Bobby Maher appears inset near an image of the area where he was stabbed to death at a mall in Casper, Wyoming, on April 7, 2024 (GoFundMe; Google Maps)
A 16-year-old in Wyoming will spend decades behind bars for killing a 14-year-old boy who was defending his girlfriend, holding the victim down while a second assailant fatally stabbed him in front of a crowd of onlookers.
Dominique Antonio Richard Harris on Friday appeared before Natrona County District Court Judge Kerri Johnson where he formally pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder in last year”s slaying of Bobby Maher Jr. Harris, who had initially been facing conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, reached a deal with the district attorney’s office, which agreed to reduce the conspiracy charge and drop additional charges of aggravated assault and theft in exchange for his plea, Cowboy State Daily reported.
Harris had been scheduled to go to trial next month for Maher’s April 7, 2024, murder.
District Attorney Dan Itzen appeared in court on behalf of the state and told Johnson that his office would be seeking a sentence of 30 to 75 years, according to Oil City News.
Harris’ co-defendant in the case, 16-year-old Jarreth Joseflee Sebastian Plunkett, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder in May and was handed a life sentence. However, under Wyoming state law, a minor convicted of a murder charge is eligible for parole after serving 25 years in prison.
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During the hearing, Itzen reportedly explained that Harris and Plunkett had been in a confrontation with Maher at a local park about two weeks before the fatal stabbing. Two days before the murder, the defendants encountered Maher’s girlfriend and Maher’s friend, during which Plunkett reportedly asked the friend if he “wanted to pay Bobby’s blood debt.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, on the day of the murder, Harris and Plunkett had been playing hide-and-seek in a Best Buy in the Eastridge Mall in Casper, Wyoming, according to an affidavit obtained by local K2 Radio.
After the game, the two teens decided to steal the knives from a store. Later, they came into contact with Maher’s girlfriend and began following her. When the pair saw Maher leaving a DICK’s Sporting Goods, trouble came.
The verbal altercation began outside the sporting goods store, and a large group of people quickly assembled to watch.
Eventually, the assailants flanked the boy, the affidavit said. Then, Harris can be seen grabbing Maher “around the waist, lifting him off the ground, and slamming him down with great force on his left side.”
The death blows came quickly after, police said.
“Dominique is seen holding (Maher) while Jarreth jumped in,” police wrote in a probable cause affidavit — referring 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.”
Footage of the attack played during a prior court appearance showed Maher being stabbed before getting to his feet, taking a few steps towards the mall, and then collapsing.
Harris previously admitted to holding Maher down, but told police he was only doing it “to make sure the fight was over.”
Johnson reportedly ordered a pre-sentence investigation and scheduled Harris’ formal sentencing hearing for Sept. 5.
Colin Kalmbacher contributed to this report.
