The suspect accused in the July 2019 murder of Ole Miss student Alexandria “Ally” Kostial is expected to plead guilty.
Brandon Theesfeld’s attorney told the Oxford Eagle that his client will plead guilty on first-degree murder charges Friday at the Lafayette County Court House. The charge carries a life sentence, but according to the agreement, Theesfeld, 24, can petition for conditional release at the age of 65.
Theesfeld originally pled ‘not guilty’ to capital murder, and the lesser charge in the plea agreement takes the death penalty off the table.
Four days after Kostial’s body was found by Lafayette County deputies near Sardis Lake, Theesfeld, also a student at the time, was arrested and charged with her murder. Autopsy results confirmed that Kostial, a St. Louis native, died after suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Theesfeld’s case had been delayed due to COVID-19 and after his legal team sought a psych evaluation.
This is the second high-profile murder case in Oxford to end with a guilty plea in recent weeks. Matthew Kinne, a former officer with the Oxford Police Department, pled guilty to the 2019 murder of Dominique Clayton in late July.
