The Murder of Micaela Costanzo

16-year-old Micaela Costanzo was an outstanding kid. She was beautiful and popular, excelling in school and shining on the high school basketball team. She was also a local track star and had a strong bond with her mother and sisters. Micaela made sure to keep in touch with them through regular text messages, especially if her schedule changed.

So, on March 3rd 2011, when Micaela—or Mickey, as everyone called her—failed to text her mum after school or answer her phone, it was clear that something was seriously wrong.

Micaela was a wonderful 16 year old girl with a passion for sports. Micaela also had a deep affection for her boyfriend, Javier, and a very strong bond with her older sister, who shared a significant number of mutual friends. Each day, after the final school bell rang, Micaela eagerly headed to the track for an intense practice session.

Following the workout, her reliable older sister ensured they both made it home safely, cherishing these moments as an opportunity for them to catch up on each other's lives.

So, on March 3rd 2011, Micaela's older sister 'who usually picked her up' had prior arrangements, and wasn't able to pickup her sister that day. But, that was OK and not a big deal at all because Micaela decided that she would walk home.

Fresh air is good for you right?

The walk home was about a mile long, which most people can walk in just under half an hour. But the thing is. Micaela never made it home that day.

Micaela's mum got a bit worried after she hadn't shown up home and decided to give her daughter a call.

Sometime teenagers get sidetracked ya know.

I have a 17 year old daughter, and I am constantly worrying about where she is.

It's aged me tremendously. 

But, anyway, back to Micaela. 

So, her mum called her cell phone and unfortunately Micaela wasn't picking up.

The first time she called it seemed that she had ignored the call and it went straight to voicemail. She tried again after that and it would just ring but she never picked up.

This shows us that someone clearly touched her phone to be able to decline the call right. But who? Why would Micaela ignore her mums calls?

The entire town had jumped into action to help search for Micaela. They combed every inch of the area in hopes of finding her.  After an intensive search, a few members of the search party stumbled upon tire tracks leading down an old dirt road that eventually led to a gravel pit. 

They Followed the trail, and that's when they discovered some sagebrush covered in blood. Then, their hearts dropped as they saw Micaela's lifeless body. She was in a really bad way, and it was clear that her death had not been an accident. 

Micaela had been viciously beaten and stabbed over and over to her face and neck.

It's truly heartbreaking to know that her final moments would have been so terrifying and painful.

Also, a plastic tie was discovered tightly secured around one of Micaela's arms, implying that she had been forcibly brought to the location where she was found. This prompted the investigators to turn to the school's surveillance cameras in search of additional evidence and leads.

Then, Investigators uncovered phone calls and text messages exchanged between Micaela and Kody Patten from Micaela's phone records at the time she disappeared, prompting authorities to consider him a person of interest in the case. Furthermore, surveillance footage from the school captured Micaela and Kody in the hallway leading to the exit from which she vanished just moments later.

So, the police caught up with Kody and took him in for questioning. He initially told the police that he had seen Micaela with her boyfriend at the front of the school during his first interview. However, everyone else from the school who was interviewed said that she was actually at the back of the building.

Why would Kody lie??

Looks bad when they start making up stories right..

An innocent person doesn't need to make up stories.

Micaela and Kody had known each other since they were little and maintained their friendship as they grew older, but they pursued different social circles. Also, Kody was a couple of years older than Micaela and he had a girlfriend called Toni Fratto, a popular and devout Mormon girl, who shared similar social standing with Micaela at school. Basically, she was also very liked and popular. 

Toni was deeply inlove with Kody..

She was also really committed to supporting him while he was going through some ups and downs. She was also super supportive of his dreams of wanting to join the marines, and she wanted to help him. 

So, after being together for some time, Kody and Toni realized that they wanted to spend their lives together and decided to get married. They were teenagers still, but apparently they knew what they wanted.

Kody even embraced the Mormon faith so that they could have a wedding in the temple.

So, Kody was a really tall guy, standing at 6 feet 8 inches, and he had a quick temper both at home and at school.

The size of him mixed with anger issues would be pretty intimidating to other teenagers I would imagine. 6ft 8in is freaking tall!

Then, after a big fight with his dad, he moved in with Toni and her family. Toni's parents had mixed feelings about Kody staying with them though. They were mostly worried about their daughter, who they knew was in love with Kody. They were also concerned that Toni might leave home to be with Kody if they didn't let him stay there.

So, ultimately they decided to let him move in to make sure they could keep their daughter safe and in the family home.

I'm not sure I would do the same if my 17 year old daughter Chloe asked if her boyfriend could move in. Mainly because I have younger children here as well, but I understand that Toni's parents were trying to keep her safe..

And over time, Toni's parents even grew to like Kody, and they started to think of him as part of the family. But, the thing was..

Toni is a teenager, and sometimes teenage girls are insecure. Especially if their boyfriend is super close to a pretty and popular girl like Micaela. Toni actually felt really unsure about her relationship with Kody and wasn't comfortable with how close he was to Micaela.

I think we all could see that coming, right?

Being a teenager can be a rollercoaster of different emotions. I mean, they are still learning and figuring themselves out.

Probably not the right time to get engaged because of all the growing we are doing at that age.

But anyway...

Toni used to write in her diary about her worries. She thought her boyfriend had feelings for Micaela and that he might eventually leave her for the girl he had grown up with.

I guess it's normal to overthink things when you're young. I felt insecure as a teenager too, so I totally get it. Cody was using Toni's insecurities to purposely upset her for his own amusement, which was really mean and immature. You would think that he would try to comfort her and reassure her that he wants to be with her, and not Micaela. But, nooooo..

Instead, he would engineer situations that he knew would upset Toni, like talking and texting with Micaela in front of her. Apparently, Toni also verbally insulted Micaela for months, even though Micaela hadn't done anything wrong and just wanted to be left alone. Micaela even told Toni that she had a boyfriend and wasn't interested in Kody, but Toni didn't believe her and thought Micaela was out to ruin her relationship with Kody. It was clear that Toni wasn't listening to Micaela at all. 

Micaela had no interest in Kody and already had a boyfriend who she cared for deeply.

Ok, back to the police interview with Kody..

So, once Kody was established as the primary person of interest in the case, the police asked him to come in for another interview. And, before long, he broke down and, with encouragement from his Dad, admitted to being involved in Micaela's Murder. Kody went in to tell the police that he and Micaela had gone for a drive to the gravel pit after school. And, apparently they began arguing. He said that she told him to break off his engagement with Toni and start dating her instead—which he said refused to do. He said that the argument turned physical at this point, and apparently Micaela started to hit him in his chest. He said that to protect himself, he pushed her away and when he did that she apparently fell and hit her head. He said that when she hit her head that she went into convulsions. 

Is anyone else calling bullshit on his story?

So, he said that he was scared and panic set in. He reckoned that he didn't know what to do. That's when he told the investigators that he hit Micaela over the head with a shovel.

My instant thought is....

Why does he have a shovel??

In my opinion, one doesn't tend to randomly have a shovel on hand. Especially when they are randomly out and about with a friend. Unless said person is full of shit and he brought the shovel to bury her. That sounds more legit to me..

Anyway, back to Kodys story..

So, at this point he doesn't know what to do. Micaela is convulsing and he wacks her over the head.

Sorry, but if your friend has an accident and starts convulsing wouldn't you take said friend (who he has know forever may I add) to the hospital?

Who the hell hits them in the head..

Ok, so he said that after she was hit, she was still making sounds, so he slashed her throat to get her to stop.

Ummmm.. WHAT!

So, he had a shovel and knife on hand..

Also, wtf!

That's meant to be his close friend. If it was truly an accident and she fell when he was trying to protect himself, he could have easily taken her to the hospital, explained the situation and got a slap on the wrist..

But, no..

Instead he makes things a million times worse. This is when he told the police that Micaela had died and he buried her in a shallow grave and tried to burn her personal belongings.

But, the thing is...

Micaela was found severely beaten and stabbed multiple times. She didn't just have a couple of wounds from the initial fall, shovel and cut throat. No. This girl was brutally killed.

So, what's the real story!

At this point in his confession, Kody is put under arrest and charged with first-degree murder with the possibility of a death sentence. He was scared, and hired attorney John Ohlson, who had a reputation for keeping killers off of death row.

Toni found out pretty quick and was shocked to find out that Kody had been arrested. She was really upset and tried to support him by visiting, writing, and calling him a lot. She kept telling him that she missed him and reassureed him that she would always be there for him. At this point of my research i wondered why she would stand by someone who had just committed this type of crime.

Unless... she was somehow involved?

I did believe at this point of my research that the story was bogus and she had something to do with it. I do like to put myself in the shoes of the people I talk about as well. It sort of helps me understand the story better. And I can't comprehend why Toni would stay with him after learning of how brutal Micaela's death was unless there is more to it.

I know people do stay with their partners after they commit crimes, but something just doesn't feel right in this particular case.

Then, in April of 2011, while her parents were out of town, Toni, wearing her pajamas, went to Kody's lawyer's office accompanied by Kody's Dad. There, she recorded a different version of Micaela's death that Kody had previously described.

Toni said that after school on the day Micaela was killed that she got a text message from Kody saying "I've got her."

That meant Micaela was in a car that Kody had borrowed, and he was coming to pick up Toni. The three of them then went to the gravel pits.

Remember, this is Toni's account and probably best not to take it a fact.

She goes on to say that Micaela and Kody got out of the car. Micaela started yelling at Kody and pushed him. Toni said she looked away, but heard a loud noise and got out of the car to see what had happened.

Now, why would Kody and Micaela get out of the car and Toni stays in the car..

That part sounds like a lie..

If she really is as insecure as we assume she is, then you would think she would want to be out there with them. Like, to keep an eye on them right.

I put myself into the shoes of Toni as an insecure teenager who thinks her boyfriend loves Micaela, and I can't see her letting them have private time while she apparently turns her head the other way.

It just doesn't ring true.

Toni said that Micaela was lying on the ground, not moving and that Kody began to dig a grave. And that by the time he was finished, Micaela was in and out of conscious. Toni said that is when her and Kody kicked, punched, and hit her with the shovel. When she stopped moving, they put her in the grave and took turns slitting her throat. Toni also admitted to sitting on Micaela's legs to hold her down during the attack.

During Toni's confession, because the lawyer was Kody's lawyer and not Toni's, this meant he had no restrictions with client confidentiality. 

This distinction is significant because attorney-client privilege only applies to the lawyer's interactions with their own clients. 

As a result, the lawyer was not legally bound to keep Toni's confession confidential and when Toni left he handed the tape over to the police.

Following this, Toni, who had not previously been a suspect, was subsequently arrested, formally charged, and detained without the option of posting bail.

Both Kody and Toni were given deals to admit guilt in court in exchange for a lesser punishment. Kody initially said yes but later decided against it. Toni, on the other hand, agreed to admit guilt for a lesser charge of second-degree murder and promised to provide information against the man she once promised to be with forever.

Toni's story to the police was different from what she told Kody's lawyer. 

This time, she said that Kody was really mad at Micaela. And when Toni hopped into the SUV, she claimed that she saw Micaela in the backseat, looking all scared with her hands up to her face. That's when Kody apparently sent Toni a text while they were all in the car that said... "We have to kill her." 

And Toni said that when they got to the gravel pits, he ordered her to stand guard.

Toni told police that Kody dug the grave and told her to hit Micaela, but she reckons that she refused. 

I'm not sure I believe that she refused..

These two have already proven that they lie.

She said that Kody then began punching Micaela and told her to hit her with the shovel. 

Toni said that's when she hit Micaela with the shovel in the shoulder and that Kody hit her in the head.

So, from what I'm observing here is that Toni is trying to make it seem like she did a less brutal hit than Kody..

Basically, diverting the blame.

This is when Toni apparently held Micaela's legs down and they took her life. Toni said that during the attack, Micaela looked up at Kody and asked him if she was still alive and if she could go home.

That is so freaking heartbreaking.

Then, In April 2012, Toni was 19-years old and pleaded guilty to murder involving a deadly weapon that resulted in the death of Micaela Costanzo. 

Toni was given a life sentence with the chance of being released on parole after 18 years. 

By August 2018, Toni was serving her sentence at the Florence McClure Women's Correctional Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

In 2021, her request to be released on parole was turned down.

Also, during a discussion about reaching a compromise for a plea deal, Kody provided a different account of what happened on the day Micaela was killed. He mentioned that Toni had confronted Micaela at school and insulted her. Toni called Micaela a slut.

According to Kody, he suggested that Toni and Micaela should meet to resolve their issues. 

Toni apparently wanted to fight Micaela, and Micaela agreed to it. However, Kody's lawyer advised him to reject the plea before he could finish explaining this version of events.

I'm going to assume there are elements of truth and lies in this story.

Why would Micaela agree to fight.

From everything I have read, Micaela wasn't that sort of person.

In May 2012, Kody Patten agreed to plead guilty to first-degree murder to avoid the death penalty. As part of the presentence report, Kody wrote a letter to the judge denying that he had killed Micaela. He laid the blame solely on Toni Fratto, saying that she slit Micaela's throat. But, the judge didn't buy it. 

Neither do I.. 

He sentenced Kody Patten to life, telling him, .....

"Your blood runs cold, Mr. Patten.

And there is no possibility of parole for Kody.

He has since been incarcerated in Ely State Prison in White Pine County, Nevada.

After sentencing, Toni had some time to think about her situation. nd again her story changed...

She told a slightly different version of the story during an interview with Dateline NBC’s Keith Morrison. She claimed that she had suffered from abuse and manipulation by Kody for most of their relationship. 

She said Kody forced her to take part in the murder. Toni also mentioned that after witnessing Kody assault Micaela, she was afraid for her life and felt like she had no choice but to do what he wanted.

On that fateful day, it seems unlikely that we will ever uncover the complete truth of what exactly happened, because these two won't tell the full truth.

I feel we have bits of truth that we can put together.

I just hope that Micaela's family can draw solace from the knowledge that Micaela is no longer enduring pain, and that those responsible for her tragic death have been brought to justice and incarcerated.

This brings us to the end of today's story.

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My name on YouTube is Kate Sharon "TrueCrime"

Have a great day!