A short while ago in a Wisconsin courtroom, 18-year-old Nikita Casap pled guilty to the double homicide of his mother and stepfather, but this story gets even more macabre. The teenager lived with his parents’ corpses for weeks before stealing their vehicle, cash, jewelry and passports along with the family dog, all while talking to someone who spoke Russian about a plot to kill Donald Trump and overthrow the government. His sentencing is scheduled for later this spring, and the Federal government is watching this case closely, ready to add even more charges to keep Casap behind bars for the rest of his life.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, folks. It is Thursday, January eighth, and a short
time ago a teenager pled guilty to killing his parents
in a plot that involved him trying to fund a
Trump assassination. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ.
This is a obviously tragic, sad, and bizarre case with
(00:24):
a lot of the details. Well, we just watched an
eighteen year old repeatedly tell a judge, yes, I am
responsible for these killings.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
That was really chilling, wasn't it. Nikita Cassip is his name.
This is out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This was a kid
who seemed like just about any other kid and winds
up not just murdering his step father and his own mother,
but then lives with their corpses for weeks talking to
(00:56):
someone in Russian. This story is very, very, very confusing
and deeply disturbing even hearing the judge asked this young man,
who by the way, was seventeen at the time of
these crimes, if he had ever been diagnosed with a
mental illness. He said, no, your honor, But my god,
(01:17):
how could he not given what he is admitting to
have done.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
All right, let's take you back, folks. The February of
last year, so this was February of twenty twenty five.
Police respond to a home. They find these two dead bodies,
both shot. We talked about Tatiana Cassap thirty five years
old and her husband, Donald Mayer, fifty one years old.
The sun and the dog are missing at this point,
(01:42):
and apparently he had taken his parents' vehicle, taken off
with about fourteen thousand dollars worth of cash and jewelry
and whatnot, and he had the dog with him. They
eventually tracked him down having to do with the traffic stop.
Now those details you talk about ropes that came out
living with the bodies for two weeks, that was certainly
a detail that was disturbing. The other parts of this
(02:07):
have to do with federal authorities going through a lot
of his text messages and electronic messages. I don't know
if they ever found out who he was talking to
in Russia in Ukraine, but it seemed as if he
had a plan and expected to go to Ukraine and
also expected for everybody to find out that he had
killed his parents.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah, and I'm just I'm still trying to get into
the mindset of a seventeen year old kid. I mean, there, look,
Annealis is nineteen about to turn twenty, and she's a kid.
And to think that he was still in high school.
What did he know? What fantasy world was he living in?
But yes, federal authorities say that he was having a
(02:52):
text exchange with someone who spoke Russian. They've never said
who that person is, if that person was legitimate, but
that in planning his parents' murders, he also bought a drone,
he bought explosives, and he wrote a manifest and in
that manifest a federal authorities say he called for Trump's assassination.
(03:13):
And so he was talking to this Russian speaker about
his plan to kill Trump, and they even said to
overthrow the US government. Did he think he was working
as a spy for the Russian government?
Speaker 1 (03:27):
I mean, who knows what was going on through this
in this kid's mind. But this is the crime. That's
everything we describe, at least about the crime. Now, were
expecting this trial was supposed to start in March. That
we come to today. A deal has been struck between
this young man and prosecutors that's going to see him
avoid trial. They dropped. There were several other charges, charges
(03:49):
three through nine. I think they said I had to
do with theft and improper use of a corpse. They
dropped those, but he did plead guilty. It was chilling
Rome seventeen when you committed the crime eighteen now A
soft voice, nothing intimidating about the appearance of this young
man sitting in a chair. I think he might have
(04:13):
said the word no once, But other than that, the
only thing he said in court was yes, your honor repeatedly.
He asked him a bunch of questions, and he was polite,
he spoke up. He was almost like almost a respectful
teenager sitting in there today who's admitting to the moult
heinous of things.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Wasn't that so disturbing? You make such a good point.
It did seem like. In fact, I was around the
corner and I heard his voice, and it just wasn't
what I would have expected from someone who is capable
of doing what he's now admitted to do, which is
to kill your own mother and your stepfather because you
(04:52):
need cash to go try and assassinate Trump. But here
he was this polite kid, you're right, And to hear
him say yes, your honor to the question, did you
kill your mother or Tatiana? Did you intend for her
to die? Yes, your honor, That just the questions that
(05:14):
were being asked, and then just yes, this polite yes,
your honor. Afterwards, it felt so chilling to listen to.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
You talking about the repetition, and the judge was kind
of a rapid firing asking about each murder. But you
shot him and caused his death, Yes, your honor. Did
you do that intentionally? Yes, your honna. Did you use
a handgun to shoot her? Your mother? Yes, your honor?
Did you intend to kill her? Yes, your honor, You
(05:42):
admit you committed both of these offendances. Yes, your on
And I'm only giving five or so there, I think
it was ten at least he was, and repeatedly, an
eighteen year old is saying, yes, I did all of it,
I meant to do it, and I meant to kill.
And the judge got all that on the record for
legal reasons, but it to see it happen today was stunning.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, Yes, your honor will never sound the same after
hearing him say that response to so many of those
incredibly just devastating questions that you can't imagine a kid
that age would be able to answer and then to
think that yes, and who knows what was actually going
on behind the scenes, But he thought he was going
(06:22):
to be living in Ukraine. He had a plan. He
actually got caught in Kansas, I believe in that traffic
stop you were referring to. But from what we gather
and what federal authorities have said, he was planning on
hiding out in the country of Ukraine.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
What do you have that? What was that text? Did
you read it?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
I have it? Yes. He was actually asking this question
to this unknown person who speaks Russian. He said, so
while in Ukraine, I'll be able to live a normal life.
Question Mark, even if it's found out I did it,
question Mark.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Okay, well, look that was pretty good evidence. But he
admitted it in court today and it's just seventeen years old.
But this case took this turn. They were preparing for
trial in March. But now because of the plea, it's
brought up some other issues, particularly about sentencing. Stay here,
(07:21):
we'll explain why some things, he has a chance of
getting out and still might have a life ahead. Stay here.
We continue now on this Thursday, having just seen eighteen
(07:44):
year old Nikita cassip In court in Wisconsin, admitting repeatedly
upon questioning from the judge, that he is entering a
plea of guilty in the death of his thirty five
year old mother and his fifty one year old stepfather.
Those deaths happened last week February. But Rob's going to trial.
Right if he had gone to trial in these charges
(08:06):
you found guilty, it's life without parole. He wasn't sentenced today,
but it sounds like there is going to be an
argument now over how long this eighteen year old is
supposed to spend in jail. In robes, look at into
some of the numbers he could have like a significant
(08:26):
adult life ahead on the outside.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Correct, because also being taken into consideration when you look
at sentencing, a judge can look at the age at
which a crime is committed, and that has often given
some of these younger defendants' opportunities later even if they've
committed a heinous crime. And when you plead guilty, that
also usually is favorable in terms of sentencing as well.
(08:51):
So he's got two things working in his favor. His
age and the fact that he was compliant, the fact
that he agreed to plea and save the district of money.
And as the DA pointed out, because some people were
upset about this plea deal the fact that they were
able to get rid of some of the other charges
which would have possibly kept him in prison for sure
for the rest of his life. She said that that
(09:14):
part of this was about the family itself, avoiding the
trauma of a public trial. We're seeing this in the
Nick Reiner case as well. When you have the defendants
and the victims from the same family, that is so
much more complex than an ordinary case, which is already
difficult and emotional, but now you add that extra trauma
(09:36):
to the story, and avoiding a public trial is even
the bar is even higher to try and make that happen.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
So and you know, I can appreciate when prosecutors consider
the wishes of families in these cases. This young man, now,
as the judge explained, like normally he would be constrained
by the sendings and guidelines, but now he could possibly
consider twenty years. And did I hear it correctly? Twenty
(10:07):
years on each account, right, yes, so we're talking forty
years he could possibly end up with. And again we
don't know this, but this is something at least on
the table and the judge said it, so you take
that under consideration. He could be late fifties. Yeah, when
he gets out, if that's okay, he could still get life.
We don't know, but the judge made a point about
talking about that twenty years, so that's he's so young.
(10:30):
I think that drives home the point that he could
actually serve a sentence for double murder and still get
out and be an adult who has decades yet to live.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah, someone in their fifties. You look at like when
you're eighteen, that seems like forever, but when you all
of a sudden suddenly turn fifty, you think, wow, I
still have a really good chunk of my life left
to live. So yes, he could get out and actually
have a full life.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
I thought that was interesting, But just what's been an
awful case? And again this wasn't what it was supposed
to be. So the sentencing is now we still have
to wait for it. But I thought this was the
defense said, you know what, we were going to go
to trial in March. Can we do sentencing in March
as well?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
And I think, look, all eyes are going to be
on sentencing that's set for March fifth. I believe, but
there has been talk if the federal government does not
like what the judge sentences him too, for instance, that
twenty year and twenty years. So say he say he
does the minimum and Cassup only gets forty years, the
(11:34):
federal government can then step in and charge him. They've
said they're considering that or they're keeping that option open
because of the federal or the national implications of him.
That plot they uncovered where they say Cassip was planning
to assassinate Donald Trump, so he said, they found anti
government sentiments, They found some information leading to his worshiping
(11:58):
of a Satanic cult. So the Fed say, hey, if
we don't like what this judge sentences him to, we
may step in and throw more charges at him. So
that's entirely possible as well.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
They want to make sure he never gets out of prison. Correct. Correct,
We're keeping an eye on it, folks. We always appreciate
you spending some time here with us. But this update, yes,
it only happened within an hour or so of us
hopping on the mics here, so we wanted to hop
on and give an update on a story that has
had national interests. We always appreciate you spending some time
with US. Signed TJ Holmes on behalf of my dear
(12:30):
Amy Robock. We'll talk to you also
Hey, folks. It is Thursday, January eighth, and a short
time ago a teenager pled guilty to killing his parents
in a plot that involved him trying to fund a
Trump assassination. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ.
This is a obviously tragic, sad, and bizarre case with
(00:24):
a lot of the details. Well, we just watched an
eighteen year old repeatedly tell a judge, yes, I am
responsible for these killings.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
That was really chilling, wasn't it. Nikita Cassip is his name.
This is out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This was a kid
who seemed like just about any other kid and winds
up not just murdering his step father and his own mother,
but then lives with their corpses for weeks talking to
(00:56):
someone in Russian. This story is very, very, very confusing
and deeply disturbing even hearing the judge asked this young man,
who by the way, was seventeen at the time of
these crimes, if he had ever been diagnosed with a
mental illness. He said, no, your honor, But my god,
(01:17):
how could he not given what he is admitting to
have done.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
All right, let's take you back, folks. The February of
last year, so this was February of twenty twenty five.
Police respond to a home. They find these two dead bodies,
both shot. We talked about Tatiana Cassap thirty five years
old and her husband, Donald Mayer, fifty one years old.
The sun and the dog are missing at this point,
(01:42):
and apparently he had taken his parents' vehicle, taken off
with about fourteen thousand dollars worth of cash and jewelry
and whatnot, and he had the dog with him. They
eventually tracked him down having to do with the traffic stop.
Now those details you talk about ropes that came out
living with the bodies for two weeks, that was certainly
a detail that was disturbing. The other parts of this
(02:07):
have to do with federal authorities going through a lot
of his text messages and electronic messages. I don't know
if they ever found out who he was talking to
in Russia in Ukraine, but it seemed as if he
had a plan and expected to go to Ukraine and
also expected for everybody to find out that he had
killed his parents.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah, and I'm just I'm still trying to get into
the mindset of a seventeen year old kid. I mean, there, look,
Annealis is nineteen about to turn twenty, and she's a kid.
And to think that he was still in high school.
What did he know? What fantasy world was he living in?
But yes, federal authorities say that he was having a
(02:52):
text exchange with someone who spoke Russian. They've never said
who that person is, if that person was legitimate, but
that in planning his parents' murders, he also bought a drone,
he bought explosives, and he wrote a manifest and in
that manifest a federal authorities say he called for Trump's assassination.
(03:13):
And so he was talking to this Russian speaker about
his plan to kill Trump, and they even said to
overthrow the US government. Did he think he was working
as a spy for the Russian government?
Speaker 1 (03:27):
I mean, who knows what was going on through this
in this kid's mind. But this is the crime. That's
everything we describe, at least about the crime. Now, were
expecting this trial was supposed to start in March. That
we come to today. A deal has been struck between
this young man and prosecutors that's going to see him
avoid trial. They dropped. There were several other charges, charges
(03:49):
three through nine. I think they said I had to
do with theft and improper use of a corpse. They
dropped those, but he did plead guilty. It was chilling
Rome seventeen when you committed the crime eighteen now A
soft voice, nothing intimidating about the appearance of this young
man sitting in a chair. I think he might have
(04:13):
said the word no once, But other than that, the
only thing he said in court was yes, your honor repeatedly.
He asked him a bunch of questions, and he was polite,
he spoke up. He was almost like almost a respectful
teenager sitting in there today who's admitting to the moult
heinous of things.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Wasn't that so disturbing? You make such a good point.
It did seem like. In fact, I was around the
corner and I heard his voice, and it just wasn't
what I would have expected from someone who is capable
of doing what he's now admitted to do, which is
to kill your own mother and your stepfather because you
(04:52):
need cash to go try and assassinate Trump. But here
he was this polite kid, you're right, And to hear
him say yes, your honor to the question, did you
kill your mother or Tatiana? Did you intend for her
to die? Yes, your honor, That just the questions that
(05:14):
were being asked, and then just yes, this polite yes,
your honor. Afterwards, it felt so chilling to listen to.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
You talking about the repetition, and the judge was kind
of a rapid firing asking about each murder. But you
shot him and caused his death, Yes, your honor. Did
you do that intentionally? Yes, your honna. Did you use
a handgun to shoot her? Your mother? Yes, your honor?
Did you intend to kill her? Yes, your honor, You
(05:42):
admit you committed both of these offendances. Yes, your on
And I'm only giving five or so there, I think
it was ten at least he was, and repeatedly, an
eighteen year old is saying, yes, I did all of it,
I meant to do it, and I meant to kill.
And the judge got all that on the record for
legal reasons, but it to see it happen today was stunning.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, Yes, your honor will never sound the same after
hearing him say that response to so many of those
incredibly just devastating questions that you can't imagine a kid
that age would be able to answer and then to
think that yes, and who knows what was actually going
on behind the scenes, But he thought he was going
(06:22):
to be living in Ukraine. He had a plan. He
actually got caught in Kansas, I believe in that traffic
stop you were referring to. But from what we gather
and what federal authorities have said, he was planning on
hiding out in the country of Ukraine.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
What do you have that? What was that text? Did
you read it?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
I have it? Yes. He was actually asking this question
to this unknown person who speaks Russian. He said, so
while in Ukraine, I'll be able to live a normal life.
Question Mark, even if it's found out I did it,
question Mark.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Okay, well, look that was pretty good evidence. But he
admitted it in court today and it's just seventeen years old.
But this case took this turn. They were preparing for
trial in March. But now because of the plea, it's
brought up some other issues, particularly about sentencing. Stay here,
(07:21):
we'll explain why some things, he has a chance of
getting out and still might have a life ahead. Stay here.
We continue now on this Thursday, having just seen eighteen
(07:44):
year old Nikita cassip In court in Wisconsin, admitting repeatedly
upon questioning from the judge, that he is entering a
plea of guilty in the death of his thirty five
year old mother and his fifty one year old stepfather.
Those deaths happened last week February. But Rob's going to trial.
Right if he had gone to trial in these charges
(08:06):
you found guilty, it's life without parole. He wasn't sentenced today,
but it sounds like there is going to be an
argument now over how long this eighteen year old is
supposed to spend in jail. In robes, look at into
some of the numbers he could have like a significant
(08:26):
adult life ahead on the outside.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Correct, because also being taken into consideration when you look
at sentencing, a judge can look at the age at
which a crime is committed, and that has often given
some of these younger defendants' opportunities later even if they've
committed a heinous crime. And when you plead guilty, that
also usually is favorable in terms of sentencing as well.
(08:51):
So he's got two things working in his favor. His
age and the fact that he was compliant, the fact
that he agreed to plea and save the district of money.
And as the DA pointed out, because some people were
upset about this plea deal the fact that they were
able to get rid of some of the other charges
which would have possibly kept him in prison for sure
for the rest of his life. She said that that
(09:14):
part of this was about the family itself, avoiding the
trauma of a public trial. We're seeing this in the
Nick Reiner case as well. When you have the defendants
and the victims from the same family, that is so
much more complex than an ordinary case, which is already
difficult and emotional, but now you add that extra trauma
(09:36):
to the story, and avoiding a public trial is even
the bar is even higher to try and make that happen.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
So and you know, I can appreciate when prosecutors consider
the wishes of families in these cases. This young man, now,
as the judge explained, like normally he would be constrained
by the sendings and guidelines, but now he could possibly
consider twenty years. And did I hear it correctly? Twenty
(10:07):
years on each account, right, yes, so we're talking forty
years he could possibly end up with. And again we
don't know this, but this is something at least on
the table and the judge said it, so you take
that under consideration. He could be late fifties. Yeah, when
he gets out, if that's okay, he could still get life.
We don't know, but the judge made a point about
talking about that twenty years, so that's he's so young.
(10:30):
I think that drives home the point that he could
actually serve a sentence for double murder and still get
out and be an adult who has decades yet to live.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah, someone in their fifties. You look at like when
you're eighteen, that seems like forever, but when you all
of a sudden suddenly turn fifty, you think, wow, I
still have a really good chunk of my life left
to live. So yes, he could get out and actually
have a full life.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
I thought that was interesting, But just what's been an
awful case? And again this wasn't what it was supposed
to be. So the sentencing is now we still have
to wait for it. But I thought this was the
defense said, you know what, we were going to go
to trial in March. Can we do sentencing in March
as well?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
And I think, look, all eyes are going to be
on sentencing that's set for March fifth. I believe, but
there has been talk if the federal government does not
like what the judge sentences him too, for instance, that
twenty year and twenty years. So say he say he
does the minimum and Cassup only gets forty years, the
(11:34):
federal government can then step in and charge him. They've
said they're considering that or they're keeping that option open
because of the federal or the national implications of him.
That plot they uncovered where they say Cassip was planning
to assassinate Donald Trump, so he said, they found anti
government sentiments, They found some information leading to his worshiping
(11:58):
of a Satanic cult. So the Fed say, hey, if
we don't like what this judge sentences him to, we
may step in and throw more charges at him. So
that's entirely possible as well.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
They want to make sure he never gets out of prison. Correct. Correct,
We're keeping an eye on it, folks. We always appreciate
you spending some time here with us. But this update, yes,
it only happened within an hour or so of us
hopping on the mics here, so we wanted to hop
on and give an update on a story that has
had national interests. We always appreciate you spending some time
with US. Signed TJ Holmes on behalf of my dear
(12:30):
Amy Robock. We'll talk to you also
Hosts And Creators
Amy Robach
T.J. Holmes
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