Authorities in Mississippi have arrested a 22-year-old University of Mississippi student for the murder of Ally Kostial, who was also a student at Ole Miss.
According to multiple local news stations in Lafayette County, Brandon Theesfeld, 22, was taken into custody late Monday afternoon and charged with murdering Kostial on Tuesday. An Oxford Eagle reporter shared video on Twitter of Theesfeld walking outside the courthouse. The same reporter confirmed that Theesfeld has been suspended from the university.
Brandon Theesfeld leaving the Lafayette County Courthouse after his first court appearance pic.twitter.com/7US9HoH1nE
— Jake Thompson (@JakeThompsonOE) July 23, 2019
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Kostial was found with eight gunshot wounds near a lake in Burford Ridge on Saturday morning. An officer on a routine patrol in the remote area, reportedly about 20 miles from campus, discovered the body near a lake. Kostial was last seen on Friday night, but her whereabouts after midnight remain unknown.
Social media accounts appearing to belong to the suspect remained active as of midday Tuesday, and a user who identified himself as Brandon Theesfeld continued to post on Twitter over the weekend, after Kostial had been found dead.
On Saturday evening, hours after Kostial’s body was found, the account holder posted a tweet that appears to be a reference to the song “You Dropped a Bomb on Me.”
You dropped a bomb on me, my number 1 pick for groovy song of the summer
— Brandon Theesfeld (@BTheesfeld) July 21, 2019
The week before, the account posted a sexually graphic message.
Who was da first guy to eat ass
— Brandon Theesfeld (@BTheesfeld) July 15, 2019
A Facebook appearing to belong to Brandon Theesfeld of Fort Worth, Texas, does not have any new public posts since 2017. It includes a handful of photos appearing to be Theesfeld, some with friends, and some appearing to be from a high school prom.
Theesfeld’s immediate family members also appear to have active Facebook profiles. A profile that appears to belong to his father includes a photo from 2013 showing two males at a shooting range, with the caption: “My son Brandon Theesfeld Gun tactile expert. I had more fun than I say.”
Authorities have not revealed any details about the type of murder weapon used, or where the suspect is believed to have obtained it.
This is a developing story. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
[Feature image: Brandon Theesfeld; Ally Kostial/Facebook]
