Cassie Jo Stoddart: The Planned Murder That Shocked a Small Idaho Town
On September 22, 2006, sixteen-year-old Cassie Jo Stoddart agreed to spend the weekend house-sitting for family in Pocatello, Idaho. It was supposed to be an ordinary Friday night—watching movies with her boyfriend, taking care of the family dog, and enjoying a quiet evening before everyone returned home.
Instead, it became one of the most disturbing teenage murder cases in modern true crime.
What investigators uncovered over the next several days wasn't a crime of passion or a robbery gone wrong. It was a murder that had been discussed, recorded, rehearsed, and ultimately carried out by two classmates who wanted to become infamous.
In Episode 34 of Kush & Crime, Sam and Briana walk through the complete timeline—from Cassie's final evening to the chilling evidence that left investigators speechless.
Who Was Cassie Jo Stoddart?
Cassie Jo Stoddart was born on December 21, 1989, to Anna Sisneros and Ronald Stoddart. She grew up alongside her older sister, Kristi, and her younger brother, Andrew, with whom she shared an especially close bond.
Family members described Cassie as artistic, kind, and responsible. She loved drawing and creativity, but what stood out most was her personality. Friends and classmates consistently remembered someone who made people feel welcome. Whether someone knew her well or had just met her, Cassie treated everyone with kindness.
She was well-liked throughout school and maintained close relationships with both friends and family. That responsible nature is exactly why she agreed to house-sit for relatives while they were away for the weekend.
It should have been one of the safest places she could have been.
A Quiet Friday Night
After school on Friday, September 22, Cassie told her boyfriend Matt and classmates Torey Adamcik and Brian Draper that she would be staying alone at her cousin's home while house-sitting.
When the boys jokingly suggested she throw a party, Cassie quickly shut the idea down. She planned to spend the evening quietly with Matt and had no intention of inviting anyone else over.
Around 6:30 that evening, Cassie and Matt arrived at the house.
A short time later, Torey and Brian unexpectedly stopped by.
Cassie welcomed them inside, gave them a tour of the home, and the group spent time talking before Torey and Brian eventually left, claiming they were heading to see the horror movie Pulse at a local theater.
For everyone else, the night appeared completely ordinary.
The House Went Dark
Not long after Torey and Brian left, the power suddenly went out. Almost immediately afterward, Cassie and Matt heard what sounded like breaking glass somewhere downstairs. Rather than investigate, the teenagers stayed upstairs and waited.
Eventually, the lights came back on.
Matt called his mother and explained what had happened. Concerned about the situation, she refused to let the teenagers spend the night together unsupervised and drove to pick Matt up. Cassie chose to remain at the house because she needed to care for the family dog the next morning.
Within minutes of Matt leaving, the power failed again. Cassie called out into the darkness. Someone answered—not with words, but by climbing the stairs.
Two days later, relatives returning home discovered Cassie's body.
She had been stabbed 30 times.
Investigators determined that twelve of those wounds were potentially fatal, and evidence suggested two separate knives had been used during the attack.
Investigators Begin Piecing Together the Night
Police quickly interviewed everyone known to have seen Cassie alive. Matt described the evening, including Torey and Brian's visit to the house. During questioning, he also mentioned showing them a large kitchen knife while they were looking through drawers earlier that evening. Investigators also interviewed Torey and Brian separately. Both teenagers claimed they had gone to see Pulse after leaving Cassie's house. As detectives continued asking simple questions about the movie—its plot, characters, and even which theater it played in—their stories began falling apart. Brian struggled to answer even basic questions. Eventually, he abandoned the movie story entirely, replacing it with another explanation that investigators quickly found equally suspicious.
The investigation was only beginning.
A Confession Changes Everything
Brian eventually agreed to return to the police station. During another interview, his story changed dramatically. He admitted that he and Torey had never truly left the neighborhood. Instead, according to Brian, they hid near the house, shut off the electricity, broke glass downstairs to lure Matt and Cassie out, and waited for Matt to leave before returning inside. Brian described entering the darkened home wearing masks. He claimed Torey attacked Cassie while he watched in horror. As detectives continued questioning him, Brian led investigators to a burial site where he said evidence had been hidden.
Everything changed.
Police recovered clothing, gloves, masks, knives, handwritten notes, and a damaged videotape. Although the tape initially appeared unusable, investigators successfully restored it. What they watched became one of the strongest pieces of evidence in the case.
The Video That Documented the Plan
The recovered home video revealed conversations recorded before the murder. On camera, Brian and Torey discussed killing Cassie and referenced previous attempts to find other girls home alone. Investigators also heard discussions about wanting notoriety and admiration through violence. Later footage showed the pair after the murder.
One of them openly admitted they had just killed Cassie.
The recording eliminated any remaining doubt that the attack had been planned well in advance. For investigators, the case had transformed from circumstantial evidence into overwhelming proof of premeditation.
Separate Trials, Same Outcome
Both Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik were charged as adults despite being sixteen years old. Although each defense attempted to place greater responsibility on the other, juries ultimately found both teenagers guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. At sentencing, the judge concluded that if either defendant were ever released, they would likely kill again. Both received life sentences without the possibility of parole, along with concurrent sentences related to the conspiracy conviction.
Years later, legal appeals resulted in changes to portions of Brian's convictions, but his life sentence remained intact. Despite later changes in juvenile sentencing laws across parts of the United States, Idaho did not resentence either defendant. Both remain incarcerated.
Remembering Cassie
Cases like this often focus on the killers because of how shocking their actions were. It's important not to lose sight of the person whose life was stolen. Cassie Jo Stoddart was remembered by friends and family as creative, compassionate, and dependable. She accepted what should have been an ordinary responsibility—watching a family member's home for the weekend—and never had the opportunity to return home herself. Her murder devastated her family, classmates, and the Pocatello community, while serving as a reminder that unimaginable violence can emerge where people least expect it.
If you'd like to hear Sam and Briana break down every stage of the investigation, the interrogation footage, the recovered home video, and the courtroom proceedings in greater detail, be sure to listen to Episode 34 of Kush & Crime.
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