The Guilty Innocent

Author’s Note

Twenty years ago, I wrote The Guilty Innocent from the heart of a mother’s greatest crisis. At the time, I was fueled by a desperate need to protect my son and a struggle to grasp a reality that felt impossible. Today, my perspective has changed. I have come to terms with my son’s responsibility in this tragedy, and I recognize that terms like "innocent" used throughout the original narrative no longer reflect the truth as I understand it now.

I want to acknowledge the shortcomings of the book while offering it as an honest reflection of my experience at that time—the raw, often blinded journey of a mother navigating the unthinkable.

At the core of this tragedy remains Cassie Jo Stoddard. My deepest empathy goes out to the Stoddard family, who for twenty years have had to endure the silence of a life and future cruelly stolen. Cassie was a vibrant girl who will never reach the milestones she deserved, leaving a void that lingers with every passing year—a loss that remains the ultimate, undeniable truth of this story.

I also hold sincere empathy for the Drapers. No parent is prepared for the soul-crushing task of reconciling the son they raised and loved with the haunting reality of Brian’s own admissions. They, too, were forced to navigate a landscape of grief and horror that no family should ever have to face.

As for my own son, Torey Adamcik, this book documents the harrowing years of his initial arrest and trial. It captures a mother’s fight against a legal system she didn't understand and a truth she wasn't yet ready to see. I share this story now not to excuse the past, but to show how three families were forever shattered by the actions of two teenagers on one terrible night.

The United States is the only country in the world that will charge a juvenile as an adult and sentence them to life without parole. As the mother of one such child, I know exactly what happens when a juvenile is placed in adult court where they cannot defend themselves. They are immediately cut off from all human contact, locked in isolation, and railroaded through a justice system they simply cannot comprehend. Consequently, many of these juveniles are sentenced too much longer and harsher terms than their adult counterparts. I've personally lived through this, and I was compelled to write about it. My experience as a mother, up until my son was arrested, was blessed. My husband and I had three beautiful children. They were healthy, smart, responsible, caring people. They did not fall into the traps of drugs or alcohol. They were good students. They had good friends. My husband and I knew we were fortunate and we were thankful. But we never dreamt that something could happen that would change our lives forever... One night in September 2006 did. Approximately eight weeks earlier, our eldest son, Torey, 16, had made a new friend; one we later learned was deeply disturbed. His name was Brian Draper, and he had spent years fantasizing about violence. When Torey met him, Brian was basically a walking time bomb. Our family was plunged into a nightmare beyond imagination. I've always been a writer, so the idea of writing this book came naturally to me. I began for the simple reason that I had lived through this horrendous ordeal and I ached for someone to confide in. But reliving the most painful part of my life was extraordinarily difficult. Ultimately the only reason that I was able to persevere was my deep belief that the story was important and needed to be told. That is still true. This is a true story and no one can tell it better than the people who lived it. A crime reporter can look at the details of a case, but they cannot tell you how it feels to live through it. I can and I did. I used the pre-trial and trial transcripts, copies of the police reports, the autopsy and DNA reports, and DVD recordings of all of the other evidence in this case. I've done copious research. But more importantly, I take readers step-by-step through what it feels like when your 16-year-old son is accused of first-degree murder; all the odds are stacked against him; and his defense is in the hands of attorneys you can't fully trust to come through for you.