Teen with autism accused of luring 10-year-old girl down trail before beating her with a stick and strangling her to death just got a big court loss

Lily Peters

Left inset: Lily Peters (Chippewa Falls Police Department). Main: an aerial shot of the wooded area where the 10-year-old girl was found slain in 2022 (KARE).

A now 16-year-old boy in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, who, at the age of 14, allegedly admitted that it “was already his intention to rape and kill” 10-year-old Lily Peters when she was lured down a trail, beaten with a stick, and strangled to death in April 2022, has failed to convince state appellate judges that a sexual assault and intentional homicide trial should unfold in juvenile court. The appellate panel on Tuesday determined the “vicious and brutal” murder case is far too serious and best suited for adult court given the “specific factual circumstances surrounding the charged crimes.”

The suspect, identified in the caption of the case only as C.T.P.-B. and referred to by the pseudonym “Christopher” throughout the ruling, had argued based on witness testimony of doctors that a “depressive disorder,” an “anxiety disorder,” autism, and “obsessive sexual thoughts” traceable to the “compulsive viewing of increasingly violent pornographic videos” were all potential factors behind the shocking alleged offenses and that his “treatment needs” more than likely wouldn’t be met if he ends up in an adult prison.