming from sorority sisters or second or third hand accounts from various dorms. This negative chatter from Alpha Phi sisters is surprising because the normal MO in these cases is for the sorority to step in and ban chatter to press and to threaten sanctions/punishment of any chatterboxes.

Its shocking what people have been posting online in terms of screen shots etc. I looked to see if the school issued a statement about the event in terms of advising students what to do and not to do and to advise students how to assist with the investigation and I cannot find anything. So far as what I'm seeing its a free for all with no coordination or guidance.

Is anyone on campus seeing anything differently? Why would any sorority sister of AK want to be on or off the record in talking about their deceased sister and particularly in a negative light?

Who is managing communication on behalf of the school? Is the school doing what it can to protect the victim here?

For whatever reason, some of the university community have wanted to make this about pregnancy, as if that explained the murder. As I noted earlier, Ally’s close friends appear to have been her St. Louis friends and her Ole Miss Fitness Center friends. None of them have talked about a pregnancy, not even anonymously. Some sorority sisters and random Ole Miss bros who were “not a friend of BT but we had mutual friends” have been gossiping about pregnancy all along.

 

[afitzy]

I’m going to be honest, I did not read that entire post. A lot of rambling ha. But no, the university has no control over what charges are brought by LE. It is very normal to not bring all charges at once. You start with your strongest charge and try to get the defendant to plead. If they refuse, then you add on the extra charges for trial.

Ally has only passed two weeks ago. It is very normal to not have the autopsy results. Further, many high profile autopsy results are not ever released or are not released for a long time. See Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington cases. Typically, the very specifics only come out in a case if it goes to trial.

MOO, but people are really overthinking the case being sealed. That is very normal in higher profile cases, most of the times the family prefer that. Two weeks is a very short time in the course of an investigation. LE is significantly further along than compared with the majority of cases. Crimes are not solved with all the details released in one hour like they are on TV.

We actually know a significant amount of official information for only being two weeks in.

All MOO (and I am a lawyer)

Thank you kindly for the friendly Cliff Notes version of justice Oxford, MS style!

I do not believe for a second that any family seeking justice for a brutal murder would want anything sealed and certainly not this early, in what no doubt might be a protracted process of litigation.

We don't know who ordered the seal and why but we do know that the press were having difficulty even getting the charges confirmed from LE. Charges so far as I'm aware in most jurisdictions are a matter of public record. Perhaps this isn't the case in Oxford or Mississippi as I haven't had a chance to look? Or do the press routinely have to use Freedom of Information to confirm charges with LE?

Its interesting that prosecuting this case you wouldn't lead the charges with double murder rather than your suggested path of AK murder and then plead? Why plead at all if the facts are as strong as they appear to be here?

Fact pattern appears clear: Victim died a violent death with 8 gunshots to the abdomen and was left abandoned. Victim was found w/i 8 hrs of death I believe and given the nature of the crime the autopsy would have been expedited (or I hope it would have been). This point is unclear though as someone in the prior thread said there was a 'back up' with the coroner and a backlog existed so we don't know when it was completed.

So, assuming coroner was delayed by 7 days or so its likely the process is now done and pregnancy confirmed as well with additional tests such as DNA and tox pending. A surprising number of basic DNA tests can be completed w/i 24 hrs while much longer waits for more complex testing is the norm.

This isn't a case where the body was impacted by decomp and the elements and victim ID was in question. The body was fresh, ID existed and so when body was found the autopsy could proceed quickly with no issue.

Still no additional charges when the information exists to do so. My original question was why not?

Facts of the case look relatively simple so not sure why so many folks seem determined to make things more complicated than they are? Suspect was arrested quickly too so its not like we have a manhunt on our hands. About the only positive thing I have to say in all this is that there has been no bond yet and the suspect remains in jail.

 

[akazia1978]

I was not showing till 7 months, but I am tall and slim and worked out every other day. All just depends. Definitely nothing at 17 weeks

 

[JBMDC]

Thank you kindly for the friendly Cliff Notes version of justice Oxford, MS style!

I do not believe for a second that any family seeking justice for a brutal murder would want anything sealed and certainly not this early, in what no doubt might be a protracted process of litigation.

We don't know who ordered the seal and why but we do know that the press were having difficulty even getting the charges confirmed from LE. Charges so far as I'm aware in most jurisdictions are a matter of public record. Perhaps this isn't the case in Oxford or Mississippi as I haven't had a chance to look? Or do the press routinely have to use Freedom of Information to confirm charges with LE?

Its interesting that prosecuting this case you wouldn't lead the charges with double murder rather than your suggested path of AK murder and then plead? Why plead at all if the facts are as strong as they appear to be here?

Fact pattern appears clear: Victim died a violent death with 8 gunshots to the abdomen and was left abandoned. Victim was found w/i 8 hrs of death I believe and given the nature of the crime the autopsy would have been expedited (or I hope it would have been). This point is unclear though as someone in the prior thread said there was a 'back up' with the coroner and a backlog existed so we don't know when it was completed.

So, assuming coroner was delayed by 7 days or so its likely the process is now done and pregnancy confirmed as well. This isn't a case where the body was impacted by decomp and the elements and victim ID was in question. The body was fresh when it was found so the autopsy could proceed quickly with no issue.

Still no additional charges when the information exists to do so. My original question was why not?

Facts of the case look relatively simple so not sure why so many folks seem determined to make things more complicated than they are? Suspect was arrested quickly too so its not like we have a manhunt on our hands. About the only positive thing I have to say in all this is that there has been no bond yet and the suspect remains in jail.

I agree that the seal is not standard practice. Lafayette County is in charge and they have shared very little from the beginning. The City of Oxford released the Friday night video of Ally and the Memphis PD released the gas station arrest photos and told Memphis media that BT had a gun and seemed to have blood on his clothes. A few other things were hunted down by reporters but are still not officially confirmed or clarified, such as the supposed Lakefront Market video.

 

[afitzy]

For whatever reason, some of the university community have wanted to make this about pregnancy, as if that explained the murder. As I noted earlier, Ally’s close friends appear to have been her St. Louis friends and her Ole Miss Fitness Center friends. None of them have talked about a pregnancy, not even anonymously. Some sorority sisters and random Ole Miss bros who were “not a friend of BT but we had mutual friends” have been gossiping about pregnancy all along.

Yes, but were they just talking about the pregnancy to gossip and seem 'in the know' or were they talking about it as a possible 'excuse' or justification for her murder?

<modsnip>

Clearly the DM and others had local sources who may or may not have been paid for information.

 

[JBMDC]

< modsnip - quoted post was removed>

If the family or LE said it that is fine, it would be official. If the person who received it directly from Ally revealed it on the record, that also is fine. But random people who got it 3rd or 4th hand from the gossip network have no business talking about it to the press as if they are knowledgeable insiders. Also, if she was pregnant when she was murdered, there is no legitimate reason for that to be under seal. Until someone official or someone close to her says it on the record say it is so, it is just gossip.

 

[JBMDC]

So you think the pregnancy "gossip" is false and/or that if there was a pregnancy, it played no part in her death?

It is still rumor and gossip until it is confirmed or denied. The gossipy articles are full of contradictions and conjecture, not verified facts.

Whether she was pregnant or not, she was 100% an innocent victim with 0% justification for the murderer.

 

[CocoChanel]

MOD NOTE:

THE BICKERING ABOUT SCREENSHOTS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI’S ROLE IN THIS TRAGIC CASE MUST STOP OR IT WILL SHUT THIS THREAD DOWN. THE ACTUAL SCREENSHOTS REFERRED TO HAVE NOT APPEARED IN ANY MSM PUBLICATION, BECAUSE THEY CANNOT BE VERIFIED. REMARKS ABOUT OLE MISS U ARE GENERALIZING AND OFF TOPIC. POSTS ARE BEING EDITED AND REMOVED AND TIMEOUTS MAY BE ISSUED.

CocoChanel
Moderator

 

[marcolepsy]

Yes and the next day he posted his song for the summer you dropped a bomb on me on his SM account can’t remember which one.

Wondering how this little snot picks a song that's almost 40 years old to be his summer jam. Is there some current song with the same title that I'm too old to know about?