Lily Peters died of strangulation and blunt force trauma, an autopsy has revealed.
Prosecutors claim the 10-year-old was also sexually assaulted by the 14-year-old suspect before she died.
On Wednesday the teen, identified only by the initials “C.P-B.”, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual assault and first-degree sexual assault of a child under age 13, resulting in great bodily harm.
Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell said the boy admitted to police he had punched the victim in the stomach, knocking 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,” ABC7 reported.
Newell said the teen also admitted “his intention was to rape and kill the victim from the get-go” after they went to the wooded area where her body would eventually be found.
Arguing for bail, the accused’s defense attorney insisted the boy did not pose a flight risk.
“He cannot drive. He is not in a position to raise much money, frankly, at all on his own. He resides with his mother. He is a lifetime resident of Chippewa County,” lawyer Karl Schmidt said, per the broadcaster.
The judge set $1 million cash bond. The teen is due in court via video link on May 5.
It has not yet been determined if the teen will be tried as an adult; In Wisconsin, first-degree intentional homicide cases go to adult court by default, but it may not necessarily stay there due to the age of the suspect.
A juvenile has been arrested in connection to the death of a 10-year-old Wisconsin girl — and police say the suspect was not a stranger.
Lily Peters disappeared from Chippewa Falls on Sunday night; her father raised the alarm around 9 PM after she failed to return from a visit to her aunt’s house, just blocks away.
Officers and Sheriff’s deputies began combing the area, using search dogs and drones; 12 hours later, her body was discovered near a walking trail. Her bicycle was discovered nearby.
On Tuesday, Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm announced they had a suspect in custody — a juvenile.
“The suspect was not a stranger,” the Chief told a press conference. “The suspect was known to the victim.”
“We do not believe there is any danger to the community.”
“While nothing will bring Lily Peters back or change what happened, we are very grateful to be able to deliver this news for the family and for the community,” the Chief added. “Driving through town and through our communities, we can see the purple ribbons – and honestly, I expect nothing less from the Chippewa Falls community.”
He said a tremendous amount of work had gone into the investigation at the federal, state, country and local level, and law enforcement had been working 24/7 on the case; he thanked the public for over 200 tips they received, which were “critical” to solving the case.
He did not reveal the exact age of the suspect, nor how they knew the victim, but did refer to the suspect as “he”.
The cause of death also remains unknown.
Neighbor Jeremy Machnik, whose children often played with Lily, told KSTP he frequently saw the child riding through the area on her bike.
“I grew up here all my life, never heard of anything like this,” he said. “It’s a scary situation when you know … we’re just inside the house … and it’s Sunday afternoon, we’re cleaning and making dinner and that’s going on a block away from our house and it’s scary.”
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