A 17-year-old in Wyoming has been sentenced to 40 to 75 years in prison for holding down a 14-year-old boy during a fatal stabbing at a shopping mall. The incident occurred while the victim was defending his girlfriend. The co-defendant, who delivered the fatal blows, is serving a life sentence with parole eligibility after 25 years.
On April 7, 2024, at the Eastridge Mall in Casper, Wyoming, 14-year-old Bobby Maher Jr. was killed in a violent altercation outside a Dick's Sporting Goods store. According to court documents, Dominique Antonio Richard Harris, then 17, grabbed Maher around the waist, lifted him off the ground, and slammed him down forcefully. As Harris held Maher, his accomplice, Jarreth Joseflee Sebastian Plunkett, stabbed the boy twice with a knife, leading to his death.
The attack stemmed from prior tensions. About two weeks earlier, Harris and Plunkett had confronted Maher at a local park. Two days before the stabbing, Plunkett encountered Maher's girlfriend and a friend, reportedly asking if the friend "wanted to pay Bobby's blood debt" and stating he was going to "gut that dude," referring to Maher.
On the day of the incident, the pair had been playing hide-and-seek in a Best Buy store at the mall before stealing knives. They then followed Maher's girlfriend, prompting her to contact Maher for safety. When Maher arrived and confronted them, a verbal dispute escalated, drawing a crowd. Cellphone video captured Harris holding Maher down and striking his face while Plunkett swung the knife downward.
Natrona County District Judge Kerri Johnson sentenced Harris on Thursday to 40 to 75 years in a state correctional facility, following a plea deal that reduced his conspiracy to commit first-degree murder charge and dropped aggravated assault and theft counts. Harris received credit for 691 days served. During the hearing, Harris apologized, saying, "I regret every decision I made on April 7, [2024], and I wish I could change it, but I cannot. I have found God and he has shown me how to walk in peace... I do take accountability for the part I played."
The judge emphasized Harris's pivotal role, noting, "it wasn't until Harris went in from behind and slammed [Maher] down" that the situation turned deadly, and that Harris knew Plunkett had a knife and hoped to encounter Maher at the mall. Natrona County District Attorney Dan Itzen described Harris as "the enforcer," stating, "To pick him up and do a body slam — Bobby Maher paid the blood debt with his life."
Harris's defense attorney maintained that his client was unaware of Plunkett's intent to kill. Plunkett, also 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in May and received a life sentence, though Wyoming law allows parole eligibility for minors after 25 years. Harris had told police he held Maher only "to make sure the fight was over."
The case highlights the tragic consequences of escalating teen conflicts, with video evidence showing Maher briefly standing after the stabbing before collapsing.