Lily Peters, a 10-year-old Wisconsin girl, was beaten, hit with a stick, strangled and raped on her way home from her aunt's house by a teen she knew, police said.
A Wisconsin judge has rejected a bid to transfer the murder trial of 10-year-old Lily Peters, who police say was beaten, strangled and raped by a teen she knew, to juvenile court.
The horrific case will remain in adult court, Chippewa County Steven Gibbs ruled last week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Gibbs had heard arguments from the teen's lawyers, who said the suspect would receive better treatment in the juvenile system.
The judge sided with prosecutors, who said moving the case to juvenile court would diminish the severity of the crimes.
“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 Journal reported, citing court documents.
The suspect, who was 14 at the time of the 2022 killing, is now 15. The judge's ruling means his identity will eventually be made public. He has only been identified in court documents as C.P.-B.
Lily was reported missing by her father on April 24 at 9 p.m. after she failed to return from her aunt's house, which was just a short distance away, police said.
She had left the woman's house earlier that evening, riding away on her bicycle, authorities said. Her bike was found later that night, near a walking trail.
Her body was found the next morning, covered by leaves in woods near that trail, just blocks from her home.
In May, prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint filed against the teen suspect, identified as C.P.-B., which contained gruesome details.
The teen allegedly acknowledged to investigators that he intended to kill and rape Lily as they set off for her home in Chippewa Falls, according to the complaint. She was walking her bicycle and he was on a hoverboard, the court document said.
The pair left the trail and went into the woods after the boy asked Lily if they could “go exploring,” the complaint said. The boy allegedly admitted to then punching Lily in the stomach and hitting her three times in the head with a stick. He then sat on top of her and strangled her, until he believed she was dead, the document said.
The boy raped her corpse, the complaint alleged.
The teen was ordered held in lieu of $1 million cash bail. He has remained in custody since then.
He was not officially identified because of his age, authorities said. Police have declined to say if they were related.
The killing received international and national media attention.
An autopsy determined she had died from blunt-force head trauma and strangulation. The medical examiner also said there was genital tearing, sexual assault evidence, and a bite mark on one of child's buttocks.
The teen has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree sexual assault. He has pleaded not guilty.
Inside Edition Digital has reached out to the suspect's attorney for comment.
