A 14-year-old Wyoming boy who died defending his girlfriend was held down by one assailant while another stabbed him to death, according to authorities. Now, both suspects have pled not guilty.
Bobby Maher, 14, traveled to the Eastridge Mall in Casper with a friend specifically to protect his girlfriend and her companion, who were being followed on April 7, according to the Casper Police Department.
Maher fell unconscious outside the Hibachi Supreme Buffet at 1:41 p.m. Adults on the scene when first responders came attempted to save his life with CPR and first aid, but their efforts were futile.
On June 21, Jarreth Joseflee Sebastian Plunkett, 15, was charged with murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault and battery, and theft. He pleaded not guilty and not guilty because of mental illness or defect to all four counts.
Dominique Antonio Richard Harris, 15, was charged on June 26 with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, aggravated assault and battery, and petty theft. He pleaded not guilty to all three accusations. Meanwhile, his attorney reserved the right to plead not guilty due to mental illness or deficiency, according to a hearing report from Cowboy State Daily.
According to police, Harris and Plunkett acknowledged stealing kitchen knives from a Target at the mall before the altercation and stabbing.
According to an affidavit acquired by local K2 Radio, Harris and Plunkett had been playing hide-and-seek in Best Buy earlier that day. When asked about the masks, Harris allegedly informed police that he and Plunkett wore them to “cause trouble.” According to Cowboy State Daily, a defense attorney stated at a bond hearing that the masks in question were dubbed “shiesties” and were inspired by the same sort of mask used by rapper Pooh Shiesty.
Following the game, the two accused teenagers allegedly planned to steal the knives. They later made contact with Maher’s girlfriend and allegedly proceeded to follow her. When the two watched Maher leave a DICK’s Sporting Goods, mayhem ensued.
The verbal altercation allegedly began outside the sporting goods store, and a big crowd immediately gathered to witness.
The affidavit alleges that the assailants eventually flanked the boy. The video then shows Harris seizing Maher “around the waist, lifting him off the ground, and slamming him down with great force on his left side.”
According to authorities, the fatal blows occurred immediately afterward.
“Dominique is seen holding (Maher) while Jarreth jumped in,” the affidavit continues, alluding to a cellphone video. “Dominique appeared to strike (Maher) in the face, while Jarreth is observed swinging the knife in a downward motion, stabbing (Maher) twice” as per lawandcrime.
During the bond hearing, the court watched audio-free footage of the fatal stabbing. In the video, Maher gets to his feet after the attack, walks a few steps toward a mall entrance, and then falls.
Harris, who is not charged with murder but risks life in prison, allegedly agreed to keep Maher down in an interview with police but stated that he thought “it was to make sure the fight was over.”
Both offenders are charged as adults.
Following the second teenager’s arraignment this week, Natrona County District Court Judge Kerri M. Johnson set a September trial date but stressed it was simply a placeholder.
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