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Who Is Brian Draper & Where Is He Now? 2026 Update & Profile

Ryan Gill

Brian Lee Draper is one of the two men convicted of murdering 16-year-old Cassie Jo Stoddart in Pocatello, Idaho, in September 2006. Draper was also 16 at the time of the crime and attended Pocatello High School with Cassie and his co-defendant, Torey Adamcik.

The murder became known across the United States because Draper and Adamcik documented discussions about killing people on videotape before Cassie’s death. The teenagers had an interest in horror movies, including Scream, and wanted to turn their fascination with fictional killers into a real murder. Their recordings, combined with physical evidence and Draper’s statements to investigators, became central to the prosecution.

Draper was convicted of first-degree murder in April 2007 and received a fixed life sentence, meaning life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. His murder conviction survived an appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court. His separate conspiracy conviction was vacated because of an error in the jury instructions, but that decision did not change his life sentence for Cassie’s murder.

As of July 2026, Draper remains incarcerated in Idaho. The Idaho Department of Correction lists Brian Lee Draper, IDOC number 85763, as in custody at the Idaho State Correctional Institution. His active first-degree murder sentence is listed as life, with no release to supervision date.

Brian Draper Was a Teenager Living in Idaho

Brian Lee Draper was born on March 21, 1990, and was 16 years old when Cassie Jo Stoddart was murdered. He was born in Sandy, Utah, before his family settled in Idaho.

By 2006, Draper was a junior at Pocatello High School. He attended school with Cassie and Torey Adamcik. Draper and Adamcik became friends and shared an interest in movies and filmmaking.

The teenagers made videos of their own, but their recordings began to contain disturbing discussions about murder. Investigators later learned that Draper and Adamcik had developed fantasies about becoming killers and gaining recognition through violence.

Their interest was not limited to fictional horror films. Evidence introduced in court showed Draper had developed an obsession with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and its perpetrators, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

Draper and Adamcik Shared an Interest in Horror Movies

Draper and Adamcik were interested in the Scream films, which feature masked teenage killers. The connection became one of the most discussed aspects of the Cassie Stoddart case after investigators discovered recordings in which the teenagers compared their plans with fictional murders.

Their discussions went beyond watching films. They talked about committing murder themselves and recorded conversations about potential victims.

Investigators also uncovered evidence of a list of people the teenagers considered targeting. Cassie and her boyfriend, Matt Beckham, were among the people connected to their plans.

Court records established that what happened to Cassie was not a confrontation that developed without warning. The Idaho Supreme Court later noted evidence showing Draper had decided to kill Cassie, intended to kill her and participated in her murder.

Draper Obtained Knives Before Cassie Was Murdered

Preparation for the crime included obtaining weapons.

A friend, Joe Lucero, testified that he purchased four knives for Draper and Adamcik. Draper supplied most of the money used in the purchase and identified a serrated knife as belonging to him.

The knives became important evidence after Cassie was killed because investigators determined that she had suffered wounds from more than one type of blade.

The Idaho Supreme Court record states that police later recovered a black-handled serrated folding knife from the Black Rock Canyon area. Testing found Cassie’s blood on the weapon.

The acquisition of the weapons became one of several pieces of evidence prosecutors used to demonstrate that the murder involved preparation.

Draper Went to Cassie’s House on September 22, 2006

Cassie was house-sitting at a residence on Whispering Cliffs Drive near Pocatello on September 22, 2006. Her boyfriend, Matt Beckham, was spending the evening with her.

Draper and Adamcik arrived during the evening and spent time with Cassie and Beckham. The group watched Kill Bill: Volume 2.

At one point, Draper left the group under the pretext of using the bathroom.

Investigators determined that he used the opportunity to unlock the basement door.

That action allowed Draper and Adamcik to return to the residence without Cassie or Beckham knowing they were inside.

After spending about two hours at the house, Draper and Adamcik announced that they were leaving. They claimed they planned to go to a movie theater.

They did not leave Cassie behind for the night.

Draper and Adamcik Returned Through the Basement

After leaving the house, Draper and Adamcik retrieved clothing, masks and weapons.

They returned to the residence and entered through the basement door Draper had left unlocked.

Cassie and Beckham remained upstairs without knowing the teenagers had returned.

Draper and Adamcik stayed downstairs and attempted to frighten the couple. They made noises and manipulated the electrical system, causing the power to go out.

The strange activity made Cassie afraid. One of the dogs in the house also reacted to the basement area.

Beckham called his mother and asked whether he could spend the night because Cassie was frightened. His mother declined but offered to allow Cassie to stay at their home instead.

Cassie chose to remain because she had accepted responsibility for taking care of the house and its animals.

That left Draper and Adamcik waiting for Beckham to leave.

The Two Teenagers Waited Until Cassie Was Alone

Beckham’s mother picked him up later that night.

After Beckham left, Draper and Adamcik remained concealed inside the house.

The Idaho Supreme Court later described evidence showing Draper had retrieved a change of clothes, a mask and murder weapons and had lain in wait in the downstairs portion of the Whispering Cliffs residence in preparation for killing Cassie.

The teenagers attempted to draw Cassie downstairs by interfering with the electricity.

When she did not come into the basement, they went upstairs.

Cassie was alone.

The attack that followed resulted in her death.

Brian Draper Participated in Cassie’s Stabbing

Cassie was stabbed around 30 times.

During his first accounts to police, Draper attempted to place responsibility for the physical attack on Adamcik.

His version changed as investigators continued questioning him.

According to the Idaho Supreme Court, Draper admitted during one interview that he had been present but claimed Adamcik alone stabbed Cassie. During a later interview, Draper admitted that he stabbed Cassie as well, although he claimed he did so after Adamcik instructed him to make sure she was dead.

The jury did not accept a defense that removed Draper from responsibility for the killing.

The Idaho Supreme Court later stated that the jury had found that Draper decided to kill Cassie, intended her death and killed her.

Draper and Adamcik Tried to Destroy the Evidence

After Cassie was killed, Draper and Adamcik left the house and traveled to Black Rock Canyon.

They attempted to destroy and conceal evidence connected to the murder.

Among the items left in the area were knives, clothing, masks, gloves, papers and a videotape. Some of the material had been burned.

Their effort to hide the evidence failed.

Within days, Draper would lead detectives to the location.

The evidence recovered there became one of the strongest parts of the criminal case.

Police Began Questioning Draper

Cassie’s body was discovered on September 24, 2006, after relatives returned to the house.

Investigators reconstructed the final hours of her life and learned that Draper and Adamcik had visited her on the night she was killed.

The boys claimed they had left Cassie’s house and gone to see a movie.

Their story did not withstand scrutiny.

They were unable to provide convincing information about the movie they claimed to have watched, and investigators found evidence contradicting the theater story.

The teenagers changed their account and claimed they had spent time going through vehicles.

Draper then began giving investigators information about the murder.

Draper Led Detectives to Black Rock Canyon

One of the most important moments in the investigation came when Draper agreed to take police to Black Rock Canyon.

He went to the area with investigators and his father on September 27, 2006.

Police recovered a collection of evidence.

Court records identify items including a serrated knife containing Cassie’s blood, a red and white mask, gloves containing Cassie’s blood, black clothing, a partially burned note and a videotape made by Draper and Adamcik.

A black dress shirt recovered from the area also contained Cassie’s blood on its cuff.

The discoveries connected the teenagers with the crime and supported Draper’s emerging admissions.

The Videotape Exposed the Murder Plan

The recovered videotape became one of the defining pieces of evidence in the case.

Draper and Adamcik had recorded themselves discussing murder before Cassie was killed.

Their own footage revealed that violence had been contemplated before the night of September 22.

They talked about killing people, potential victims and their desire to become known through murder.

Footage made near the time of the crime also connected their discussions with Cassie’s house.

The recording undermined later attempts to portray the murder as a prank that had gone out of control.

It provided prosecutors with evidence created by the defendants themselves before the killing occurred.

Draper Was Arrested in September 2006

Draper was arrested on September 27, 2006.

He was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Although Draper was 16 when Cassie was killed, his case was handled in adult court.

During an interview the following day, Draper admitted that he had stabbed Cassie. He continued to claim that Adamcik had initiated the attack and had directed him to participate.

The defense later challenged the admissibility of this interview in part because Draper’s parents were not present.

The Idaho Supreme Court considered that issue during his appeal but did not overturn his murder conviction.

Brian Draper Was Tried as an Adult

Draper went to trial in 2007.

Prosecutors presented evidence showing planning before Cassie’s murder, his actions inside the house, the physical evidence recovered from Black Rock Canyon and his own recorded statements.

The homemade videotape became a powerful part of the prosecution’s case.

Jurors also heard evidence concerning the knives and clothing recovered after Draper took investigators to the canyon.

Cassie’s blood was found on several pieces of evidence connected to Draper and Adamcik.

The prosecution argued that Draper was not a teenager who had become caught in another person’s crime. He had participated in planning the murder, prepared access to the house, returned with weapons and a disguise, waited inside and participated in Cassie’s killing.

Draper Was Convicted of First-Degree Murder

On April 17, 2007, the jury convicted Brian Draper of first-degree murder.

He was also convicted of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

The murder conviction established that jurors believed the killing was deliberate and premeditated.

Draper faced one of the most severe penalties available under Idaho law.

He received a fixed life sentence for first-degree murder. A fixed life sentence means that there is no parole portion of the sentence.

The Idaho Supreme Court’s later decision describes his punishment as fixed life imprisonment for murder.

Draper Was Sentenced to Spend His Life in Prison

Draper’s first-degree murder sentence left him without a scheduled opportunity for parole.

His status differed from a life sentence containing a fixed minimum followed by an indeterminate period in which parole might become possible.

For Cassie’s murder, Draper received fixed life.

The sentence became a major issue during his appeals because he had committed the crime at age 16.

Draper argued that imposing fixed life on a juvenile violated constitutional protections and sought to have his punishment changed.

The Idaho Supreme Court rejected his challenge to the murder sentence.

His Conspiracy Conviction Was Later Vacated

Draper did obtain one significant result from his direct appeal.

The Idaho Supreme Court found a problem with the jury instructions used for his conspiracy charge.

Because of that error, the court vacated his conviction for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and remanded that portion of the case.

The ruling did not overturn the first-degree murder conviction.

It also did not remove Draper’s fixed life sentence.

The court affirmed both the murder conviction and the punishment imposed for that offense.

As a result, the victory concerning the conspiracy count did not create a route out of prison.

Draper Has Spoken About the Murder From Prison

Draper has appeared in media projects examining juveniles sentenced to life imprisonment.

He was featured in the 2013 documentary Lost for Life, which explored juvenile offenders serving life sentences and the effect of their crimes on victims’ families.

His comments in later interviews differed from the attempts to minimize his responsibility during the original investigation.

In a later Dateline interview with Keith Morrison, Draper discussed his desire for recognition at the time of the murder. He said he had felt insignificant and believed committing something extreme would make him somebody.

He also expressed regret for Cassie’s death.

Those statements have had no effect on his conviction or sentence.

Where Is Brian Draper Now?

As of July 27, 2026, Brian Lee Draper remains in the custody of the Idaho Department of Correction.

The department identifies him as IDOC number 85763 and lists his status as “In custody.” He is 36 years old.

Draper is housed at the Idaho State Correctional Institution, Unit 11, according to the department’s current resident record.

His active offense is listed as Murder I, or first-degree murder, from Bannock County case CR06-17984.

His sentence satisfaction date is listed simply as “Life.” The record contains no date for release to supervision.

Does Brian Draper Have a Parole Date?

No parole date is listed for Draper.

The Idaho Department of Correction identifies his first-degree murder sentence as life and provides no parole eligibility or release-to-supervision date.

That is consistent with the fixed life sentence described by the Idaho Supreme Court.

Unless Draper receives relief through a future court ruling, commutation or another extraordinary legal process, his current sentence does not provide a conventional route to parole.

His successful challenge to the conspiracy conviction did not alter that position because the first-degree murder conviction and fixed life sentence remained intact.

What Happened to Brian Draper After the Cassie Stoddart Murder?

Brian Draper went from being a 16-year-old Pocatello High School student to a convicted murderer serving life in an Idaho prison.

The evidence against him included far more than an accusation from Torey Adamcik. Draper helped obtain weapons, created access to the house, returned after pretending to leave, concealed himself inside the residence and admitted stabbing Cassie.

He also led investigators to Black Rock Canyon, where they recovered weapons, masks, clothing and other evidence. Cassie’s blood was found on several recovered items, including a serrated knife.

Most damaging was evidence created by Draper and Adamcik themselves. Their homemade recordings documented discussions surrounding the murder and provided prosecutors with evidence of intent and preparation.

Draper was convicted of first-degree murder in 2007. His murder conviction and fixed life sentence were affirmed by the Idaho Supreme Court. Although the court vacated his separate conspiracy conviction because of faulty jury instructions, that decision did not change the punishment keeping him in prison.

As of 2026, almost 20 years after Cassie Jo Stoddart was murdered, Brian Lee Draper remains incarcerated at the Idaho State Correctional Institution and is serving a life sentence for her murder.

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