Deadly Women Bernadette Protti

2012-01-13T07:01:00.001-08:00

Don't forget to catch a dramatization of the Bernadette Protti-Kirsten Costas case tonight on ID channel. They will feature the case on an episode of Deadly Women.

True Story of Kirsten Costas' Murder, Death of a Cheerleader Movie aka "A Friend to Die For"

2008-07-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Still developing this page....

Orinda California and Miramont High School

Much like it is depicted in the movie, Orinda is a lush town with landscaped yards. Pools and tennis courts are also very popular there. The people are mostly all fit and in shape. There is little crime, and the public school system is excellent. In the students all drove fancy cars, such as BMW’s.

Kirsten Costas

Family friends have described her as not strikingly beautiful, but very cute. She was going to a school with lots of very beautiful blonde girls, but she was able to hold her own, and had her share of suitors. Lots of girls were jealous of Kirsten's hair. She had very beautiful dark curly hair, and her skin was olive toned which made her really stand out. She was thin with a nice figure.Close friends say that she had a vibrant and lively personality. Friends from her middle school said that she really changed once she arrived at the high school. She made it appoint to fit in with the most popular crowd at school. They were loud and obnoxious, and most definitely the most respected. They were the only crowd that mattered, according to school mates. She was asked to join a school club or sorority called the Bob-o-links aka the Bobbies. Only the most popular and pretty girls were asked to join that elite club. Onlookers remember when Kirsten was trying out for cheerleader. They said that she would practice daily. She would constantly critique her own form to make sure that she was doing every move perfectly. The other girls were fascinated by her. She was on the high school swim team.

The night of the murder

Her parents and younger brother Peter were just returning from a dinner given by members of little Peter’s little league team. As they were approaching their home, the normally quiet street was in chaos as paramedics frantically tried save Kirsten’s life. Kirsten’s mother, Berit, stayed in the car....just looking....to frightened to get out to see what was happening as her husband Art ran from the car making his way through the small crowd that had gathered.

Kirsten Costas’ Father, Mother, and Brother

Berit and Arthur Costas moved to Orinda, California around 1968. They fit in very well to the new city. The couple was described as affluent, attractive, and in shape. The mother, Berit Costas at the time was a stay at home mother, and Arthur Costas was a business executive at a prestigious corporation.

Important people close to the case

Jessica Grant classmate
Kris Johnson classmate
Alex and Mary Jane Arnold: Kirsten knocked on their door when she first dumped Bernadette. She told them that her friend had started acting “weird.”

Arthut Hillman: Attorney and neighbor was the first to hear Kirsten scream as she was gurgling blood while staggering toward his front yard. She fell into his arms and said that she had been stabbed.

Bernadette Protti

Described as ordinarily average looking. She was very nice and smart with really good grades. Bernadette felt like she did not measure up. Her family was a modest family. Her father had worked as a supervisor with a utility company in San Francisco. According to one of her friends, she was obsessed with being liked. She had her own set of friends and people who liked her, but she wanted to be accepted amongst the most popular group...Kirsten’s group.

Kirsten Costas article ( A Friend to Die For) Movie

Deadly Women Bernadette Protti

True Story of Kirsten Costas' Murder, Death of a Cheerleader Movie aka "A Friend to Die For"