Bobby Maher: 14-year-old Wyoming boy fatally stabbed while protecting gf from teenage harassers in shopping mall
CASPER, WYOMING: According to authorities, a 14-year-old Wyoming boy was trying to protect his girlfriend from two teenagers wearing balaclavas when he was fatally stabbed with a kitchen knife in a shopping mall.
According to the Cowboy State Daily, Bobby Maher confronted two 15-year-old boys whom he believed were harassing his middle school sweetheart. Tragically, he was fatally stabbed on Sunday afternoon, April 7th, at the Eastridge Mall in Casper.
Bobby Maher was stabbed with a 'kitchen-style knife'
Upon receiving a call from his girlfriend reporting that two suspects, later identified as Jarreth Plunkett and Dominique Harris, were allegedly following her and a friend around the shopping center, Maher quickly made his way to the mall.
Arriving at the scene, Maher allegedly instructed the two accused individuals to leave while trying to escort his girlfriend and her friend out of the mall in an effort "to ensure their safety," as stated in court documents.
Reportedly captured on surveillance footage, Maher purportedly retreated from his alleged attackers, who were wearing masks resembling hooded balaclavas, while Plunkett allegedly ordered him "to swing on him several times."
Later, it was purported that Harris was observed on camera grabbing Maher by the waist, throwing him to the ground, and subsequently delivering repeated punches to his face.
According to the complaint, Plunkett intervened a short while later and was seen stabbing the victim with the "kitchen-style knife," as reported by the New York Post.
Jarreth Plunkett and Dominique Harris face several charges
The two suspects reportedly left the scene shortly after leaving the bloodied knife and their balaclava masks in the parking lot, according to the police.
The accused perpetrators informed the police that the victim had called them "freaks" after they were apprehended shortly afterward. The complaint alleges that they also confessed to having recently taken the knife from a Target store within the shopping center.
The two suspects attended Dean Middle School with the victim, but one of the victim's friends later told police that they only knew "JJ and Dom."
Maher's friend also mentioned that the victim and suspects had met in a park prior to the deadly knife attack.
Plunkett was charged with first-degree murder, theft, aggravated assault and battery, and conspiracy to commit murder.
Harris, on the other hand, faces charges of misdemeanor theft, aggravated assault and battery, and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
At an initial court hearing on Monday, April 8, the accused individuals, who were charged as adults, had their bonds set at $500,000 and $450,000, respectively.
Internet demands the death penalty for Jarreth Plunkett and Dominique Harris
As soon as the news of the fatal stabbing of a teenager surfaced the platform X, internet users started demanding the "death penalty" for the accused boys.
A user wrote, "F**king death penalty!! Getting really sick of this sort of s**t!!"
Fucking death penalty!! Getting really sick of this sort of shit!!
— SaltyGoat (@SaltyGoat17) April 10, 2024
Another user added, "Capital punishment for the two criminals. They pose an obvious threat to anyone around them."
Capital punishment for the two criminals.
— Joshua Walker (@RedsRepair95) April 10, 2024
They pose an obvious threat to anyone around them.
Another commentator raised the question of whether the parents of the two 15-year-old teenagers would face similar accountability as the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the teenager who killed four and injured seven.
They asked, "Now that the parents of Ethan Crumbley have been sentenced, will the parents of the two thugs be held accountable?"
Now that the parents of Ethan Crumbley have been sentenced, will the parents of the two thugs be held accountable?
— CER3 (@Cereynolds3) April 10, 2024
A user criticized the upbringing of the accused, stating, "Two thugs jumping a 14-year-old kid for nothing. The parents did a terrible job of raising these two thugs!"
Two thugs jumping a 14-year-old kid for nothing. The parents did a terrible job of raising these two thugs!
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) April 10, 2024
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.