| Killing of Lily Peters | |
|---|---|
| Lily Peters | |
| Location | Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Date | April 24, 2022 c. 9 p.m. (CST) |
Attack type | Child murder by strangulation, bludgeoning, child rape, necrophilia |
| Weapon | Stick |
| Victim | Liliana "Lily" Peters, aged 10 |
| Motive | Rape |
| Charges | |
On April 24, 2022, Liliana Mae "Lily" Peters, a 10-year old American girl, was killed and raped in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. The killing gained significant attention and media coverage due to the ages of both the victim and the suspect.
On April 26, 2022, Peters's 14-year old cousin was arrested on charges of murder and rape. He will be tried as an adult.
He punched her in the stomach and she coughed up blood, a confused and hurt expression crossed her face, she cried and through sobs she asked him "why"?, he shoved her to the ground and a terrified expression crossed her face. After, he grabbed a long stick and she backed away in fear, he tied her up with cords and then he beat her up with his fists to her stomach on rapidfire and beat her face with the stick three times and she released a blood-curdling scream. He strangled her and in doing so, he pinned her to the floor by her neck and with his other hand he punched her in the mouth so extremely hard that it bled and five of her teeth fell out. He then had her faint and slid her against a tree, and chucked her into a ditch to die and then raped her body when she was dead, he ran to shower at home, he then returned and buried her in a pile of leaves.
According to the criminal complaint, the 14-year-old suspect asked his cousin, 10-year old Lily Peters, to take a walk and explore a trail. Lily took her bike and he took his hoverboard. Once they were off the trail, it is alleged that he punched Lily in the stomach and pushed her to the ground, then hit her in the head three times with a large stick and strangled her until she was dead. He then allegedly raped Lily's dead body.
The criminal complaint alleged that the suspect then became scared and fled, went home where he showered and cleaned his clothes, then went back to the scene and dragged Lily's body a few feet and covered her body with leaves. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Liliana Peters was reported missing by her father and her body was discovered the following day at 8:54am. Two days after Lily's killing, the suspect was arrested and charged with her murder and rape. According to authorities, he confessed to killing Lily and that it was his plan the entire time to kill and rape her. His bail was set at $1 million. If convicted, he would face a sentence of life in prison. [2] [5] [6]
In January 2024, it was determined that the suspect would be tried as an adult. In February 2024, prosecutors said they were aiming for a trial date in April 2025. [7]