Teen accused of killing girl, 10, after luring her to woods to be tried as adult

25 January 2024 , 04:20

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Lily’s father reported her missing on April 24 after didn't return home from a visit to her aunt’s house (Image: Chippewa Falls Police Department)

A 15-year-old accused of killing a girl aged 10 after luring her to woods will be tried as adult .

Chippewa County Judge Steven Gibbs, in a 22-page decision issued Monday, sided with the state in ruling that court proceedings in the slaying of 10-year-old Iliana "Lily" Peters will remain in adult court, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Gibbs recently heard arguments from lawyers representing the suspect who sought to have the case moved to juvenile court. They argued the teen would receive better treatment in the juvenile system. The teen, listed in court documents as C.P.-B., is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree sexual assault in the girl's April 24, 2022, death.

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The juvenile suspect allegedly beat, killed, and sexually assaulted Iliana "Lily" Peters (Facebook/ Locate the Missing)

The juvenile suspect - who allegedly beat, killed, and sexually assaulted Iliana "Lily" Peters - has been referred to in court by his initials C.P.B. (Facebook/ Locate the Missing)

In his decision, Gibbs agreed with prosecutors that moving the case to the juvenile system would diminish the severity of the act.
"The court disagrees that a possible 10-year confinement in the juvenile system, registering as a sex offender and that the Defendant would be vulnerable to the adult system would be punishment enough for the Defendant," the judge wrote.

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The teen allegedly persuaded the girl to leave a trail and explore the surrounding woods as she was riding her bike home from her aunt's house in Chippewa Falls. Searchers found her body the next morning.

Wisconsin prosecutors say. Lily Peters' remains were found in the woods near the end of North Grove Road, which turns into a walking trail (Google)

The boy told investigators that after they left the trail, he punched her, hit her with a heavy stick and strangled her until she died, then sexually assaulted her body, according to a criminal complaint. Lily’s father reported her missing on April 24 after didn't return home from a visit to her aunt’s house in the 400 block of North Grove Street in Chippewa Falls. Her bike was found later that night in some woods less than a mile from where Lily’s aunt lives.

Lily's body was found the next day. She had been strangled, sexually assaulted and beaten to death with a large stick. The suspect, who was 14 at the time of the killing, was arrested and held on $1 million bail.

The teen faces a mandatory life sentence if he's convicted on the homicide charge alone. Anyone who is at least 10 years old and is accused of first- or second-degree homicide is considered an adult in Wisconsin's court system.

Abigail O'Leary