Cousin Gets Life for Lily Peters Murder
Cousin Gets Life for Lily Peters Murder
The News
Carson Peters-Berger, 18, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree intentional homicide in the 2022 killing of his 10-year-old cousin, Iliana "Lily" Peters, and was sentenced to life in prison in Wisconsin.
He was 14 when he killed her in April 2022.
Under the sentence, 25 years must pass before he can be considered for extended supervision. He was credited with the four years he has already served since his arrest, and was ordered to pay more than $30,000 in restitution.
Timeline
Lily Peters, 10, does not return home after riding her bike from her aunt's house in Wisconsin. Peters-Berger, then 14, led her into nearby woods. An autopsy found she had been beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted.
Peters-Berger is arrested. He told investigators he planned the attack from the start, according to CBS reporting cited by the New York Post.
His attorneys fight to move the case out of adult court. A trial court and a state appeals court both reject the argument and keep him in adult court.
Peters-Berger pleads guilty to first-degree intentional homicide and is sentenced to life in prison. Two charges — first-degree sexual assault causing great bodily harm and first-degree child sexual assault — are dismissed under the plea agreement.
Reactions
Peters-Berger's defense argued that adult court would deny him the mental health treatment he needs. Both the trial court and a state appeals court rejected that position and kept the case in the adult system.
The plea brought a four-year case to an abrupt close, with no trial for a killing that drew national attention when Lily disappeared on her way home.
What's Next
Peters-Berger begins a life term with no eligibility for extended supervision for 25 years.
Still unresolved: what mental health evaluation or treatment, if any, he receives in the adult prison system.
More
Reporting on the sentencing came from Yahoo News, The Independent and the New York Post.
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