Waukesha teen who killed mom and stepdad sentenced to life in prison without parole
CBS 58 WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- An 18-year-old Waukesha man was sentenced to life in prison without parole Thursday, after admitting to killing his mom and stepdad last year.
Family members of Donald Mayer and Tatiana Casap spoke inside the courtroom, remembering the two as loving people whose lives were cut short by Tatiana’s son, now 18-year-old Nikita Casap.
“Our friendship was building loyalty, challenge, and encouragement,” said Michael Dibona, a childhood friend of Mayer.
Those are the words used to describe Donald Mayer on Thursday afternoon, as friends and family members gathered to watch Casap be sentenced for murder.
“When I got married, Don stood beside me as best man,” Dibona told the court.
Back in February of last year, investigators say Casap murdered his mother, Tatiana, and Mayer at their home on Cider Hills Drive. Investigators found Mayer and Tatiana inside the home. Their bodies had been decomposing for at least two weeks.
Casap was arrested in Kansas, along with a gun, cash, jewelry, and the family’s dog.
“For more than a year, we have struggled to make sense of it,” said Robert Kitchell, Mayer’s brother.
In January, Casap pleaded guilty to two charges of first-degree intentional homicide.
“I miss talking to her and being with her. I miss going to the zoo and hiking with her. I miss my mom,” Casap told the courtroom.
An evaluation filed by the state public defender’s office says around fifth grade, Casap began feeling a “growing sense of isolation” and his “exposure to graphic and violent material” became frequent.
Documents state, "by 2022, Nikita had begun identifying with neo-Nazi ideology,” and in the fall of 2023, the FBI visited his home over his concerning search history.
“I thought I was a part of a revolution. I thought I was part of a war,” said Casap.
In a letter to the judge, Casap’s aunt wrote the tragedy “has broken our family in a way that cannot be repaired.”
Kitchell says Tatiana was set to graduate before her life was taken.
“Her diploma and graduation gown arrived after her death,” said Kitchell.
“What I did was vile. What I did was thoughtless,” said Casap.
