Brandon Theesfeld pleads guilty to murder of Ole Miss student, avoids death penalty

OXFORD, Miss. (WMC) - The judge accepted Brandon Theesfeld’s guilty plea of first-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Ole Miss student Ally Kostial.

Dozens of Ally’s family and friends came wearing pink in her honor.

They even had flowers, prayer cards and bracelets in the lobby for anyone to take to keep her memory alive.

Inside the courtroom was the first time we heard from Theesfeld. He admitted his guilt in Ally’s murder and got emotional as he apologized to both her family and his.

Ally’s family also wrote a statement. Sharing how much they miss their daughter. Saying she was sweet, kind, had a bright future ahead of her and how their lives will forever be changed.

The state read the facts of the case to the judge and said Kostial and Theesfeld had a romantic relationship at one point and she believed she could be pregnant. Theesfeld made it clear that he didn’t want a child in that stage in his life and his computer history showed he was searching for information on abortions. One day he asked Kostial to meet up and that’s when the prosecutor said he shot her eight times.

A patrolling deputy found Kostial’s body in July 2019 near Sardis Lake. She’d been shot eight times.

Surveillance video from a store in Harmontown, Mississippi showed the two students together just hours before Kostial was found dead. Theesfeld was arrested at a gas station in south Memphis and later indicted on a capital murder charge, which he initially pled not guilty to.

Ally’s family did not want to speak after the hearing.

Theesfeld’s attorney Tony Farese said it’s a sad situation for everyone involved.

Theesfeld will spend life in prison with “conditional release” at the age of 65.

Action News 5 will have more on the hearing tonight at 5 and 6 p.m.

Copyright 2021 WMC. All rights reserved.

Click here to sign up for our newsletter!

Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.