A Casper, Wyoming, boy was trying to protect his girlfriend from a pair of teens following her and a female friend around Eastridge Mall on Sunday when he was fatally stabbed, according to documents filed in Casper Circuit Court.
Bobby Maher, 14, was stabbed to death at the mall by two assailants, one from Evansville and the other from Casper. Both will be charged as adults.
Suspects to be Charged as Adults
Jarreth Joseflee Sabstian Plunkett faces charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault and battery, and theft. His alleged accomplice, Dominique Antonio Richard Harris, faces conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, aggravated assault and battery, and a misdemeanor theft charge.
According to court documents, Casper Police Department officers responded to the mall at 1:41 p.m. on Sunday for a report of juvenile unconscious outside the Hibachi Supreme Buffet in the mall.
Emergency CPR and first aid had been started by adults at the scene. Casper Police Sgt. Michael Paschke took over CPR on Maher, who had two stab wounds from "an altercation that just occurred," the arrest affidavit states.
Officers learned from witnesses there had been an altercation involving people called "JJ" and "Dom." Plunkett and Harris were picked up for questioning a short time later in the 500 block of Long Lane, court records show.
Maher's Girlfriend Called Him, Said Two Teens Were Following Her and Her Friend Around the Mall
An arrest affidavit states Maher's teen friend who accompanied him to the mall told police they had gone there because Maher's girlfriend had called him and said two males were following her and a friend around the mall. "(Maher) then told (his girlfriend) that they were going to the mall to come and keep the girls safe," the friend stated, as reported in the affidavit.
Once at the mall, the pair located the girls and found "JJ" and "Dom" walking in front of them, the friend told police. Maher's friend told police he was trying to get the girls out of the mall to keep them safe, according to the affidavit. They walked out the mall entrance near the restaurant as Maher "kept telling JJ and Dom to leave," the affidavit states.
Suspects, Victim Went to Same School, Had Previous 'Blood Debt'
"Once all the individuals were outside the exterior entrance doors to the mall a physical altercation ensued," the affidavit states. Maher's friend said that "Dom slammed (Maher) to the ground and that JJ walked up and stabbed (Maher)."
Maher's friend told police he did not know the alleged attackers' last names, but that they all attended Dean Middle School together, the affidavit states.
Interviews with Maher's friend and the suspects showed there had been an alleged incident at a park in Evansville previously between Maher and the alleged assailants. The charged pair alleged in police interviews that Maher called them "freaks."
Harris in his interview with police recounted that Plunkett asked Maher's friend if he wanted to fight them in order to "pay" Maher's "blood debt."
Court records show that Harris was on probation for possession of controlled substances at the time of the incident and had previously violated his probation due to theft charges from a previous incident. Bond was set at $500,000 cash for Plunkett and $450,000 for Harris.
