Lafayette County Sheriffs Dept.(OXFORD, Miss.) — The Ole Miss student accused of killing his 21-year-old classmate will undergo a psychological evaluation at a state hospital.
Brandon Theesfeld’s defense attorneys requested the evaluation at a bond hearing on Thursday, saying the request came after they “received some new information.” They did not elaborate on that information.
The defense withdrew its request for bond on Thursday.
Theesfeld, 22, was arrested for murder last month in the death of his college classmate Alexandria “Ally” Kostial.
Kostial, a St. Louis native studying marketing at Ole Miss, was on campus for summer school when she was shot and killed in July. Her body was found outside Oxford, Miss.
A motive has not been released, and Theesfeld’s attorneys said he will enter a not guilty plea.
Theesfeld was arrested for murder two days after her body was found, authorities said. He was swiftly suspended from the university.
Meanwhile, Kostial’s friends are forced to begin their senior year without the bubbly 21-year-old.
“She was just a light in any situation, in any room,” Hannah Chauvin told ABC News on Wednesday.
“I miss her smile a lot,” added Morgan Hull. “Even if she was upset, she was always smiling to some degree, and it was very genuine. And it just made me want to smile, too.”
Adventurous, spontaneous and a lover of sunsets, Kostial had new goals every day, whether it was running an extra mile or starting a business, her friends said.
Kostial was an active member of the Ole Miss community, her friends say. She was the university golf club president, a member of the business fraternity and a yoga and Pilates teacher on campus.
A grand jury will convene next week where the case will be presented and charges will be determined, District Attorney Ben Creekmore said Thursday. The psychiatric evaluation will not impact these proceedings, Creekmore said.
Theesfeld will remain in custody as he awaits the psychiatric evaluation.
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