WAUKESHA, Wis. — Another dark turn in the case of a Waukesha teenager accused of killing his parents back in February and then living with them for two weeks. A detective testified that Nikita Casap’s mother and stepfather’s bodies were so decomposed they had to be identified through dental records.
For the first time since his arrest, 17-year-old Casap entered the courtroom in traditional orange jail clothes instead of a safety vest. During the preliminary hearing, Waukesha County Sheriff's Detective Ross Seitz testified that Casap had previously told a classmate he was going to kill his parents and then himself.
"The defendant, at the time, had made statements about killing himself or harming himself, but first, he would kill his parents by possibly shooting them because he didn't want to subject them to his death," said Seitz.
The 17-year-old is accused of shooting and killing his mom, Tatiana Casap, and his stepfather, Donald Mayer, on Feb. 11. He then lived with the bodies for nearly two weeks before going on the run. He was later arrested in Kansas.
Watch: Waukesha teen accused in parents' deaths
Police say when they went into the house at the end of February, a few days after they believed Casap left, the bodies were so badly decomposed they had to use dental records to identify them.
"Things were strewn about everywhere," said Seitz on how the home looked. "The body appeared to be deceased for some time. We were unable to
definitively identify who it was."
During the hearing, the defense argued against the charges of stealing the family car and gun, saying they don't know if he was given permission to have them. Then, the defense tried to bring up a new point.
"Do you recall messages about a plot that could have influenced Nikita?" asked Nicole Ostrowski.
But Court Commissioner Christopher Bailey did not let the detective answer that question, saying it wasn't relevant for a preliminary hearing. Court records show Casap was communicating with someone in Russian through the Telegram app. Court records say, "... they were planning to overthrow the U.S. government and assassinate President Trump."
Bailey instead said there was enough evidence to move to a trial.
"There is probable cause to believe the defendant committed all of the counts," said Bailey.
Casap still has not yet entered a plea. That should happen next month. The prosecution also said it planned to bring more charges connected to things in Casap’s electronics.
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