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Wisconsin Teenager Charged in Double Homicide, Lived with Victims’ Bodies for Weeks
WAUKESHA, WI – A 17-year-old Wisconsin youth faces murder charges after allegedly killing his mother and stepfather, cohabitating with their deceased bodies for approximately two weeks, and filming at least one of the corpses, according to prosecuting attorneys.
Court Appearance and Formal Charges
Nikita Casap, 17, was presented in court in Waukesha on Thursday, where he is confronted with multiple accusations, notably two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the deaths of his mother, Tatiana Casap, 35, and stepfather, Donald Mayer, 51.
Discovery of the Bodies
Authorities discovered the remains of Tatiana Casap and Mayer on February 28 after Mayer’s mother requested law enforcement conduct a welfare check at the residence. The victims were found in a state of decomposition and had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
According to the criminal complaint, Casap had been absent from school for a fortnight, and no valid explanations for his absences had been provided.
Arrest and Initial Charges
Nikita Casap’s apprehension occurred on February 28 after he allegedly disobeyed a stop sign in WaKeeney, Kansas – situated over 800 miles from his Wisconsin residence. He was operating his stepfather’s Volkswagen Atlas. Investigators discovered his stepfather’s Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum handgun, the victims’ driver’s licenses, and expended shell casings inside the vehicle, as detailed in the complaint.
Initially, on March 3, the teenager was charged with operating a vehicle without the owner’s authorization and petty theft related to taking the automobile and firearm.
Expanded Charges Announced
On Thursday, officials levied additional charges including two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of hiding a corpse, grand theft of property exceeding $10,000, and two counts of identity theft to procure funds, as announced by the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department and the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office.
Grim Details Emerge in Court
During his court appearance on Thursday, prosecutors divulged disturbing new details surrounding the homicides.
The body of the mother was located in a hallway concealed with blankets and a towel, while Mayer’s body was situated in a downstairs office, obscured by a pile of clothes.
Details of the Murders
Waukesha County District Attorney Lesli Boese stated that Casap allegedly shot his mother at least three times on February 11, inflicting two wounds to the abdomen and one to the neck, as reported by WTMJ, a Milwaukee NBC affiliate.
Earlier this month, prosecutors asserted that Casap murdered Mayer by shooting him in the back of the head.
Teenager’s Actions After the Murders
Casap purportedly attended school the day following the killings and continued to reside at the home for almost two weeks, until February 23.
Video Evidence
Law enforcement also recovered a camera memory card containing video footage of Casap igniting candles in the office where his stepfather’s body was situated and recording the body of the deceased approximately one week post-mortem.
Boese indicated that Casap absconded from the residence with $14,000 in cash and was communicating with an individual to obtain fraudulent license plates for his stepfather’s vehicle to conceal its theft.
Fleeing the State
Cell phone location data indicated that he departed the Waukesha vicinity in his stepfather’s car on February 24 at approximately 10:00 a.m. and traveled through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado, according to the criminal complaint.
“It appears this individual was attempting to escape the jurisdiction — not only this state, but this country,” remarked Christopher Bailey, Waukesha County court commissioner, as reported by WTMJ. “Numerous factors lead the court to believe that this individual had no intention of remaining in this location.”
NBC News has contacted the district attorney’s office and Casap’s legal representatives for their comments.
Preliminary Hearing Set
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 9.