On July 22, 1995, they got her to the secluded Nipomo Mesa eucalyptus grove. Things turned fast. Delashmutt said he needed to piss, whipped off his belt, and looped it around her neck, strangling her from behind. Casey pinned her arms down. Fiorella yanked out a big hunting knife and plunged it into her neck four to six times, plus a couple more on the side. Knife gets passed—Delashmutt stabs her back and neck another four or five times. Then Casey takes it and sinks it in four times.
She was still moaning, gurgling in agony, so Casey stomped hard on the back of her neck to finish her off. None of the stabs hit anything vital right away—she bled out slow, suffering. They dragged her body deeper into the brush, dumped her face-down in a shallow grave, covered it with leaves, and bailed. Delashmutt’s dad picked them up later, clueless.
Early reports screamed sexual assault—rumors they raped her or planned to mess with the corpse. They even talked about necrophilia beforehand, and one started pulling down her pants after she died. But Casey’s later affidavit denied any assault happened, and by the time cops found her eight months later in March 1996, the body was too decomposed to confirm rape. Charges for it got dropped.
For those eight months, Elyse was a missing person case—nationwide search, runaway assumed. The killers almost skated free. Then Casey cracked, confessed to a clergyman out of guilt (and fear his buddies might off him next). He led cops straight to the mummified remains, buried just 1,000 feet from her house.
All three got hit with murder, kidnapping, conspiracy. Fiorella copped a deal first—26 years to life. Casey and Delashmutt pleaded no contest—25 to life each. Case fueled the whole satanic panic bullshit, even sparked lawsuits against Slayer (dismissed). Oh, and it loosely inspired that 2009 flick ‘Jennifer’s Body’.
Parole drama dragged on. Both Casey and Delashmutt got approved in 2023, but Governor Newsom reversed ’em. Then in 2025: Delashmutt out in July, Casey in August. Pahler’s dad didn’t fight Casey’s release after his detailed confession, but the family hated Delashmutt walking—saw him as the ringleader. Casey’s parole bans him from San Luis Obispo County and any contact with the Pahlers.
Fiorella’s still locked up, next hearing soon.
