A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty to the 2022 killing of his 10-year-old cousin, Lily Peters, in Chippewa Falls. The crime occurred on April 24, 2022, when the young girl was riding her bike home from her aunt’s residence. According to charging documents, Peters-Berger persuaded the victim to leave an established trail and venture into nearby woods with him.
The girl’s remains were located the following day. Medical examination revealed she had been subjected to beating, strangulation, and sexual assault. Peters-Berger was apprehended within a day of the discovery of Peters’ body.
In adult court proceedings on Wednesday, Chippewa County Judge Steven Gibbs accepted the guilty plea to first-degree intentional homicide and imposed a life sentence. As part of the agreed resolution, charges related to sexual assault were dismissed. Peters-Berger, who was 14 years old at the time of the offense, is now 18.
Defense counsel had sought to transfer the proceedings to juvenile court, where records are typically sealed from public view, contending that the defendant required mental health intervention better suited to the juvenile system. The trial judge declined the motion, determining the severity of the allegations precluded such a transfer. A state appellate court upheld the decision to maintain the case in adult court.
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