Police say a Wyoming boy was stabbed to death while trying to protect his girlfriend from some teens at the mall.
Robert Dean Maher, 14, died after being stabbed twice in the stomach with a stolen kitchen knife at Eastridge Mall in Casper on Sunday.
Dominique Antonio Richard Harris and Jarreth Joseflee Sabastian Plunkett, both 15, were arrested near the mall the same day.
They are charged as adults with criminal conspiracy to commit murder, assault and robbery, as reported by Cowboy stands daily.
Police respond to the scene after receiving a call about an unconscious boy outside the Hibachi Supreme Buffet at the mall.
Robert Dean Maher, 14, died after being stabbed twice in the stomach with a stolen kitchen knife at Eastridge Mall in Casper on Sunday
Maher’s friend told police that Dom knocked Maher to the ground before JJ came up and stabbed him just outside the mall
According to an affidavit, Maher was stabbed twice during “an altercation that just occurred.”
Maher’s heartbroken father wrote on Facebook: ‘Bobby Rest in peace my baby, I miss you so much. Dad was so proud of you and loved you so much!
‘We are so devastated nothing can bring you back, we love you Bobby, my neeners, my jr, you will never be forgotten! I’m dying inside and out now and I’ll be like that forever.”
Witnesses told police there was an altercation involving people named “JJ” and Dom.”
The alleged attackers wore masks with hooded balaclavas.
A teenage friend of Maher’s who accompanied him to the mall said they were there because Maher’s girlfriend had called and said two men were following her and a friend through the mall.
“(Maher) then told (his girlfriend) that they were going to the mall to come protect the girls,” police recorded.
Maher’s heartbroken father wrote on Facebook: ‘Bobby Rest in peace my baby. I miss you so much. Daddy was so proud of you and loved you so much!’
A teenage friend of Maher’s who accompanied him to the mall said they were there because Maher’s girlfriend had called and said two men were following her and a friend through the mall.
After Maher found the girls at the mall, he “kept telling JJ and Dom to leave,” the police report said.
The group then moved to the area outside the mall’s doors, where a physical fight ensued.
Maher’s friend told police that Dom knocked Maher to the ground before JJ came over and stabbed him.
The friend said he did not know the attackers’ last names, but that they all went to Dean Middle School together.
According to police interviews, an earlier incident had occurred in an Evansville park between Maher and the suspects, who claimed he called them “freaks.”
The pair also told police they had stolen the kitchen knives from Target before the deadly altercation.
Casper police have obtained video that shows Plunkett chasing Maher and yelling at him outside the mall entrance.
The affidavit states, “Jarreth also told (Maher) to wave at him several times; However, (Maher) clearly did not want to fight as he is seen moving in a continuous backward motion, away from Jarreth.”
The interior portion of the Eastridge Mall in Casper is pictured above
It appeared that Maher tried to enter the mall, but was unable to do so “as numerous other youths gathered there.”
In a police interview, Plunkett reportedly said Maher told him to “put the knife away, this isn’t fair.”
Plunkett claimed Jarreth responded, “I don’t fight fair.”
“They were seen laughing and pointing as they ran through the parking lot while witnesses attempted first aid,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Blaine Nelson of the suspects.
Maher’s family has one GoFundMe that has raised more than $33,000 for funeral expenses.
‘He left behind his father Robert, his mother Mary and his three brothers. He was a great son, brother, friend and teammate!’ the page reads.
“Bobby loved his family and was a great kid not only at school but in general. He had such a great passion for basketball.
“We are heartbroken and will never be the same without him. Any help will be greatly appreciated by his family.”