A Wisconsin teenager pleaded guilty Jan. 8 totwo counts of first-degree intentional homicidein the February 2025 death of his parents.
Nikita Casap, 18, had beenscheduled to stand trialin early March until his attorney, Paul Joseph Rifelj, requested a plea hearing, ultimately accepting a deal in which his client will likely be sentenced to long prison terms, possibly for life. A sentencing hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. March 5, when Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Ralph Ramirez will decide the terms.
In return for the guilty pleas, eight other felony counts – two for hiding a corpse, two for theft of movable property, two for identity theft, one for taking a vehicle without consent and one for intimidating a witness with threat of force – were dismissed, but will be considered during sentencing. Ramirez formally convicted Casap on the homicide counts.
Short hearing raises interesting questions on Casap's status
Thursday's plea hearing was short and to the point. Casap confirmed that he was aware he was giving up his constitutional right to a trial and admitted he killed his mother, Tatiana Casap, and stepfather, Donald Mayer Jr., in their Village of Waukesha home on or about Feb. 11, 2025. He made no statement at that time.
One previously unreported element in the case involved Casap's citizenship, a point raised as Ramirez questioned him about his rights. The question – whether he was aware that he could be deported if he is not a U.S. citizen as a result of his conviction – prompted media questions following the hearing to both District Attorney Lesli Boese, who said she wasn't certain, and Rifelj, who declined comment.
However, Boese, who called Casap "dangerous" and said she plans to ask for the maximum sentence of life in prison with no release under extended supervision, acknowledged the quick end to the case, without a trial, was something she hadn't initially anticipated.
"I guess I'm a little surprised," she said to media gathered outside the courtroom. "I mean, there's no downside for him to take it to trial. But, again, I think the courts look at the fact that someone takes responsibility for what they did, and I think that's a factor they consider in sentencing."
Allegations suggest Casap killed parents for their money
According to a March 2025 criminal complaint that contained the homicide charges thatan earlier complaintdid not, Casap shot both of his parents in their Cider Hills Drive home, and remained there for roughly two weeks before fleeing in Mayer's car.
Waukesha County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to the home Feb. 28 on a wellness check requested by family members, andfound the bodies. As part of the death investigation, a broad search began for Casap. Authorities used interagency Flock surveillance cameras to track his whereabouts, which included a drive through Midwest and Plains states. He was eventuallyarrested in Kansasand extradited back to Wisconsin.
In the complaint, authorities alleged that Casap, then 17, was motivated by financial interests. The one count of theft of movable property involved a large amount of cash taken from the home, and two identity theft charges were tied to money taken from bank accounts. He allegedly tried to convince family members and Mayer's work supervisor that his parents were alive days after their deaths.
Because the case will not go to trial, what transpired remains uncertain. Casap has not acknowledged his motive, and the identity theft counts have now been dismissed.
Complaint, and federal investigation, mention Trump assassination plot
Authorities, however, claimed there was some evidence that pointed to one far-flung goal: to secure money for international terrorism and thepossible assassinationof President Donald Trump.
The complaint in state court claimed Casap had been in contact with someone in Russia and had discussed those plans, including his potential flight to the Ukraine.
Separate from the state case, federal authorities also investigated the terrorism charges. An FBI affidavit, released on April 11, 2025, essentially claimed that Nikita killed his parents for the money, with probable cause to support allegations of a presidential assassination attempt plan, conspiracy and the use of weapons of mass destruction to destabilize the government.
However, no federal charges have been forthcoming in the nine months since the federal investigation was revealed.
Boese told reporters on Jan. 8 that she has not been in contact with federal authorities since early in the investigation. She had no knowledge of potential federal actions.
Regardless, given Casap's actions and the allegations, she said she would resist any hope, mentioned by Ramirez in state court, of the potential of extended supervision after 20 years in prison for each count.
"I think this is a maximum penalty case," Boese said. "I assume that's what I'll be arguing."
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli atjames.riccioli@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Nikita Casap pleads guilty to homicide in Waukesha parents' deaths