Kirsten Costas
Encyclopedia
Kirsten Marina Costas was an American
high school student who was murdered by her classmate, Bernadette Protti, in 1984.
In 1994, the story was made into a television movie
entitled A Friend to Die For
(also known as Death of a Cheerleader), with Tori Spelling
as Stacy Lockwood, a character based on Kirsten Costas and Kellie Martin
as Angela Delvecchio, a character based on Bernadette Protti.
. Kirsten went to Miramonte High School
, and was a member of the school's varsity swim team and the cheerleader squad.
According to Protti's later testimony, she had planned to take Costas to the party to befriend her, but Kirsten got angry when she was told that there was no dinner for the new "Bobbies". The girls quarrelled, and Kirsten fled to the home of Alex and Mary Jane Arnold, living nearby, telling them that her friend had gone "weird". When Kirsten could not reach her parents by telephone, Alex Arnold drove her home, noticing that a Pinto
–the Protti's family car–was following them. At the Costas home, Arnold, sitting in his car, saw Protti attack Kirsten. He thought that he was seeing a fist-fight but, in fact, Protti stabbed Kirsten five times with a kitchen knife and fled. The Costas' neighbors called an ambulance, but Kirsten was mortally wounded and died at a nearby hospital.
It took the police almost six months to find Kirsten's killer. After Protti had passed a lie detector test
, her alibi went unverified. After attempting to confirm Protti's alibi and rereading her lie detector test, the police knew that the girl had lied. After speaking with an FBI officer, Protti wrote her mother a letter in which she made a full confession.
Protti claimed to have found the kitchen knife by chance, and her elder sister, Gina, testified in court that she used to have that knife in her car to cut vegetables. The Costas did not believe Protti's story – they claimed that nobody would use an 18 inches (457.2 mm) knife to slice tomatoes and that Protti, casually dressed on that evening, never intended to take Kirsten to a party, but had planned to murder her. Protti was sentenced to a maximum of seven years and was released on parole.
.
Bernadette Protti was released from prison in 1992 at the age of 23 , whereupon she changed her name and left California. Kirsten's parents vehemently opposed Protti's release.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
high school student who was murdered by her classmate, Bernadette Protti, in 1984.
In 1994, the story was made into a television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
entitled A Friend to Die For
A Friend to Die For
A Friend to Die For is a 1994 American TV movie directed by William A. Graham. Written by Randall Sullivan, the film is based on Sullivan's Rolling Stone magazine article concerning the real-life murder of a high school girl by her jealous classmate...
(also known as Death of a Cheerleader), with Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
as Stacy Lockwood, a character based on Kirsten Costas and Kellie Martin
Kellie Martin
Kellie Noelle Martin is an American television actress who is known for her roles as Rebecca Thacher on Life Goes On, Christy Huddleston on Christy, Lucy Knight on ER, and Samantha Kinsey on Mystery Woman.-Early life:...
as Angela Delvecchio, a character based on Bernadette Protti.
Background
The daughter of affluent parents, Arthur and Berit Costas, Kristen and her brother, Peter, grew up in the small suburban town of Orinda, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Kirsten went to Miramonte High School
Miramonte High School
Miramonte High School is a public high school located in Orinda, California. It is part of the Acalanes Union High School District, which has a college preparatory program, with 15 Advanced Placement courses offered. Over 98% of its graduates go on to college. 320 students graduated in 2005, with...
, and was a member of the school's varsity swim team and the cheerleader squad.
The case
On June 23, 1984, Kirsten was lured with a phoney invitation to a dinner for the Bob-o-links, a sorority-like group at school.According to Protti's later testimony, she had planned to take Costas to the party to befriend her, but Kirsten got angry when she was told that there was no dinner for the new "Bobbies". The girls quarrelled, and Kirsten fled to the home of Alex and Mary Jane Arnold, living nearby, telling them that her friend had gone "weird". When Kirsten could not reach her parents by telephone, Alex Arnold drove her home, noticing that a Pinto
Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1971–1980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S. market with the AMC...
–the Protti's family car–was following them. At the Costas home, Arnold, sitting in his car, saw Protti attack Kirsten. He thought that he was seeing a fist-fight but, in fact, Protti stabbed Kirsten five times with a kitchen knife and fled. The Costas' neighbors called an ambulance, but Kirsten was mortally wounded and died at a nearby hospital.
It took the police almost six months to find Kirsten's killer. After Protti had passed a lie detector test
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
, her alibi went unverified. After attempting to confirm Protti's alibi and rereading her lie detector test, the police knew that the girl had lied. After speaking with an FBI officer, Protti wrote her mother a letter in which she made a full confession.
Protti claimed to have found the kitchen knife by chance, and her elder sister, Gina, testified in court that she used to have that knife in her car to cut vegetables. The Costas did not believe Protti's story – they claimed that nobody would use an 18 inches (457.2 mm) knife to slice tomatoes and that Protti, casually dressed on that evening, never intended to take Kirsten to a party, but had planned to murder her. Protti was sentenced to a maximum of seven years and was released on parole.
Aftermath
The Costas family left Orinda and moved to HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Bernadette Protti was released from prison in 1992 at the age of 23 , whereupon she changed her name and left California. Kirsten's parents vehemently opposed Protti's release.