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Court documents: Drug robbery gone wrong led to killing of 20-year-old in Coeur d’Alene

Gabe Casper, 20, was killed in May 2021 in Coeur d'Alene in an attempted drug robbery, according to investigators.  (Courtesy of Facebook)
By Emma Epperly emmae@spokesman.com(509) 459-5122
Gabe Casper, 20, was killed in May 2021 in Coeur d'Alene in an attempted drug robbery, according to investigators.  (Courtesy of Facebook)

A drug deal gone wrong led to the death of a 20-year-old in Coeur d’Alene late last month, according to a search warrant.

Gabriel “Gabe” Casper was found dead in the street on the 2200 block of Coeur d’Alene Ave. on May 31.

Two suspects, Matthew Holmberg, 19, and Dennen T.G. Fitterer-Usher, 23, were arrested in connection to the killing.

According to a warrant, Casper and a friend went to buy drugs from Holmberg, whom they had bought drugs from before.

On the day of the shooting, Casper intended to rob Holmberg with the help of some friends, records say an acquaintance of Casper’s reported.

As the drug deal turned into an attempted robbery, a tussle over a black duffel bag ensued and Casper was shot, according to one of Casper’s friends who was in the car.

Everyone in the car fled.

One of Casper’s friends told police he and Casper were carrying guns but never drew them.

Surveillance footage and witnesses helped police identify Holmberg and Fitterer-Usher as shooting suspects. The drugs involved were oxycodone pills laced with synthetic fentanyl.

According to a Drug Threat Assessment released by the Drug Enforcement Administration, such pills are called “mexi-blues” and are specifically cited as being more available and abused in Washington during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Casper’s brother, Miles Casper, told police that his brother has struggled with drugs, but that he believed at the time of the shooting he was only using marijuana.

Fitterer-Usher told KHQ that he was the one who shot Casper, but that it was self defense, saying Casper and one of the friends put a gun to both his and Holmberg’s heads as soon as they got in the car.

Fitterer-Usher is currently charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and evidence-destruction, according to court records. He remains in Kootenai County Jail on a $1 million bond. Holmberg was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and criminal conspiracy. He is in Kootenai County Jail on a $1 million bond.