Lily Peters murder: Suspect, 14, wanted to 'break' 10-year-old and 'intended' to kill her
Warning: This article contains information about sexual assault that could be traumatic for some readers. Discretion is advised.
CHIPPEWA FALLS, WISCONSIN: A juvenile boy was arrested for the murder of Iliana 'Lily' Peters, 10, whose body was discovered along a walking trail in Wisconsin. It has now come to light that the suspect, a 14-year-old 'known' to Peters, strangled her and sexually assaulted her. "He punched the victim in the stomach, knocked her to the ground, essentially strangled her, hit her with a stick, before strangling her to the point of death — before he then sexually assaulted her,” Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell said in a statement. While Peters' remains were taken to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office in Minnesota for additional forensic testing, a final autopsy report may not be available for another six weeks.
The suspect was identified only with the initials CP-B and he appeared in court via a Zoom link along with his attorneys from a juvenile detention center where he is being held. The court heard how he intended to "break and kill the victim from the start as he left the house and walked down the street with her." Judge Benjamin Lane set the suspect's bond at $1 million. He has been banned from any contact with minors. Attorneys for the teen suspect requested $100,000 cash bond, arguing he is not a flight risk due to him being too young to drive.
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Newell told reporters the charges against the teen suspect were first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual assault and first-degree sexual assault with a child under age 13 resulting in great bodily harm. He could face life in prison if convicted on the top charge. In Wisconsin, homicide defendants above the age of 10 years old can be tried in adult court, but the DA said it was "premature" to say whether that would be the case in this situation.
Peters' body was found close to the home of an aunt she had been visiting when she went missing, in woodland near Chippewa Falls, northeast of Eau Claire on Monday morning, April 25. "While nothing will bring Lily Peters back or change what happened, we are very grateful to deliver this news to the family and the community," Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matt Kelm said after the boy's arrest on Tuesday, April 26. Peters was reported missing by her father on Sunday, April 24, around 9 pm, after she failed to return home. She was a fourth-grader at Parkview Elementary in the town.
The Chippewa Falls Police department said that they had received over 200 tips about Peters' case, which were "critical" to the investigation. Kelm said on April 25 that her disappearance was being investigated as a homicide. Multiple agencies helped in the search, including K9 teams and drone operators, before her body was found.
Lily's parents, Alexander and Jennifer, have not yet made a public statement. A GoFundMe has been set up for the family which raised $26,212 out of its $25,000 goal
It was set up by a friend who said they were raising money for the family.