“You have no idea what kind of monstrous things I’m capable of,” wrote Kody Patten in a note to a substitute teacher two weeks before he murdered Micaela “Mickey” Costanzo. Confirmed sources close to the case this week
Days before he confessed to the murder of Micaela Costanzo , Kody Patten was the prime suspect if not to police then to dozens if not hundreds of Wendover students and teachers.
In fact the suspicion against the now confessed murderer was so strong and so universal and indeed so well grounded in fact that several attorneys have suggested that there may be a case against West Wendover High School and the Elko County School District for negligently contributing to the death Mickey Costanzo by allowing Kody Patten to remain a student at WWHS.
“Anyone can sue anyone for anything,” said noted Las Vegas Attorney Allen Liechtenstein. “But in this case just judging by the little information I have there may very well be good grounds against the school district for giving way too many second chances to this troubled young man who was obviously a potential danger to himself and to other students.”
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According to confidential sources Patten was harassing Costanzo for several months and earlier this year may have disciplined for assaulting another girl at the school. That girl, now his accomplice Toni Fratto also confessed to the murder of Costanzo. According to sources close to the investigation Fratto’s parents’ Claude and Cassie Fratto refused to press criminal charges against Patten and even allowed the young man to continue to live with them and their daughter.
A well placed source confirmed that Pattern was just one infraction away from being expelled at the time of his arrest for Mickey’s murder.
“You do a lot of second guessing and you wonder if we gave this kid too many second chances,” he said.
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Described as bully and a bad student by teachers and fellow students patten’s deportment in his senior year grew if anything worse. According to several students where he once did the minimal enough to get by in earlier years Patten was at best a spectator in his senior year rarely if ever turning in or completing assignments.
“I told him that if he kept that up he probably wouldn’t graduate.” said a teacher who spoke on the condition of anonymity. And for Kody Patten not graduating would have been a disaster.
In the summer before he began his senior year Patten joined the United States Marine Corps as a deferred enlistee. The option also given by other branches of the US military allows high school students a chance to reserve their place in the service of their choice on the condition the graduate and that they commit no major crime between their enlistment and their activation.
“It’s a good program,” said USMC Elko Recruiter Staff Sergeant James Moro. “It gives the kids incentive to complete their education.”
There is also no branch of the military services that is more adamant about a high school diploma.
“The Marines insist on a high school diploma,” Moro added. “The only way we accept a GED is that the recruit has 15 college credits to go along with it.”
Patten’s enlistment to the Marines may have been a reason school were so extraordinarily lenient with him even after his earlier assault. But by the end of the first semester it may have been abundantly clear that there was simply no way he was going to graduate.
The suspect’s face book page reveals a depressed young man with a predilection for guns and the military.
Instead of a personal photo, Patten’s profile picture is a silhouette of three soldiers with assault rifles.
His last two posts were equally dark:
Kody Patten
“i cant freakin believe this shit! i try my freakin hardest and you blow it out the f***in window like it dont mean s***!”
January 17 at 8:35 pm via Social Beat
Kody Patten
“I sit here the rain hitting my hand, as if god were showing e every tar i have cried and the lightning showing my pain, i shault not tremble in the fear of danger… ”
KCP
January 9 at 5:35 pm.
According to officials at the on line school, the Beacon Academy, both Patten and Fratto had enrolled at the school for the 2011/12 school year perhaps as an effort to save his enlistment to the Marines.
The question the could be asked of jury in a civil suit is why would the school district allow Patten all the access and privileges of being a student at WWHS when he was obviously violent and obviously not going to get his diploma.
“If they were thinking that time would take care of their Patten problem, they thought wrong,” said a source close to the case. “And a wonderful young woman is dead because of it.”
Yes you can sue over anything. But by kicking him out would that have saved Mickey? Maybe… No one could have foreseen Mickey’s untimely death. But I do agree that he should have been removed a long time ago. His assualt, harrasment of Mickey, and the note. Those 3 alone should have been grounds. And to include his non commitment to the work. There was a lot of people that KNEW Kody was and is disturbed, there should have been protection in place, not only for Mickey but the school its self.
We keep hearing so much of how disturbed Kody was before the death of Mickey,but what about Fratto? Is she just that good at deceiving, and manipulation? We have to remember Mickey had 2 killers.
A number of Kody’s teachers, myself included, argued regularly that he be expelled to protect students. The administration seemed intimidated by his parents. Yes, ECSD should be held accountable.
Wow, I am blown away that teachers would tell you this stuff. Haven’t they ever heard of FERPA (well Ferpa is a law that bars a teacher from sharing information of any student) . But are you surprised, since half the teachers are big piles.
One thing I can say, is that West Wendover teachers are NOT piles! Some of the BEST teachers work at WWES and WWHS! Until you have dealt with Patten at the school level, Wendover Will, you shouldn’t judge! Have you ever thought that maybe the information they are receiving is from legal papers, etc? FERPA vs. the murder of a child??? Come on…FERPA means nothing when it comes to investigating a murder! If it were your child, I am pretty sure you would want any information possible to be given out to help prosecute the scumbags that murdered your child! Perhaps one can fault the ECSD, but if that is going to be the case, the same fault needs to be given to law enforcement for not supporting the school when it comes to all of the crap he did…in and out of school! Who’s to say that the same thing would or would not have happened had Patten, Fratto and whomever else committed this horrible crime had they not had access to the school…they were loose on the town. Think about it and don’t blame the teachers or say they are piles…they have dealt with this sociopath for many, many years…perhaps his parents should have gotten him help many years ago, instead of threatening the schools, blaming them, making excuses for his very violent behavior and saying they were picking on their son!
I am in agreement Lucca.The teachers are NOT piles!!!! Not only as a former resident as well as student, we do have some of the best teachers,that have pledged their life to teaching the children of West Wendover. FERPA really,there is a child gone. Taken in the most brutal manner!!! You can take your “FERPA” and shove it. Justice for Mickey is more important than FERPA. The only one’s at fault in this matter are the one’s that made excuses for these two. Are you forgetting about the life taken? Wow people amaze me!! JUSTICE FOR MICKEY!
And I would probably guess you yourself and or you have children at these schools, Good way to show your support. If it wasn’t for the teachers you just called “piles” the children of wendover would be bussed to another county.
editor’s note: While it is not our policy to identify posts because of its content we feel it is important to let let other posters know that until this most recent comment most posts coming from Wendover Will came from the server dedicated for WWES and WWHS.
Why is there never a story on Toni Fratto. Again, as “former resident” said,
“We keep hearing so much of how disturbed Kody was before the death of Mickey,but what about Fratto? Is she just that good at deceiving, and manipulation? We have to remember Mickey had 2 killers.”
Mickey had 2 killers, just not on coyote-tv.com.
Im confused as to how a Profile Picture of 3 silhouetted soldiers or Marines with assault rifles is considered “dark”. There’s nothing dark about it. and the posts was several months before the murder. Have you not seen facebook? Ive seen much worse from people who are always happy. and Kody was my friend, I heard and saw his worst. well, not all of it.
Wendover Will, I graduated in June. The teachers at WWHS probably care more than they should, as in they actually care about giving students like me a future.
These two freaks should just be put down like the rabid animals they are. No wonder Toni Fratto was jealous… her face looks like something out of a monster movie… she has a rat face. NOT attractive in the least…and the guy…he looks like some trailer park trash. He can act all big and bad now, because in prison he’s going to be nothing more than some big ole bubba’s B*TCH. Can’t say it shouldn’t happen to a nicer guy… have fun in there Kody..LOL You bragged about what monstrous things you could do…I’m sure BUBBA is thinking what monstrous things he can do to you…you’re gonna be in there a long long long time…get used to it LOSER!
I nust saw the 48 Hours episode on Mickie’s murder. Some questions I have are: Why didn’t Kody live with his own parents? (Perhaps he couldn’t break up with Toni because he needed the place to live). Plus apparently, he was having an affair with an older woman, perhaps someone who would house him if he left Toni? Obviously he was using Toni. It appears Kody was obcessed with Mickie. Supposedly the murders burned her clothes. Why were her clothes removed? Was she raped?