Wisconsin teen charged with killing Lily Peters will be tried in adult court
A Chippewa County judge has ruled the case against a teen charged in the brutal killing of 10-year-old Iliana "Lily" Peters will stay in adult court.
Judge Steven Gibbs heard arguments in recent weeks from lawyers representing the 15-year-old suspect, who fought to have the case moved to juvenile court because of his age.
In a 22-page decision issued Monday, Gibbs sided with the state in the reverse-waiver process in the case, meaning court proceedings will remain in adult court. It also means the juvenile, listed in court documents as C.P.-B., eventually will be publicly identified.
The teen is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree sexual assault in Lily's April 24, 2022, death.
Defense lawyers had argued the teen would get better treatment in the juvenile system, but needed to first prove a few criteria to make that happen. Among those criteria were to show that moving the case wouldn't undercut the seriousness of the offense.
In his decision, Gibbs agreed with prosecutors that moving the case to the juvenile system would diminish the severity of the act.
More: 'A very sweet little girl': Chippewa Falls mourns Lily Peters
"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.
It was the evening of April 24, 2022, when Lily’s father reported her missing. She 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.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lily Peters homicide suspect will be tried in adult court
