Her Crush Killed Her Over a Pregnancy Scare: The Murder of Ole Miss Student Ally Kostial
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to True Crime with Kendall Ray. Thank you so much for joining me today. And if you're new, then welcome. So today I'm going to be talking about a case that has been highly requested. And I figured it was finally time to talk about it because...

The five-year anniversary is coming up of when Allie Costell was murdered back in July of 2019. So I thought now would be a good time to remind people of her story and what an incredible woman she was. Now, what happened to Allie is...

unimaginable, truly. It was so, so unnecessary and especially heartbreaking to learn about because it was so preventable. And she was only 21 years old. I mean, just starting out her life. And her case is one that I think really needs to be told. It's so important to her friends and family that her name stays out there, that people remember her for who she was. And that's

Also a really important reason to cover it, but also I think it's important for other young people to hear Allie's story and for other parents to hear Allie's story as well. But before we jump into this case, I wanted to quickly give you an update, an exciting update going on in Jessica Easterly's case. Now, if you didn't know, I covered Jessica Easterly's story years back. And then in December, I published a documentary on her case called 530 Days.

And I filmed it back in August of 2023 down in New Orleans. It was an incredible experience working with her family on this one. And very recently, her sister texted me and let me know that Jessica, not Jessica Easterly, but another person that we interviewed in the documentary, told her friend Steve about the doc. And he watched it and was like,

Oh, my God. How is this guy not arrested yet? Referring to Justin. And Steve is actually a cameraman for WVUE Fox 8 NOLA. And he went to his boss and told him, you got to do a story on this. Well, that story came out this week. Well, by the time you see this, it'll be a week ago.

But because of that, a lawyer saw that news story and has decided to take on their case pro bono. And it's just so good to see that there are good people out there that are willing to help families in need and especially families who have been treated so poorly by the systems that are set up to help us, but oftentimes don't. So I just wanted to share that things are hopefully moving in the right direction for Jessica's case. Justice is far overdue and for

For sure, not out of reach. This case should be solved and Justin should be behind bars. And with that being said, I wanted to let you guys know that my company, Mile Higher Media, is...

planning on producing more documentaries. We are already in the process of working on one, and we are also looking for families to collaborate with in the future. And I wanted to let you guys know that we are putting out a form where if you are personally connected to a case, and I can't emphasize that enough, personally connected, it's really important to us that we collaborate with a family who is willing to be part of the process with us. We

We find that to be the most effective way to do this. So if that is you and you are looking for coverage on your case, you're not getting the help you need, you're not getting the media attention you need, we would like to help. And I will have a form linked below if that's you or someone you know would like to submit a request.

and we will take a look at the case. And with that being said, I wanted to quickly thank you all for your support on 530 Days. For all of you who watched it and supported this family, they just had an incredible experience and felt so uplifted after that came out. And also, there was tons of feedback that was incredibly valuable to my team, both positive and negative feedback. There was a lot of constructive criticism, so...

Thank you for your support. Also, just wanted to let you guys know I am still sick. I am 17 days into this cold. It will not go away. I'm super congested and I know I sound different. So thanks to everyone who was super kind to me about it last time. But I just wanted to give you that warning that, yeah.

It's not been great. But with all that being said, let's go ahead and jump into Allie's case. Like I said, today we're talking about Allie Kostel. And at first I thought her name would have been pronounced Allie Kostiel, and I really hope I have it right that it is Kostel. Most resources that I found pronounce it as Kostel. So again, really hoping I'm getting that right there, but Allie Kostel.

amazing person. She was a student at Ole Miss and it was the school that she had always dreamed of attending. It was really where she was at her happiest, but unfortunately it was the place where she would meet the man that would eventually take her life. She deserved so much better and I cannot say enough how much my heart is with her family and friends because what an unnecessary and tragic loss.

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Her full name was Alexandria Madison Costell. However, most of her loved ones called her Allie. She was born September 11th, 1997 to her parents, Cindy and Keith. Along with her brother, Andrew, Allie was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, which is where she lived up until she went off to college. Growing up, Allie was said to have been an incredibly happy child, and it really seemed like that never changed.

As I was learning about her, it became clear to me that she was someone who wholeheartedly radiated happiness and positivity. Allie was someone who you could have known for one day, and she would have treated you with the same kindness and empathy that she gave to those she had known her entire life. I feel like we all kind of know those people who just instantly put you in a better mood when you're around them just because of how genuinely nice they are and kind

That's what Allie was through and through. In fact, many people describe her as a light that was never not shining, and they can't remember a time where she didn't have a smile on her face. And not only was she an incredible daughter, sister, and friend, but she was also a talented athlete and student. While attending Lindbergh High School from 2012 to 2016, she was a member of the track team and the field team and the golf team, the cheerleading squad, youth government...

and even National Honor Society. And honestly, I don't even know how she had time for all of this, but outside of school and all the other activities she did, she also practiced yoga, was very passionate about yoga, and also trained for and ran a half marathon. Not to mention the fact that on top of all of her other extracurriculars, she went to Peru and Africa in pursuit of helping young children learn to speak English. And so you can easily see why Allie was so special and so loved and cherished.

by those in her life. Friends say that she was incredibly loyal and always gave the advice that you should not be afraid to be who you are. And by all means, Allie really lived by that advice. Allie was very true to herself in more ways than you could count. And since her death, her loved ones have had to

try their best to fill this incredibly big hole that has been left in their hearts. Now, as I mentioned, Allie went on to attend college at Ole Miss, and this was something that she had dreamt of since she was a child. She had always wanted to go there, so that was a huge accomplishment for her. I mean, it was really fulfilling a dream. When I say she loved Ole Miss, I mean she really loved Ole Miss, and there were several reasons why she had always wanted to go there. For starters, Allie really loved the...

preppy lifestyle that the school had to offer. This was something that she was really into. Allie was truly a what you could call a girly girl. She loved pink. That's why I made my background pink for her today. She loved purples.

She loved pearls. She loved sunsets so much so that she actually had an Instagram page called Sunsets by Allie that was dedicated to sunsets that she took pictures of. I just thought that was so cute and special. But of course, she had other more important reasons that she loved Ole Miss and wanted to go there. She also liked the academics they had to offer the general education.

atmosphere and the fact that football culture was so big. Her mom, Cindy, said that her daughter also just fell in love with how beautiful the campus was and the fact that there were flowers planted everywhere you walked. And I think you can really just see in her pictures flowers

from her time at Ole Miss that that is really where she wanted to be and she felt at home there. Allie also decided to join a sorority, which is huge in the South, obviously, and a business fraternity. And not only that, she started and ran a golf club. Plus, she even taught yoga and Pilates in her spare time. So clearly she was busy. But of course, before all of that, she was there to get

She wanted to get her degree in marketing. And even though she had so much going on, you know, several extracurriculars and was doing well in school, she still maintained a good social life as well, which doesn't surprise me after learning about her.

She was that type of person that could juggle a lot and still do well at all of it, was just able to pull it all off, which is pretty cool. But in her eyes, the only thing that was missing was a boy to share it all with. And just like a lot of people, when they go off

college, they hope that maybe they'll meet the one there, you know, that person that they're going to share it all with. Allie loved Southern boys and Southern culture, and she hoped that going to school in Mississippi would help her find the person that she'd spend the rest of her life with. Because meeting someone, getting married, and starting a family was one of Allie's biggest dreams. And unfortunately, Allie did meet someone at Ole Miss, and it was fellow freshman Brandon Thiesfeld, who...

was not who she thought he was. Actually, he wasn't who anyone thought he was. Brandon was capable of doing truly evil things that no one in his life had ever pictured him being able to do. So it all started Allie's freshman year, which is such a crazy time. God, I remember the highs and lows of being a freshman in college. It was truly wild. And I think that's because you're just, you know,

getting used to freedom, you're really finding yourself, you're meeting so many other people that it can be one of the most exciting but also one of the most overwhelming times in your life. And this doesn't just apply to people who go to college. I think the experience of leaving high school and kind of venturing out into the world on your own is just so overwhelming, especially if you're someone who grew up in the same area most of your life.

and went to school with the same people, you know, saw the same faces every day. And then suddenly you're just exposed to so much and it's overwhelming, but also really exciting. I remember loving it, but I also struggled with it a lot because I am a pretty introverted person. I'm not great at meeting new friends. And Allie was kind of the opposite. She was someone who fully embraced this new adventure and meeting all these people. I mean, she was super extroverted and

just loving it. She made so many new friends, and included in that was Brandon Thiesfeld, fellow freshman from Fort Worth, Texas. And Allie developed a crush on him right away. And throughout their years at Ole Miss, they spent a lot of time together. But I do want to mention right off the bat that even though Allie and Brandon were said to have been dating on and off for about three years, they were never officially boyfriend and girlfriend.

I'm going to explain what their dynamic was like, and some of you may even be able to relate to that, but it's just important to note that they were never, you know, official. I think the term seeing each other was a good way to describe the relationship that Allie and Brandon had, although I know that's pretty vague. However, their relationship was pretty vague. I

I've seen the term hooking up as a way to describe them. I've seen the term friends with benefits as a way to describe them. I've even heard dating, although to me, dating means going on dates, and Brandon was not doing that for her. He had gone with her as her date to a couple of her sorority parties, so maybe you could consider those dates, but...

Outside of that, he never like took her out on a date. In fact, there were even times where he would straight up block her number for weeks or even months at a time. So very on again, off again, nothing official. And Allie, I think, wanted more than that. I think it's pretty obvious that

She was hoping that one day that would change. And I think what's complicated about this is that two people can be engaging in the same type of relationship, so to speak, and view it two completely different ways, which seems to have been the case here. ♪

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No purchase necessary. Voidware prohibited by law. 18 plus terms and conditions apply. See website for details. But from the moment Allie met Brandon, she liked him a lot. And to some degree, Brandon must have liked Allie. I mean, how could you not? But from what I could tell, Allie always wanted it to be more than it was, more than just hooking up. She really wanted a relationship with him. I've even heard investigators say that they think that maybe she wanted marriage.

with him one day, but Brandon didn't want that. He didn't even want a relationship. And people who know Brandon describe him as a womanizer, the type of guy that has multiple girls at once that he is stringing along, you know, making them think that it's going to develop into more when that's really not what he's interested in at all. Brandon is an extremely manipulative person who clearly used Allie for sex,

and for attention. And he had a power dynamic there because he knew that he could leverage the fact that she liked him more than he knew he liked her. And he could manipulate his way into getting her to do whatever he wanted. Allie's friends have since spoken up about what they knew about Allie and Brandon's relationship. And it sounds like she was

always riding this crazy rollercoaster of emotion with him. One minute, she'd be so excited and happy, and another, she'd be crying and sad. And it's not like he ever came around to her house or met most of her friends, so all they really knew of him was what she described. And in hindsight, they think that Allie held back a lot of information about what was going on between them because they think that she didn't want them to worry about her. And I hate to think that Allie

you know, felt alone in dealing with Brandon's manipulation. But I'll be honest, I don't know if she thought that that's what was going on. I mean, Allie was someone who saw the best in everyone, and many people believe that she didn't even realize that she was being manipulated. Her friends have said that she was someone who saw the world as...

unicorns, and butterflies. And that could have created somewhat of a blind spot when it came to Brandon. And that's not to say that Allie wasn't an incredibly smart girl because she was. But keep in mind, she was probably 19 years old, experiencing college for the first time and getting

getting attention from a boy she liked. So I completely understand why this blind spot may have been there. And even if it goes without saying, I want to make it explicitly clear that even though Allie continued to pursue Brandon, what happened to her is in no way, shape, or form her fault. And I will not tolerate any comments that say otherwise. Because I just know from my years of being on the internet how brutal people are.

But I want people to keep in mind how young she was and that her seeing the world as a beautiful place, seeing the best in everyone, that's not something she should be faulted for. And she in no way deserved what happened to her. I've just been doing this long enough to know that people are going to say nasty things and I've seen it. I've seen it in the comments on other coverage on this case and it truly blows my mind how...

Just mean and evil people can really be towards someone who was so violently murdered. You know, I always like to give this reminder that families could very well see your comments and just keep that in mind. If what you have to say isn't helpful or kind, then...

Just don't say it. It's not that hard. Allie was doing the best with the knowledge and skills that she had, and there was no way, no way she could have known what would end up happening to her. And with that, I want to jump forward to the summer of 2019 when Allie was entering her senior year of college, which is a

That summer, Allie was 21 years old and she was living in her college town over the summer, which is an incredibly fun time, especially finally being 21. And she was staying busy. She was taking summer classes, doing her extracurriculars and spending time with friends in the college town that she truly loved. Plus, in early July, her parents came to visit her. She was super, super excited to spend time with them. They went shopping for beachy home decor, made homemade meals, all that kind of stuff.

All the things that you would want to do if your parents came to visit. In fact, Allie even asked them if they would stay an extra day just because she wasn't ready to say goodbye quite yet. And her parents did end up having to go back to St. Louis, but...

Allie still called regularly. But sadly, on the evening of July 19th, 2019, she called her parents for what none of them knew would be the last time. That evening around 7 p.m., Allie and her mom talked, you know, pretty casually, just catching up, talking about their days. Allie had just woken up from a nap. She had a big test that morning that obviously she was exhausted from, but she told her mom that she was planning on

Going out with her friends at a bar later that night, she was really looking forward to that. But bottom line is it was an incredibly normal conversation. I can't stress how normal it was, how normal everything seemed. Her mom had zero indication that this would be the last time that she would talk to her daughter. And within just a few hours, their lives would change.

change forever. Because later that night at 11.52, surveillance footage captured by a business in Oxford Square recorded a video of Allie as she was walking out of a bar alone. She can be seen looking down at her phone while she walks in the opposite direction of the bar. We know that she got picked up by an Uber and while the driver did get Allie home safely sometime after midnight, we know that she was already in danger. The plan put in place to end her life was awful.

already in motion and the person responsible was on his way to act on it. Later that morning on July 20th, 2019,

A deputy with the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department was doing a routine patrol in Harmontown alongside Sardis Lake, which is an area 30 miles north of the Ole Miss campus. And it was there, at an abandoned fishing site near the water, that the patrol went from a routine drive to a homicide investigation. At 10.23 a.m., the deputy came across the body of a young woman.

And it was clear that she had been shot several times and that there was nothing he could do to save her at this point. And I'm sure it will surprise none of you to hear that the body was quickly identified as 21-year-old Ole Miss student Allie Costell. And a medical examiner would later determine that she had been shot a total of nine times.

The way that investigators say this occurred was the two of them were sitting at a bench. I'm not we don't have no idea what they were doing or what they were talking about or how it all went down in those moments. But they were sitting across from each other at like a picnic bench and Brandon gets up and just starts shooting Allie.

I mean, there's 11 spent bullet casings, shot nine times, and they said that he just kind of did it in this circular motion, hitting her from multiple angles. Truly, truly evil. Hard to even wrap your mind around someone that young doing that to another young person who I was going to say someone he cared about, but I don't think Brandon really cared about anyone but himself. At the scene, first responders uncovered a total of 11 spent bullet casings,

as well as Allie's purse, which had been abandoned in a ditch not far away from where her body was found. And in the purse, investigators found her school ID and her driver's license, which is how they were able to make this quick identification. And they were also able to use these items to figure out where she lived. And from there, they got in contact with her friends and her family and were able to search her apartment.

All which would be very important to this investigation. However, one thing they didn't find was Allie's cell phone. They did attempt to ping the GPS location of it that day, and they did get one hit in Oxford, but then after that, the signal died. Luckily, though, when they searched her apartment, they did find something crucial. Her Apple Watch. And if you didn't know, Apple Watch...

you know, syncs with your phone. And so your text messages come over there as well. So they were able to learn a lot that way. There was one person that Allie was texting the night before her murder. And do you want to guess who that was?

You probably guessed right. It was Brandon. And they weren't just talking about anything. They were talking about meeting up that night after the bar. So this was huge. And if these messages weren't good indication enough on their own, investigators also spoke with her friends. And Brandon's name was the only one to come up when they asked them if they knew someone who could have done this to her. All signs pointed to Brandon Thiesfeld. And so on...

On July 19th, investigators give him a call and get this. When investigators got a hold of Brandon and asked him to come in and answer a couple questions, Brandon said sure. He would come in and talk with them. However, hours went by and Brandon never showed up. So they call him back and he tells them that he actually couldn't come in because he was drinking that day and didn't want to come in while drunk. So,

They're like, all right, dude, whatever. And ask him to come in the following morning at 830 a.m. And he agrees. But guess what?

Once again, Brandon is a no-show, but investigators quickly learned that this time, Brandon was on the run. After he failed to show up at the station that morning, investigators obtained an arrest warrant and began tracking his cell phone and credit card activity. And through these records, they could see that Brandon was driving in the direction of Memphis, Tennessee, away from Oxford. So a bolo beyond the lookout was immediately issued for his vehicle, and with the help of the Memphis Police Department's Fugitive Task Force,

Brandon Diesfeld was located and arrested without incident at a gas station in South Memphis the same day. I'm Victoria Cash. Thanks for calling the Lucky Land Hotline. If you feel like you do the same thing every day, press 1. If you're ready to have some serious fun for the chance to redeem some serious prizes, press 2.

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Inside his truck was a .40 caliber gun matching the weapon used to kill Allie. And Brandon himself still had blood on his shirt. Shortly after his arrest, he was extradited back to the state of Mississippi where he was booked into the Lafayette County Jail at approximately 3.45 in the afternoon where he was held without bail. And the next morning, on July 23rd, Brandon made his first court appearance where he was officially charged with murder.

Breaking news. We have an arrest in connection with the death of an Ole Miss co-ed.

Now, we just confirmed the suspect is from Fort Worth. He is 22-year-old student Brandon Thiesfeld. So sheriff's deputies found the body of Allie Coastill Saturday at the edge of a lake about 20 miles from campus. She was taking summer courses at the university, working toward a marketing degree. On Thursday, July 25th, 2019, over 100 people gathered to honor Allie's life. As someone who didn't have a mean bone in her body, it's easy to see why so many people showed up for her.

She was a light, a true bright light in the lives of so many. And now that light was gone. Her friends say that all Allie wanted was to be enough for Brandon, and she never was. And what did he do? He killed her. And why? I mean, we will get into why later, although we don't have a for sure answer. But I mean, it seems pretty obvious to me. And there's a lot I still need to get to. I may have been Allie's teacher, but clearly listening to everybody's

thoughts tonight. She taught a lot of us as well. And I know our candles are burning, but Allie clearly is a light that's going to shine on in each and every one of you. She didn't deserve what happened to her. Nobody does what she did, and especially. And I just want everyone to remember that. I want everyone to focus on how good of a person she was and how much joy she brought into the world, how positive she was, not the situation.

But following the vigil, a funeral was held on July 27th at the Concordia Lutheran Church, where, again, loved ones gathered in Allie's honor. But all her friends and family at this point are wondering the same thing as you probably are right now. Why? Why did this happen? Why did Brandon do this to her? Why? Why, why, why? And the truth is, the reason is sadder than you could possibly imagine. It turns out that back in April of 2019, just three months before she was murdered,

Allie had texted Brandon and told him that she thought she might be pregnant. The first message about this possible pregnancy was sent on the 12th of April, and two days later, Allie sent Brandon a picture of a pregnancy test. The thing is, though, the pregnancy test was not an outright test.

positive, but it wasn't an outright negative either. It was sort of ambiguous. Along with the picture of the pregnancy test, she also very reasonably asked if they could get together in person to talk. And I'm sure you can probably already guess that Brandon did not take this news well at all. Not only would he not meet up with Allie to talk in person, he said that if she really was pregnant, he wanted her to terminate it immediately. In one text he sent to her, and I quote,

It's so early. You just take a pill, not keep it at all. I do not want a kid at all. I am serious. No kid at all. It will ruin my life. I will not help at all. Not to be mean, but this is how I feel and I'm not changing my mind. And that would be what Brandon told her time and time again between April and August when he refused to meet up with her. He said,

He is telling her all of this over text. Actually, I take that back. He did agree to meet up with her, but he never would show up. Every time he said they would, he just would ghost her. Allie would text and text and text Brandon, you know, hoping for support, hoping to talk through this. And he would hardly ever respond, which is just so incredibly sad. And when he did ever respond, it was never comforting or comforting.

You know, let's talk through this further or any type of support in any way. All he would text her back was about terminating it. That's it. Don't want a kid. Not at all. Won't help. I mean, it was just it was brutal. Now, I want to say there are a lot of text messages that have been released and they are pretty disturbing. Allie talks a lot about alcohol consumption and alcohol.

They're upsetting to read. I have read them. However, her parents, at least during the last interview I saw of them, they said that they have not read these messages, at least her mother hasn't, and that she doesn't want to. So I don't want to put them out there further for that reason.

And I hope you can understand why I'm choosing to do that. But there was one time in April where Allie had sent him a series of text messages actually explaining how much alcohol she had been consuming. At one point, she said she drank a full bottle of tequila, two bottles of champagne, seven beers, and a glass of wine. And these text messages are just so heartbreaking to read. They're so disturbing. And I think it goes without saying that with how small Allie was, this type of

of alcohol consumption would have most likely killed her. You know, she would have gotten alcohol poisoning. So I think it's safe to say that these were probably exaggerated, but I think it just goes to show how desperate for attention and support that she was from Brandon and how much she needed help

how alone she felt, how much she was struggling, and it was just a, you know, a call for help. Allie wanted something from him, anything, but he just didn't care. He had no interest in talking to her even when she is telling him that she is consuming these drugs

extremely dangerous amounts of alcohol and I just think that says so much about his character. Brandon is someone who clearly only cares about Brandon and many people who know him have spent time with him agree with that. On top of being described as a womanizer he was also described as a daddy's boy who constantly flaunted the fact that his father's money could get him out of

anything. But daddy's money couldn't help you this time, Brandon. Not even a little. Now, when it came to the evidence against Brandon, there was a lot. So buckle up. On top of the bullet casings that matched his gun, the blood on his shirt, and the text messages confirming that the two of them met up that night, there was also a letter. When Brandon was first arrested in connection with Allie's murder, investigators searched his apartment and

and found a handwritten signed letter. Now, in this letter, he didn't explicitly admit to killing Allie, but he got about as close as he could have. He wrote about how he'd always had these, quote, terrible thoughts that were fueled by cocaine and alcohol and that this was the end for him.

At one point, he even said, I'm either going to prison or I'm going to die. And his defense attorney would later state that this was Brandon's suicide note and that following Allie's murder, he planned to take his own life but wasn't successful. But regardless of the purpose of this letter, it was just one of many things that pointed to his guilt.

And there's more. Throughout their investigation, there were several things that came up that just can't be ignored. And I want to walk you through all of that, starting with what Brandon did a week before Allie's murder. On Friday, July 12th, Brandon drove from Oxford to Fort Worth in order to get his gun. He even went as far as taking a picture of it and posting it on his Snapchat story with the caption, Finally taking my baby back to Oxford.

Investigators also looked through Brandon's search history and what they found was truly chilling. In the week leading up to Ali's murder, after he had already gone home to Texas to pick up his gun, Brandon was Googling how to get away with crimes, how to tie someone up.

as well as looking up tactical face masks, hollow tip ammunition, and silencers. He also looked up, get this, how Ted Bundy lured his victims. I mean, his entire digital trail told a story of someone who was about to commit a serious crime. And the creepiest part about it all is he did end up luring Allie,

and he did that by tricking her into thinking that he was finally ready to talk about the pregnancy. On July 17th, Brandon initiated a conversation, a text conversation with Allie for the first time since April, and he made it seem like he wanted to talk about their situation, the pregnancy situation. He even texted her again on the 18th, this time asking her if her house was private. And just quickly put yourself in her shoes.

She was probably really relieved that they were finally going to have this conversation. She probably thought that he wanted to have privacy because this is a super sensitive topic that they would, you know, want to do away from anyone else, that they were finally going to have this conversation. And even though it had taken him so long, and I'm sure she was agitated about that, I'm sure she was somewhat relieved thinking, okay, okay.

We're finally going to talk. But in reality, he only wanted to make sure that she was home alone so that no one would witness her leaving with him. And he ended up texting her, asking her this again on the 19th. And he must have thought that the timing was right because...

Then he told Allie to text him when she got home from the bars. She agreed and let him know when she was home, and that's when it all went down. At 12.46 a.m., Brandon's truck with his signature license plate, Take It,

was seen on surveillance traveling in the direction of Allie's house. By 1.14 a.m., the same truck was seen on the same surveillance camera traveling in the opposite direction. GPS data then placed both Allie and Brandon's cell phones moving alongside one another as they drove through Oxford towards Sardis Lake. Then, between 2.15 and 2.30 a.m., several gunshots were heard by people in the surrounding area, and by 2.50 a.m.,

Both phones were traveling back in the direction of Oxford. And then less than an hour later, Brandon was already looking up how to listen to police scanner. And then later that morning, he looked up Sardis Mississippi News. I mean, how much more incriminating does it get? And over the next few hours, both their phones would report identical GPS locations, indicating to investigators that he took her phone and disposed of it.

sometime following her murder. And like I explained earlier, investigators did try to ping Allie's phone and they got a single hit somewhere in Oxford, but after that, the signal went away and it didn't return. Now, meanwhile, Brandon is off hanging out with his friends, drinking beers, and showing off his gun as if he didn't just murder an innocent person with it. But in total, with all of this, I think it's pretty easy to see that

Brandon is undoubtedly the person who was responsible for Allie's murder, and luckily, it wouldn't be long until he'd be facing the consequences. On August 22nd of that same year, Brandon appeared in court for what was supposed to be a bond hearing. However, his attorney ended up withdrawing the request for this bond hearing and instead asked the judge to order a psychological evaluation. And I'm sure you can see where this is going.

The judge did approve both requests, meaning that he would continue to keep Brandon in jail without bond as well as order a psych eval. And outside the courtroom, Allie's devastated loved ones and supporters gathered and they would continue to do so until justice was served.

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Our hearts go out to all of those touched by Allie's positive spirit and passion for life who are now feeling sorrow. And about a week later, on August 30th, 2019, Brandon returned to court where he was formally indicted on a capital murder charge.

a charge that is punishable by the death penalty in the state of Mississippi. And surprisingly, but also not so surprisingly, he did end up pleading not guilty, despite all of the evidence against him. But him and his lawyers were prepared to go to trial, and based on the psych eval, Brandon was deemed sane and competent to stand trial. But by this point, it was 2020, and we all know what that means. And we've seen this in so many cases I've covered, but...

Because of the pandemic, there was major delays in the court system, and so his trial had to be postponed. But by the time it finally did come around, Brandon had changed his mind and decided to accept a plea deal. On August 27th, 2021, Brandon Thiesfeld pleaded

pleaded guilty to the murder of Allie Costell in exchange for a lesser charge of first-degree murder. And the state ultimately agreed to reduce his charge, knowing that getting a capital murder conviction would be a lot higher

harder and would have required a lot more proof. And that's because in order to get a capital murder conviction in the state of Mississippi, they would need to prove that Brandon committed the murder during the commission of an additional felony, which means they would need to prove that he murdered Allie in addition to, in this case,

kidnapping her. Because when Brandon was first indicted on the capital murder charge back in 2019, prosecutors argued that he not only killed Allie, but also kidnapped her from her apartment in order to then commit the murder. But proving kidnapping was going to be a lot harder, so prosecutors agreed to drop the charge from capital murder to first degree murder. The difference being that Brandon would no longer be facing the death penalty, and I'm sure

Many of you will have different opinions on this. The good news is he would receive an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. And during this hearing, Brandon appeared before the judge and issued an apology to Allie's family. His statement reads in part,

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. And during this hearing, Allie's loved ones gathered wearing her favorite color, pink, which I thought was really beautiful, and they listened as her mom gave this speech. She said, I wish I could have kept her away from this evil, callous, scheming, ungrateful, sinister, and violent, corrupt monster.

He had every opportunity to do good in the world, but he chose to do evil. Brandon, you belong in jail each day for the rest of your life for the heinous act you committed to such a sweet soul in Allie. Every time your cell door slams shut, may it be a reminder for what you did and the life you took from us. Now, Brandon's parents also made a statement that I thought was...

Valuable to hear.

I encourage every parent to regularly sit down with their children, teenagers, young adults, and discuss with them that there will never be anything too big, too complicated, too out of control that they cannot tell you about. We will always pray for the family and friends of Allie Costell. I think that is a really important message for young people to hear and for parents of young people to hear, as I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, because it's so true. There

There are so many things that can happen when you're young and you don't have the capability to process it. And making a rash decision can often be avoided if you were to go to your parents or to, you know, a trusted resource for help. And, you know, who knows if Brandon would have ever done something like that if he felt like he could. I mean...

To be honest, I think he's just a lost cause and like truly evil. But I think it's just an important reminder because when you're young, it's so easy to think that something like that happening is like the end of your life or there is no option or you have to make some rash, horrific decision and that's your only way out of it when that is just not the truth. And having support in your life

Is so important. And this isn't just in cases of someone who is then going to go commit a murder because of it, but just something that I think is really, it's an important conversation I think parents need to have with their children, especially before they go into the real world. Now, what's frustrating is Brandon never officially stated why he killed Allie, although I think everyone can agree it's pretty obvious that he did so because she was pregnant and she wasn't on board with

terminating the pregnancy. She was wanting to think about it. That freaked him out. And on July 18th, just a day before she was killed, Allie texted Brandon a picture of her stomach and said, like, it isn't like I'm not that small anymore and I can pretend I'm fat right now, but I don't know. It's getting hard. And of course, we do know from other evidence that Brandon was likely planning Allie's murder before he got this message from her.

But I can't help but wonder if maybe seeing that photo, you know, getting that text message from her was kind of...

The straw that broke the camel's back, that it really freaked him out and made him think, I have to do this immediately. However, Brandon does deny that the murder was planned and instead said that he just snapped while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. But I mean, you listened to all that evidence. What do you think? Did he snap or was this meticulously planned? Now, something that I have to share that is super, super upsetting to find out.

is that Allie was not actually pregnant at the time of her murder. And if Brandon really did kill her because he thought she was pregnant, wow. Oh my God. And I want to be clear here, that's not to say that she wasn't pregnant at some point. I mean, that pregnancy test was inconclusive.

We just don't know, and unfortunately, we will never know. Her parents do believe that she was pregnant. Some of her friends believe that she was pregnant, or at least thought she was, and that it's possible that she had a miscarriage due to all of the stress that she was going through with Brandon, and obviously she was very stressed out with the amount that she was drinking. That could have caused a miscarriage. We don't know. We just...

Don't know. But we do know that she was not pregnant when she was murdered. And even with her killer behind bars, Allie's friends and family still have so many questions. Nobody deserves to have their life taken away from them in this way, but especially not Allie. It is just so twisted and backwards to think that Allie was known to be this incredibly kind person. And she showed that kindness to Brandon, that all she wanted was to be loved.

And trying to give that love to someone else actually cost her her life. Now, Allie's friends and family want her to be remembered as the person that she was before.

not be remembered for what happened to her. So in her honor, they fundraised money with the goal of dedicating the Mind and Body Studio located in the South Campus Recreation Center in Allie's name, which I thought was really beautiful. Raising this money and naming the studio in her honor was a major goal for her loved ones and achieving it meant the world to them. Allie loved yoga and spent most of her summers teaching it at the Student Recreation Center and

She would have continued teaching there had her life not been taken. And knowing that students get to use this studio and do what Allie loved to do gives her friends and family hope that...

She will not be forgotten. I also wanted to help carry on her legacy, and that's why this week's donation is going to the National Center for Victims of Crime in Allie's name. This organization advocates for victims' rights, trains professionals who work with victims, and serves as a trusted resource of information on victims' issues. They offer direct services such as attorney referrals and confidential helplines, and

have made a big impact on local, state, and federal levels in securing rights, resources, and protections for victims of crime. I think that what they're doing is absolutely incredible, and what a better place to make a donation to in Allie's name. Her family and friends have said that they still look at the sunset and they always think of her, you know, think, that's Allie, and I thought that was really beautiful. I am amazed by their strength.

I don't know if I as a parent could ever go on the way that her parents have.

And the way all of her friends have, I think it's really, really impressive. And even though I'm so happy that in the end there was justice for Allie Costell, it just, it will never fill that void. It will never fix the pain that these people have been through. And she had so much life still to live. She had a really bright future ahead of her. And it just, it was all, it's all for nothing. And that's, that's what's so hard about these cases. It's like,

God, you wish someone could have like got through to Brandon and convinced him that there were other options. But like I said, I don't know if Brandon was someone who someone could have gotten through to. I don't know. I don't know. It's just so tragic. It's so tragic. She was just so young. But anyway, I want to know what you guys think about this one. Definitely tell me your thoughts on it all below. Please keep it kind. I know there's going to be judgment on Allie and Brandon.

That breaks my heart. I mean, people are just truly so brutal, but it's the internet. What can I do other than ban you if I see it? So I will. That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then stay safe out there.

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