Court in Wisconsin Upholds Decision to Keep Teen Accused of Killing 10-Year-Old in Adult Court

In Madison, Wisconsin, a state appeals court decided on Tuesday that the case against a Wisconsin teenager accused of killing a 10-year-old girl, whom he allegedly lured into the woods, will stay in adult court. The teenager, referred to as C.T.P.-B in court documents, faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of sexual assault in relation to the death of Iliana “Lily” Peters. Peters was reported missing after she was persuaded by the teenager, who was 14 years old at the time, to venture into the woods while biking home from her aunt’s house in Chippewa Falls on April 24, 2022.
The girl’s body was found the next day, and the autopsy revealed that she had been physically assaulted, strangled, and sexually abused.
The teenager’s defense attorneys, Michael Cohen and Alicia Linzmeier, had requested the case to be moved to juvenile court, arguing that the teenager required mental health treatment that he wouldn’t receive in the adult criminal justice system. However, the Chippewa County Circuit Judge Steven Gibbs denied their request earlier this year, stating that transferring the case to juvenile court would downplay the seriousness of the crimes.
The 3rd District Court of Appeals upheld Judge Gibbs’ decision, highlighting the severity of Peters’ injuries, the teenager’s admission to attacking her, his act of luring her into the woods, and the premeditated nature of the crime.
Efforts to contact Cohen’s office for a statement were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.