Photo: Bruce Newman/The Oxford Eagle via AP; Facebook
The father of the man accused of killing 21-year-old University of Mississippi studentAlexandria “Ally” Kostialis asking the public to reserve judgement as the legal process plays out.
“I know my son is innocent,” reads the statement. “And I have reasons to believe that I can’t share anything now. But I would ask everybody to please give him the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.”
Theesfeld, 22, was arrested Monday afternoon and charged with murder in Kostial’s shooting death.
Theesfeld, a Texas native, was one of Kostial’s classmates at the School of Business Administration at the University of Mississippi, school officials confirmed.
Kostial, from St. Louis, Missouri, was shot eight times, according to investigators.
According to police, Kostial was last seen Friday evening, stopping at the door of a bar but not entering the establishment.
He is being held without bond and has yet to enter a plea to murder charge he faces.
Theesfeld’s attorney could not be reached for comment.
He has been suspended from the university since the allegations against him were made public.
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Ole Miss’ Interim Chancellor Larry Sparks said in a statement that “these events remind us of the importance of leaning on each other in the wake of an event that we cannot understand.”
The school is providing on-campus counseling for students and faculty who need it.
Sparks added that the death of Ally Kostial “shocks the conscience, causes pain and sorrow, but does not define our campus community. We must draw strength from what brings us together as a community, even as we grieve this unspeakable loss.”
source: people.com
