Nationwide — Nikita Casap, an 18-year-old teenager from Waukesha, Wisconsin, who killed his parents to fund a plot to assassinate Donald Trump, was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He stole money and valuables and planned to attack President Trump with explosives dropped from a drone.
Casap pleaded guilty in January to killing his mother, Tatiana Casap, and stepfather, Donald Mayer, in 2025. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped other charges, including theft and hiding the bodies. Under Wisconsin law, first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence.
According to Atlanta News First, investigators said Casap shot his parents at home and stayed with their bodies for two weeks. He then fled across the country in his stepfather’s SUV with $14,000 in cash, jewelry, passports, a gun, and the family dog. Police caught him during a traffic stop in Kansas after four days on the run.
Federal authorities revealed Casap had planned the murders to finance his Trump assassination plot. He wrote a manifesto, communicated with online contacts about overthrowing the government, and intended to drop explosives on Trump from a drone.
Messages on Casap’s phone showed he planned to flee to Ukraine and hide for years, even asking in Russian if he could live normally if his crimes were discovered. He sent $8,700 in bitcoin from his stepfather’s account to online contacts promising drones and explosives, but it was a scam.
During sentencing, Casap apologized, saying he loved his mother and respected Mayer. He admitted he was consumed by violent thoughts, telling the court, “I thought I was part of a revolution. I thought I was part of a war. I told myself bad things had to happen.”
His attorney asked the judge to allow parole after 20 years, citing Casap’s isolation and online influence. Judge Ralph Ramirez rejected the request, calling the murders “horrific” and saying there was no way to know if Casap would ever change.