
Killing for Chaos /// Part 2 /// 840 Part 2 of 2 www.TrueCrimeGarage.com February 28, 2025 - a simple welfare check was requested by multiple persons at a residence in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Deputies were sent to the home to check on a family of three. No one answered the door. Soon the officers would have to force their way into the home. What they discovered there quickly made a simple check a very complex homicide investigation. The Waukesha Sheriff’s Office filed and executed multiple search warrants, and shortly after a nationwide manhunt was underway. Nikita Casap, killed his parents and that was just the start of it. Beer of the Week - Wonago West, west coast IPA by Steel Tank Brewing Co. Garage Grade - 3 and 3 quarter bottle caps out of 5
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Will Arnett
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Nick
Foreign welcome to True Crime Garage wherever you are, whatever you're doing. Thanks for listening. I'm your host Nick and with me as always, is a man who famously knows a lot of mothers. Here is the Captain.
The Captain
Yeah, I might know your mother. It's good to be seen and good to see you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for telling a friend.
Nick
Today we are still sipping on this great beer from Steel Tank Brewing. Aptly titled Wanna Go West. This is a west Coast IPA collaboration between old high school friends who are now owners of their own breweries. Wanna Go west is filled with bright pine aroma and resinous flavor with a touch of a dry finish. Garage Grade three and three quarter bottle caps out of five. And let's give some thanks and praise to our good Garage friends. First up, a cheers to Sandy from Hartsgrove, Ohio.
The Captain
And a big we like your jib goes out to Tanya from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Nick
Staying in the heart of it all. We also have a shout out to Angie from Louisville, Ohio and a big.
The Captain
Tall cans in the air to Sophie in Austin, Texas.
Nick
And last but not least, we have a double fisted cheers that goes out to sisters Lauren and Nicole from University City, Missouri. Everyone we just mentioned went to true crimegarage.com clicked on the pint glass, helped us out with this week's beer fund and for that we say thank you.
The Captain
Yeah BWWAN Beer Run if you need more True Crime Garage for your earballs. And you know you do. I know you do. You're bored. You're Like I need more to listen to. Check us out on Patreon or Apple podcast. And, Colonel, that's enough of the business.
Nick
All right, everybody, gather round. Grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some True crime. Foreign February 28, 2025. Just a couple months ago, we have a situation out of Wakesha, Wisconsin, where police are arriving at a. At the home of a family of three to conduct a welfare check. And then, in a short period of time, the unimaginable takes place and becomes reality. After officers enter the home, they discover not one body, but two bodies. And then they find the third missing person from the home, several hundreds of miles away, driving the vehicle of one of the deceased. And that individual is Nikita Cassap, stepson of homicide victim Donald Mayer and son of homicide victim Tatiana Kassap.
The Captain
Yeah, only 17 years old.
Nick
17 years old. High school student. And from everything we've seen, a very good high school student. Smart, had great attendance, perfect attendance. In fact, it was his absence that tipped police off that something could be wrong. Where we left off yesterday, here, Captain, is we have Nikita in custody, in police custody after a routine traffic stop for failing to stop at a stop sign. But he is in custody states away, and so he's going to be held. We discussed what he's charged with. He's not charged with homicide. He's charged with stolen goods, basically, theft of the vehicle, theft of a handgun, driving without a license, failing to stop at a stop sign. So he's arrested for charges that are going to be very, very small, considering what might come once they are able to look through the evidence and start to piece things together, he's going to be held for extradition. Now, let's go into a bit of a timeline here, because as you heard in part one, there's a wealth of information that's coming from paperwork and search warrants and bolos and all the information that was being sent out to look for answers and look for these people initially. And then that turns into a manhunt or a. At least looking for the vehicle that's missing from the home. The vehicle's recovered. Nikita is the driver. And this takes us to March 3. So on February 28, just before midnight, he's arrested. Now, on March 3, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office, they obtained a search warrant for Nikita's cell phone. Now, once they're reviewing the cell phone, the sheriff's office identified material on that phone related to the, quote, the order of the nine angles, end quote. Upon further review of the phone, they Also identified usernames for Nikita, which included awoken and accelerationist 14. So these are handles that they believe Nikita was using when communicating with others via this phone. Let's go to the next day. Here, Captain. March 4th. This is when the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office executed another search warrant. This one is for Donald Mayer's Volkswagen Atlas. This is the vehicle that Nikita was driving at the time of his arrest. And the vehicle that was missing from the home. During the search of this vehicle, the following items were located in the vehicle. A Pride open safe, women's jewelry, electronics, which included iPad, cell phones and laptops. We already mentioned that the decedent's cell phones were found in the possession of Nikita inside this vehicle. Approximately $14,000. They also recovered banking documents, hard drives and external storage devices. And this is one that our longtime listeners will know of and be well aware of and may even have them in their homes and properties. A SimpliSafe home security sensor and a y. A. I'm sorry, a Y I security camera with a micro SD card. Now, just looking at these items here, I think we can surmise that these aren't items that Donald Mayer was routinely driving around with in his vehicle. These seem to be a cache of items that Nikita probably collected from the home and chose to take with him to parts unknown, wherever he was attempting to go.
The Captain
Yeah, we have evidence they took their cell phones, that they took their IDs. So it's reasonable to believe that he took other items to cover up his involvement in the. In this double homicide.
Nick
The items that stand out to me here on this list that we just went through is the Pride open safe, the expensive jewelry and the $14,000. This would be highly suggestive that maybe the motive for the double homicide was. Was the theft of these items. The theft of the money.
The Captain
Right.
Nick
Taking the safe from the home, probably prying it open within the home, and then. Then, like as you said, trying to hide some evidence and take that with him. And along with that, we talk. You want to talk about evidence? What about the simply safe gear that was found in the vehicle? What could those. The information on that simply safe gear tell police and detectives?
The Captain
Yeah, if I'm looking at this initially, if I'm. If I'm Jensen, Right. I'm thinking this kid committed this crime. I don't know how much of these items were planned before the crime happened. And maybe the crime happened somewhat spontaneously, but then afterwards, he was probably at the residence. I mean, based off of what your.
Nick
Eyeballs are telling you.
The Captain
Well, but based off evidence that we have of him being at the house with the deceased victims during this time period, if it was a spontaneous killing, is then he trying to figure out, well, I'm not going to turn myself in, so I'm going to have to then take items and go somewhere I got to. I can't stay here forever. So we see that he stays at the house for a time period and then obviously goes on the run.
Nick
Jensen, you always think you have all the answers.
The Captain
Jensen.
Nick
Well, let's go through some more of the information here. So it's going to be a review of these items, right? All of the items that they are finding when conducting these search warrants, be it at the home, on Nikita's person or in the vehicle that was missing. It's the recovery of these items that are going to further your investigation because you're going to be reviewing them. The data, the data on them. Specifically his phone. And we mentioned laptops and iPads. So upon further review of Nikita's phone, police are seeing images and communications that referenced a self described manifesto regarding the assassination of the President, of the current President. Also bomb making materials and terrorist attacks. So when I say bomb making materials, it doesn't appear that they're actual materials for building the bombs. However, they are plans, they are instructions on how to build bombs and also talks about terrorist attacks here in the United States.
The Captain
I still don't understand why there's such a. If you're into making bombs, you're also into manifestos.
Nick
Yeah, that's true. It's, it's. Well, it's a creative bunch. The sheriff's office review. I'm sure a lot of people are familiar with the telegram app, Communication app. They are reviewing information on the telegram messages. And these messages play an important role in the. Not what we just discussed, right? Not the assassination of the President or bomb making or terrorist attacks. These messages are important because of the time frame. Right? We, we. We are of concern about the entire second half of the month of February regarding this home. These three individuals, two which are now deceased in obvious homicides. So these telegram messages were in Russian and I don't speak fluent Russian, so. Or read it. So thankfully they have translated some of this for us.
The Captain
Well, he, he was communicating with multiple people. It's just one of the individuals was a Russian speaking individual.
Nick
Correct. And so upon translation the. And look, we're not going to have all the information here. As said, this is an active ongoing investigation, especially at this point in our timeline. But even still to this day we have. There's going to be a lot that, that may come out with this in the near. In the very near future. So one of the replies to Nikita is reply to them all and say you got sick.
The Captain
Right. He's probably talking about replying to the school, replying to anybody that's messaging his parents on their cell phones.
Nick
And we do know from Donald's co worker or boss that he told police. Yeah, I've been in regular communication with him, but it's all been via text. And Donald told me he was too sick to talk on the phone, too sick to come in to work. Donald's phone communicating with Donald's sister, saying that he was pretty sick and was going to stay off of social media for a while. This almost seems instructive. Or he's sought out advice on how to handle the current situation that he's in alone home with the two people he killed. Another reply that he gets via telegram message says, take or drag different reports. Take them to the basement. Drag them to the basement. This to me is obvious that it's indicative of suggestions of what to do with the bodies or attempt to conceal the bodies.
The Captain
Obviously this case has been talked about more because of this plot of possible possibly attempt to assassinate a president and then bomb making. But you have two homicides here. Your goal now for law enforcement is not to worry about the secondary situation. We need to collect as much evidence that we can. So what I think you're laying out is this is evidence that he obviously knew there were victims in the house. He's asking somebody what to do with them and also asking how he can act in certain ways. And I'm sure you're going to enlighten us with. With other incriminating statements towards Nikita.
Nick
Yeah, and some of this is going to be. Look, I review this and I don't know what kind of defense this guy can have. It's. I mean, so.
The Captain
And we still don't know what's on the surveillance. I mean, well, surveillance might show us him killing his parents.
Nick
Well, that. That is it. And I, and I don't for a second, Captain, believe that they're giving us all the information. Be irresponsible of them. This. This thing needs.
The Captain
Jensen wouldn't allow it.
Nick
Jensen, he's. He's. He always does the due diligence. He follows through, goes above and beyond, makes mistakes.
The Captain
Diligence.
Nick
Yeah. Makes no mistakes. All right, so you referenced the security camera footage, the Simply Safe. Yeah, security footage. So when they. When the sheriff's office reviews that that micro SD card and the security camera. Here's what they're seeing. Okay. This is from the time period of February 16th to the 22nd, so about six days. Here they can see on portions of this footage where it's Nikita. So one of these cameras was in that office, that home office.
The Captain
Oh, there you go.
Nick
On the first floor. Which is an ideal place to place one. So they see footage of Nikita in the office. Near him is a mound of blankets and pillows. Now, we know that Donald's body was recovered in that home office covered with blankets, clothing and such. And they can see on the footage of him in the room. He's rummaging through the desk. He's going through drawers. He's. He's very clearly looking for stuff. He's removing stuff out of the room. And he's also lighting candles and incense.
The Captain
Yeah, because dead bodies smell. Put that on a T shirt.
Nick
And so, I mean, this is. I mean, I've heard of incriminating evidence. This is beyond so on, as we said, on March 3rd is when they start executing some of these additional search warrants. That's followed up again on March 4. It's not until March 5 that the medical examiners confirm the identities of the two victims that were found. And this is when they confirm for the public that the two deceased individuals that were located inside the home were, in fact, as suspected, Donald Mayer, age 51, and his wife, Tatiana Cassap, age 35, who is also the mother of the prime suspect, Nikita. Both had been shot. Tatiana was shot in the neck, upper torso, abdomen and right wrist. And Donald Mayer was shot in the head. And the early reports just simply said sometime earlier. This is when we start to hear from Donald's mother, Judith Mayer. Remember, she is one of the individuals that was calling in and requesting the welfare check that initially kicked this whole thing off. Yeah.
The Captain
Do we know what's going on with his. Because obviously, Donald is his stepfather, but what's going on with his real father.
Nick
That is lacking from the information that I was able to get my hands on?
The Captain
Because I'm looking at reports from People magazine, AP News. Who else am I looking at? I mean, a bunch of people have covered this case, obviously, and there is no Fox News, no mention of his biological father. Well, I think, obviously, that might just be to protect him.
Nick
Could be. But what I believe is I don't. It doesn't appear that the father had. Was involved with Nikita at the time of the murders, or it actually looks to me, and I suspect this is. I don't have any proof of this. But my suspicion is that the father may have been either totally absent or at least absent for several years because. So the two had been married. Right. Tatiana and Donald had been married for nine years. So this wasn't a new living situation for anyone. And the two got married after they met online. This is when Tatiana was living in a whole other country called Moldova. So this is out between. I believe it's between.
The Captain
So the biological father could be in a whole nother country.
Nick
Yes, a whole other country. And Moldova, I believe, is. Yeah, it's between Romania and Ukraine. So it's a distant country. And they had been married for nine years. Now, this is where the information from Donald's mother fills us in on some of. Of the lifestyle or at least some of the dynamics of the family. She says to. This is to NBC News. She says, quote, donald didn't have any other children. So when he married, he enjoyed having a son. And they did father son stuff. They went to all kinds of places, to the beach, to ball games, all that kind of stuff. She says Judith Mayer said that she was impressed with how quickly Nikita picked up English from scratch and that she couldn't recall any tensions between him and her son. The teenager had perfect attendance before he failed to show up for class for two weeks, prompting the welfare check request from school officials, according to the criminal complaint. And we go on to hear more from Donald's mother. She says, quote, he did very well in school, meaning, Nikita, he got good grades. He was quiet, he was polite. Teachers never mentioned that there was anything wrong. Judith Mayer said her son had the gun for protection, but she was unaware of any possible threats that he, meaning he didn't buy it for a specific reason other than just for basic home protection. She goes on to say that her son Donald and his stepson Nikita both had green thumbs and enjoyed working outside in the yard together. Donald, she says, loved flowers. There was always a lot of planting of flowers and trees at the property. Whenever he went out to do anything, he always asked Nikita to come with him and they would do the work together. So with that, and I know this is just one person's perception of what's going on or what may have been going on in the house or what she was aware of. But what I. What I'm seeing here, and this is all surface material, so some of it could fall apart the more you dig, I don't know. But what I think we're seeing here, Captain, is these homicides very likely had little to do with any type of hatred or rage that Nikita may have had for his mother and or stepfather. That it may have more to do with the stuff that we just went through, that the police are saying that we, we discovered this in some kind of self described manifesto with the goal of assassinating the President, making bombs and conducting terrorist attacks.
The Captain
Yeah, but these, these dark places on the web and obviously you as a parent, Even though he's 17, this is where it becomes tricky. And I'm going to say some stuff and I hope people don't take it as victim blaming, but even a 17 year old needs to be monitored on their Internet activity and who they're communicating, what apps they're using. And look, I think a lot of us are guilty of this in this day and age where everything's so fast, everything's moving at a fast pace. Almost every time I talk to somebody, hey, how's life? Oh, busy, very busy. I think busy is a disgusting word. Like I've never heard anybody go, man, I'm busy. And it's good, it's good busy. No, it's mostly like, no, we're busy, we're losing track of the day. And I think a lot of these, look, it's a giant house with three individuals and they probably were trying to give him some space. He's a good student, he's a good kid. Oh, he's up in his room, he's up playing on his computer. No big deal. But you do have to monitor these things because especially at, who knows when he started these communications with individuals and what YouTube video he listened to or watched, what podcast he listened to, what was happening in this kid's private, almost secretive life. And like you said, maybe all this, the homicides are because they discovered this secret world that he had. But I think some of this, I think it's very easy for parents to have jobs and responsibilities and all these things and as the kid gets older that they're a little neglectful on what's happening and their child's world.
Nick
Yeah. And that of course gets more difficult when they reach these teenage years. I mean he's 17, almost an adult and it's anybody that's, that's lived with teenagers, raised teenagers, had them themselves, know that they, they get very closed off from you. Most of them, I wouldn't say all of them, but it, but my experience and from what I've observed with other people's families and look, me, myself too, when I was a teenager was my favorite thing to talk to my mom or dad when I was 17 not really looking back. I wish it would have been but you know it's. Yes. And it's difficult. And to take it a step further, yes he's been here for nine years but he does come from a part of the world that is experiencing a lot of conflict.
The Captain
Right.
Nick
In very recent times.
The Captain
And, and, and, and how much communication is he having with friends or family back home?
Nick
Yes.
The Captain
That is that shaping any of his thoughts and beliefs?
Nick
Well, in the the FBI actually went to their home on a previous occasion. So this is where they're. They're still reviewing the technology, right? They're still reviewing devices that are Nikita's and now they are looking at tick tock. And this is from late 2024. These are communications where awoken Remember that was one of his handles was saying it's kind of interesting how I told this girl best friend about how I follow 09A. So that's the order of the nine angles that we talked about. So order of nine angles teachings and whatnot. And she was pretty chill about it. He goes on to say I feel like mostly people would freak out. LOL says, does any girl know you're into 9A? Charlie Manson question mark mystic. Sorry, some of these handles I'm struggling with but some somebody's, somebody's replying said well they know and then awoken is saying my parents don't know. Lol. They would take my phone away if they did. Especially since last year FBI visited. LOL. Okay, so here's what we learn off of this, Captain. The FBI interviewed the family of three in November of 2023 for unrelated Internet IP activity. All members of the family denied the IP activity and agents were allowed to view devices in Internet history and found no corroboration of the alleged Internet activity.
The Captain
Yeah, but again, if FBI is coming to my house and they're questioning activity and my son is being somewhat secretive, all devices would be terminated from his possessions.
Nick
Yeah, and they may have done that because we do see him saying to somebody if they did know they would take away my phone. If they did know they'd take away my device. Especially because the FBI came last year. Lol. Maybe, maybe he's saying they did that as a precautionary method and at some point he earned the phone back.
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The Captain
All right, we are back. Cheers mates.
Nick
Cheers to you. Camp.
The Captain
I think I might need a vacation.
Nick
From Happy Mother's Day.
The Captain
All the doom and gloom that we talk about each week.
Nick
Happy Mother's Day. Well, there would have been a lot of doom and gloom if this Nikita was able to carry out what his plans are per his communications with these other individuals that they found on his devices and phone. Because what he was saying. I'm going to summarize this for all of you.
The Captain
Do you see the manifesto part?
Nick
We'll get to the manifesto part. But I. But I want to talk about some of these communications without having to go through all of the back and forth of it.
The Captain
And plus these stupid handles that people use. Mine is Maverick Jensen.
Nick
I have only the best handles. All right?
The Captain
The love handles.
Nick
Just like Gary Payton. I got the best handles with these communications. The short of it is this. He, Nikita appears to be attempting to. He wants to overthrow the United States government. And this is. Look, this story by itself is beyond bizarre. This story happening when we were trying to put together the Hate Made in America story is incredibly bizarre as well that the timing of that. Because a lot of the stuff that he's talking about in his communications are similar to the things that we saw with groups like the Aryan Nation and these other groups that we discussed in Hate in American Made in the six part series. The short of it here is that he wants to set into place a series of events. Chaotic and destructive events that will cause extreme chaos in the United States and then flee and get the hell out of here. And kind of like. Like a pyromaniac, watch it all burn to the ground.
The Captain
Yeah, like the Joker.
Nick
So he's communicating with some of these individuals that are overseas. We mentioned the one individual that he was talking, speaking with, in Russian. He's asking these people if. Can you get me out of here? If I. If I. If I kick these dominoes and they start to fall, can you get me out of here so I don't get caught? And then can you keep me safe and house me somewhere so that I can get away with this? And the people he's talking to are basically saying, yes, we will help you. We will help conceal you. And he says, look what happens to me. Eventually they're going to find out that I did this. Meaning not just the United States, but the authorities of whatever country I'm being concealed in at the time. What happens to me when they find out? And they're. They're basically stating to them, we. We will set you up. We will provide you with. With an underground railroad to keep you safe and house you until it's safe for you to come out of hiding. And. And you might even be revered as some kind of revolutionist or some kind of hero in the end game for this, because for making all of this take place. Now, the crux of his plan is to get funds to start these attacks, this chaos that he wants to ensue, this destructive activity, these essential. They're basically terrorist attacks that he wants to carry out in the United States so that it all goes to hell in the United States crumbles. But he's going to need money for that. He's a lone wolf. He's acting by himself, even though he does have people that have made him promises afar, people that have made him promises to keep him safe and to house him eventually. How's he going to fund this activity? He's going to fund it by stealing the money and valuables from his parents.
The Captain
Which might have been part of the motive to.
Nick
For the homicides, which is 100%, according to the beliefs of the detectives and the FBI working this case. It sounds like the information they've reviewed and the evidence they've reviewed, they believe that that is the majority reason, if not the sole purpose for him killing the parents, which seems incredibly deranged to me, but.
The Captain
Again, yeah, but this guy has a lot of deranged thoughts. I mean, one of it, it seems, going through the manifesto, seems like some of his beliefs are coming from Adolf Hitler. So if you're. If you're looking to. For inspiration from Adolf Hitler, you might not be in the right frame of mind.
Nick
No, there's nothing in here to suggest that he is in the right frame of mind. In fact, you're exactly right there, Captain. There's everything in these, in this manifesto and his communications with other people to suggest that he's in the complete wrong frame of mind. And look, I hate. I loved your joke about the bomb makers or your slight about the bomb makers and manifestos, because I hate manifestos.
The Captain
Mm.
Nick
And this is a true crime dork that enjoys communications.
The Captain
You love.
Nick
I love letters, I love notes. I love phone calls. But I hate manifestos. I feel like manifestos is a madman's way of trying to explain to the world, here's Why I did all the crazy shit that I did. I'm not crazy, right? I'm not a homicidal maniac. I'm a man of principle. I have, I have values. I have, I have. I'm trying to right a wrong. I'm trying to show you the correct way.
The Captain
Yeah, but when you kill, right, and that's the thing, when you kill innocent people, that proves you don't have values. That proves you don't have. So it's just like you can, you've.
Nick
Run out of ideas, right?
The Captain
You can read Ted Kaczynski's manifestos and agree with some of the stuff he has in there about maybe there's parts of technology that are bad or that are taking over the world and, and taking over the human experience. But once you start then trying to again justify killing innocent people through these, it's like, okay, cool, that's fine that you think these things are bad, but I can go on Facebook or YouTube or I can make a podcast saying, hey, I think technology has got out of hand. Or like my little manifesto a couple minutes ago on the fact that everybody seems so busy all the time and maybe that is not the way we need to be living life. Maybe we need to slow down a little bit. But I can make these observations and affect change in the world without having to kill people in order to do so.
Nick
Yeah, Kaczynski's manifesto, and that's the one I might despise the most as far as manifestos go, because there's so many people especially get online, they're like, well, he makes some good points and well, no shit, his IQ is through the roof. On, on its surface, there are going to be things in there that will make sense and even sound intelligence, intelligent, but at its core, it's complete bullshit.
The Captain
Mm.
Nick
So let's get into this. The, the manifesto here of, of this Nikita. So it states that the FBI personnel performing the review of these devices, they were able to locate and view images of a three page document entitled Accelerate the Collapse. The images, which appear to be screen grabs of a document that was displayed on a phone, were created on February 28, 2025. The document appears to be the manifesto referenced by this accelerationist in the messages with the unknown user in some of the communications that we've already gone through, basically calling for the assassination of the President of the United States in order to ferment a. In order to start a political revolution in the United States and save the white race from Jewish controlled politicians. The third page of that document References what you were talking about here, Captain. It contained images of Adolf Hitler with text that says Hail Hitler, Hail the white race, Hail Victory. Digging through this a little more, there's says as to why specifically Trump. I think it's obvious by getting rid of the President and perhaps the Vice President as well, that is guaranteed to bring some chaos. And not only that, but it will further bringing into the public the idea that assassinations and accelerating the collapse are in fact possible things to do some more. Now what if you say you aren't capable of committing these acts? This is perfectly fine for now. The best thing you can do is to tribe and train. So this would be try to find like minded individuals or corrupt individuals through your speech and through your writings or influence individuals into joining your bullshit cause and then train them in some kind of paramilitary, paramilitary fashion.
The Captain
Yeah, but this is where I find it funny. You can tell this is all bullshit because when somebody says find like minded individuals, like you have to find other individuals that have these crazy thoughts, you know, if you want to, if you really want to make change, the way to do so is find individuals that don't have the same ideas as you and then and find multiple groups, multiple people that have different sets of ideas and values and bring everybody together and try to make some kind of compromise or some kind of system that will work for everyone. That's how you would make real change.
Nick
Make connections. It says join white conscious martial arts clubs because once America collapses there will have to be a network that can take its place, take the place of its, of our government and our communities.
The Captain
Right.
Nick
Goes on to say find bomb making instructions. And they do reference a bunch of books. And I'm not even going to go through the books that they reference because.
The Captain
There'S some yahoo listening to this going hey, this sounds pretty interesting. We're not giving you the titles for reading material.
Nick
No, we will have a recommended reading at the end of today's show, but it won't include any of these titles that are listed here.
The Captain
It'll be the Gospel According to Luke.
Nick
Gospel According to the Colonel. So one thing that he talks about wanting to do is assassinate the President, but there's also going to be a series of attacks that he's going to carry out. And I imagine that without having the information, it would appear that the, the idea is to build these bombs and conduct these terrorist attacks. And he's stating that at this time after killing the President, I don't know what these other attacks will be. He's basically saying, but I will Tell you this. When you see a series of 10 attacks, 10 terrorist attacks, know that that was me.
The Captain
Yeah.
Nick
So. And you. This is. This will further that thought. Here it says, quote, as. As a side note, the other attacks that may occur, I have no idea what they are, slash who they target. I have no idea. Even if they are same ideology as I point being, this manifesto is specifically for the attack that targets Trump. They'll never be a perfect revolutionary situation that springs up out of nowhere. We need to create a revolutionary situation ourselves. I do agree that only if terrorism is sustained over a period of time can it be effective. In short, huge amounts of violence will be required. Long past are the days when we can vote for a Hitler to save us. It is time we stop waiting. The best day to commit an attack is today. The next best day is tomorrow.
The Captain
This is so bizarre. Long we are past the days of being able to vote for Hitler to save us. And then some individuals think that Trump is Hitler, but this guy doesn't then take that belief. It's just so bizarre.
Nick
Well, within the information that they've made public here, too, the FBI does a decent job of attempting to educate us, the general public, on what some of this may mean or what it has ties to. And when they do that, they're. They're referencing a nihilistic, violent extremist individuals who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad and furtherance of political, social or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction and social instability. Nihilistic violent extremists work individually or as part of a network with these goals of destroying civilized societies through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. And we know in this situation that to be true with the minor. And he's communicating with people abroad. This is not like we already referenced that. It's very similar to Timothy McVeigh, Oklahoma City, the Richard Snell who we talked about and hate American made. This is also not unlike what we first suspected and now we are finding is very likely true. The horrific attack that took place New Year's Eve in New Orleans, where it's an American, where we have someone here who's conducting this violence and very likely not just communicating, but also might be receiving some kind of inspiration or help from somebody abroad. Some of these groups, most of them, in fact, that aren't here or don't have boots on the ground here, through the Internet and through social media they're finding ways to influence and weaponize Americans. And this, look, they foiled his plan. I don't know that, I don't think that he would have gotten away with any of this. Who knows if he would have even carried it out. What we do know that he carried out is the murder, almost execution style of his stepfather and the murder of his own mother. To steal from them, man, you could have waited till they were at work taking all their things, taking their gun. It's, it's so, I mean, I hate to use the word unfortunate because that doesn't even start to get near the situation, but these two people lost their lives because of this man's craziness.
The Captain
And two people that were trying to provide opportunities for him to have a better future.
Nick
This kid is described as smart from the people at the school. And if the house and the family dynamic and the home life was as described by Donald's mother, this is an ideal living situation for any 17 year old. And now we sit here with a lot of questions, right? It's a lot of information to try to digest, a lot of it giving us more questions. And a lot of this is going to get played out in the court of law, maybe, who knows? Like I said, I, this is beyond incriminating evidence in my mind and I don't know what kind of defense this kid will have. It would probably be in his best interest to sing like a bird and, and plead guilty to all of the charges. But this is the investigation, true crime. You know, many people get into true crime for many different reasons. The thing that fascinates me with these true crime stories is the investigation. Because the investigation themselves are just equally as unique as the crimes. And here what we saw play out was, was an investigation of its, of the simplest of forms. A resource officer at the, at the high school making an inquiry about an absent child. A mother making and requesting a welfare check of her 51 year old son, successful son and his family. That's the simplest of investigations. And it quickly turns into a missing persons case investigation, a homicide, then double homicide investigation, an investigation where you have a wanted individual who has crossed state lines in a stolen vehicle with a stolen firearm. And then once he's arrested and you review the materials on his person and in the vehicle with him, you quickly figure out, holy shit, this is a federal investigation. He's very likely going to be convicted on all levels. At all levels, the state level and the federal, at the federal level.
The Captain
And they're, they're gonna have to, they're gonna have to decide if they try him as an adult. But he's going to be facing. I think he is set to appear in court on the 7th maybe of May.
Nick
Correct. So he is due in court in on May 7, which will be very shortly after this hits your earballs. It does appear that not only was he communicating with people outside of this country, but he may have been attempting to flee. This is one part of it, Captain, that I would like to know more about, because there is talk communication that they found that is highly suggestive that not only would he be paid for these horrific acts and for murder, they talk about bitcoin instructions. So not only is he going to be housed, but someone is giving him the belief that he's going to be.
The Captain
Paid for setting chaos in motion.
Nick
Exactly. And there's also talk about. It looks to me like there was somewhat of a very flawed. But it appears to me that there was a basic flee plan as well. Fleeing from the country because there's communication talking back and forth about him needing to get to Eureka, California.
The Captain
So obviously law enforcement is going to try to convict him of the murder charges that will put him away for life. But also he might just be the tip of the spear. And through this investigation, maybe they'll be able to. And maybe if Nikita is able to get some kind of mental health assistance, you know, to get him in a better mental state, that maybe he'll be able to provide information to authorities and the FBI to uncover some of these individuals that he was speaking to on the interwebs.
Nick
Yes, and that's exactly right. So this is according to a classmate of Nikita's. This is what the FBI is saying, that Nikita told this classmate that he was in contact with a male in Russia via telegram and they were planning to overthrow the government of the United States and assassinate President Trump. Nikita told the classmate that when they saw 10 consecutive attacks in the news, it would have been him. And then the FBI states in their report to the judge, stating in sum, Nikita appears to have written a manifesto calling for the assassination of the President of the United States. He was in touch with other parties about his plan to kill the President and overthrow the government of the United States. And he paid for, at least in part, a drone and explosives to be used as a weapon of mass destruction to commit an attack. The killing of his parents appeared to be an effort to obtain the financial means necessary to carry out his plans. Other parties with whom Nikita was in contact appear to have been aware of his plan and actions and have provided assistance to Nikita in carrying them out.
The Captain
I want to thank everybody for joining us here in the Grunt Garage each and every week. And I want to thank the listeners that reach out to us to say, hey, I saw this case in the news. I'd like to do a deep dive on it. Could you please fill us in? And we get these types of emails each and every week. So not only is this case recommended, but the case that we talk about on off the Record this week was highly recommended. So check that out on Apple Podcasts or Patreon colonel do we have any recommended reading for the beautiful listeners?
Nick
Yes, and don't forget to follow the show on Instagram and X as well. Recommended reading for this week Captain Is Koresh the True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco by Stephen Talty Stephen Talty is a New York Times bestselling author with two of his books being made into films, most notably his book A Captain's Duty with Richard Phillips. So from that came the Oscar winning Captain Phillips movie that so many people enjoyed. As Stephen Talty writes, there is no other event in the last 50 years shrouded in myth like the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. This. There's many, many books about Waco. There's many, many books about David Koresh. I've reviewed a couple of them. Not all of them, several of them. This one I thought was the most informative, the most deep dive. I thought this one was the best and really, truly the best written. That's Koresh. The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco by Stephen Talty. But you don't have to write that title down right now because you can. Go to truecrimegarage.com Click on our recommended page and you will find that great recommendation as well as many Some are documentaries, some are books, summer podcasts. Go there and check out the stuff that influences us here in the garage.
The Captain
And until next week, be good, be.
Nick
Kind, and don't live.
Will Arnett
Hey, this is Will Arnett, host of Smartless. Smartless is a podcast with myself and Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman where each week one of us reveals a miss Mystery. Guests of the other two. We dive deep with guests that you love like Bill Hader, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Aniston, David Beckham, Kristen Stewart, and tons more. So join us for a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the smartless mind. Listen to Smartless now on the Sirius XM app. Download it today.
True Crime Garage – Episode: "Killing for Chaos /// Part 2 /// 840"
Release Date: May 7, 2025
Hosts: Nic and the Captain
In this gripping episode of True Crime Garage, hosts Nic and the Captain delve deeper into the harrowing case of Nikita Cassap, a 17-year-old accused of the double homicide of his stepfather, Donald Mayer, and his mother, Tatiana Kassap. This installment, titled "Killing for Chaos /// Part 2," offers a comprehensive analysis of the investigation, evidence, and potential motives behind this tragic event.
On February 28, 2025, a routine welfare check in Waukesha, Wisconsin, unveiled a nightmarish scene: the bodies of Donald Mayer and Tatiana Kassap were discovered inside their home, while their son, Nikita Cassap, was found missing and later apprehended several hundred miles away.
Nic [02:07]: "Today we are still sipping on this great beer from Steel Tank Brewing. Aptly titled Wanna Go West..."
The Captain [02:44]: "And a big we like your jib goes out to Tanya from Cincinnati, Ohio."
The investigation swiftly transitioned from a welfare check to a missing persons case, and eventually to a double homicide investigation. Nikita was arrested on March 3 for multiple minor charges, including theft of the family vehicle and a handgun, failing to stop at a stop sign, and driving without a license.
Nic [04:56]: "17 years old. High school student. And from everything we've seen, a very good high school student..."
Upon further investigation, authorities discovered alarming evidence on Nikita's cell phone and in the stolen vehicle, hinting at a more sinister motive behind the crimes.
A pivotal moment in the investigation occurred on March 3, when the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office obtained a search warrant for Nikita's cell phone. This led to the discovery of communications related to the "Order of the Nine Angles," a reference that raised immediate red flags.
The Captain [09:12]: "Yeah, we have evidence they took their cell phones, that they took their IDs..."
Further searches on March 4 revealed a plethora of items in the vehicle, including electronics, a home security sensor, and valuable possessions, suggesting an attempt to conceal evidence and possibly fund more nefarious activities.
Nic [09:53]: "Taking the safe from the home, probably prying it open within the home..."
Nikita's communications pointed towards a manifesto titled "Accelerate the Collapse," advocating for the assassination of the President of the United States, bomb-making, and orchestrating terrorist attacks to destabilize the nation.
Nic [37:07]: "He, Nikita appears to be attempting to... He wants to overthrow the United States government..."
The manifesto explicitly referenced Adolf Hitler, indicating Nikita's extremist ideologies and intentions to incite chaos.
Contrary to what one might expect in such cases, reports from Donald Mayer’s mother, Judith Mayer, painted a picture of a harmonious family life. Nikita was described as a diligent student with impeccable attendance, sharing common interests with his stepfather, such as gardening.
Nic [20:20]: “She says, 'Donald didn’t have any other children...'”
However, the sudden disappearance of Nikita and the subsequent discovery of the homicides revealed a stark contrast to this facade, leaving many to ponder the underlying tensions or motives.
The evidence strongly suggests that Nikita's primary motive was financial gain to fund his extremist plans. The theft of valuables and a substantial amount of money ($14,000) from the family home indicated a premeditated effort to gather resources necessary for his proposed attacks.
The Captain [09:26]: "The items that stand out to me here on this list... highly suggest that maybe the motive for the double homicide was... the theft of the money."
Additionally, Nikita's interactions with foreign contacts, particularly those communicating in Russian, hinted at potential external influences or support for his catastrophic ambitions.
Nic [35:01]: "He's communicating with some of these individuals that are overseas..."
The combined evidence of his manifesto, financial theft, and communication with extremist individuals abroad paints a chilling picture of a young individual driven by dangerous ideologies.
Nikita is scheduled to appear in court on May 7, shortly after the episode's release. Given the extensive evidence against him, including the manifesto and the nature of the crimes, the likelihood of a conviction on multiple charges is high.
Nic [51:36]: "He's very likely going to be convicted on all levels. At all levels, the state level and the federal..."
The investigation also opens avenues for uncovering other potential threats or conspiracies, especially if Nikita's interactions with foreign individuals are further explored.
The case of Nikita Cassap is a tragic reminder of how extremist ideologies can take root in unexpected places, leading to devastating consequences. As Nic and the Captain meticulously piece together the events leading up to the homicides, listeners are left to grapple with the complexities of motive, ideology, and the vulnerabilities of youth in today's interconnected world.
Nic [55:42]: "Recommended reading for this week Captain Is Koresh the True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco by Stephen Talty..."
Nic [37:07]: "He wants to overthrow the United States government... set into place a series of events. Chaotic and destructive events that will cause extreme chaos in the United States and then flee..."
The Captain [44:00]: "Right."
Nic [46:32]: "There's nothing in here to suggest that he is in the right frame of mind..."
Listeners are encouraged to explore related cases and recommended readings provided by the hosts to gain a deeper understanding of the intricate dynamics involved in such true crime stories.
Nick [55:42]: "Recommended reading for this week Captain Is Koresh the True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco by Stephen Talty..."
For more in-depth analysis and updates on ongoing cases, visit truecrimegarage.com.
Stay tuned for more episodes as Nic and the Captain continue to unravel complex true crime cases, offering insightful discussions and thorough investigations for armchair detectives everywhere.