[1] Stoddart, a 16-year-old high school student, was stabbed and murdered by her classmates Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik, both 16, in her aunt and uncle's house.

Adamcik and Draper recorded documentary-style videos about how they were horror movie fans, especially Scream, and wanted to reenact a similar murder in real life.

[6] Looking for fame and pleasure, the two wanted to go on a killing spree hoping to outdo Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre.

[9] On the night of September 22, 2006, Stoddart was house sitting for her aunt and uncle, Allison and Frank Contreras, on Whispering Cliffs Drive in northeast Bannock County.

Stoddart was visited that evening by her boyfriend, Matt Beckham, who arrived around 6:00 p.m. Later, classmates Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik, who were both aged 16 at the time, came over to the house to "hang out."

[10] Stoddart was unaware that before the boys left, Draper had unlocked the basement door so that he and Adamcik could re-enter the house undetected.

Sometime after leaving the house on Whispering Cliffs, Draper and Adamcik returned to the neighborhood, parked down the street, got out of their car, and put on costumes consisting of dark clothing, gloves, and white, painted masks.

Stoddart became uneasy after the temporary power outage, and Beckham noticed that one of the Contreras' dogs kept staring down the basement stairs, periodically barking or growling.

However, Stoddart felt it was her responsibility to stay at the house as she was hired to do and care for the animals, and declined the offer from Beckham's mother.

[11] Draper opened and slammed a closet door at the top of the stairs to scare Stoddart, who was lying on the couch in the living room.

The boyfriend of Stoddart's mother was initially considered a person of interest after his fingerprints were found on the circuit breaker door in the basement, where the lights had been tampered with in the lead–up to the murder.

He led investigators to Black Rock Canyon, where the teens had partially burned and then buried the clothing, masks, and weapons they used for the murder.

Police recovered a partially burned VHS Tape from the location, which after restoration, showed video footage of their plans to kill Stoddart.

[14][15][16] At trial, the prosecution revealed that the two teens were inspired by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who committed the Columbine High School massacre, as well as the Scream horror film franchise.

On August 31, 2007, each received a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, plus thirty years-to-life for being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.

The pumpkins were manned by Stoddarts grandmother and a friend and also provided a chance for community members to help the Pocatello Animal Shelter or the Idaho Food Bank.

[20] The convicted men's attorneys filed separate appeals at the Idaho Supreme Court, in September 2010 for Adamcik[21] and in April 2011 for Draper.

Draper was seeking to have his conviction vacated or to be given a limited life sentence that would allow for his release on parole (if approved) after thirty years.

[24] In July 2015, a hearing for post-conviction relief for Adamcik was held before state Sixth District Magistrate Judge Mitchell W. Brown.

[36] This case has been featured in several different television shows and programs including a February 18, 2024, episode of the popular true crime series Dateline with correspondent Keith Morrison.