A 22-year-old man was arrested Monday for the murder of Ole Miss student Ally Kostial.
Brandon Theesfeld was taken into custody at a Memphis gas station police said, according to a report published by ABC News.
Theesfeld “was a student in the School of Business Administration and has been suspended from the university,” according to Ole Miss spokesman Rod Guajardo.
Brandon Theesfeld, a 22-year-old University of Mississippi student from Texas, has been arrested in connection to the shooting death of fellow Ole Miss student Ally Kostial: https://t.co/mj67WcrxpT pic.twitter.com/prhxSjTOtY
— Tom Cleary (@tomwcleary) July 23, 2019
Kostial’s body was found Saturday morning in Harmontown, Mississippi roughly 30 miles away from the Ole Miss campus the sheriff’s office said. Her cause of death has not been released to the public.
Theesfeld appeared in court Tuesday, but did not enter a plea. (RELATED: Two College Students Found Dead, Police Investigating As Murder-Suicide)
“I’ve spoken to Brandon. I ask that everyone give him the benefit of the doubt that he is innocent,” Theesfeld’s father told ABC8. “I am seeking legal counsel that will be announced in a day or so.”
Brandon Theesfeld, 21, of Fort Worth, Texas is charged with the murder of Alexandria “Ally” Kostial. Justice court judge allowing time for prosecutors and defense to set bond hearing date/time pic.twitter.com/3bRTSjmU49
— HottyToddy.com (@HottyToddyNews) July 23, 2019
Kostial, originally from St. Louis, was studying marketing at the university, and was in town taking summer classes, according to her father.
She spent her time as a fitness instructor at the campus recreation center and was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.
“She spent her summers going on mission trips. She cared about people and just wanted to help,” her friend Kassidy Desnoyer told ABC News. “She was the brightest light I’ve ever came across.”