Teenager accused of murdering girl remains in adult court

Prosecutors charged the teen, identified in court documents only as CTP-B, as an adult with first-degree intentional murder and two counts of sexual assault in connection with the death of Iliana “Lily” Peters. Investigators say Peters was riding her bike home from her aunt's house in Chippewa Falls on April 24, 2022, when the then-14-year-old teen persuaded her to leave a trail and explore the surrounding woods with him.

The girl's body was discovered the next day. An autopsy revealed that she had been beaten, strangled and sexually abused.

The teen's attorneys, Michael Cohen and Alicia Linzmeier, asked Chippewa County District Judge Steven Gibbs last year to move the case to juvenile court, where proceedings are secret. They argued that the teen would not receive the mental health treatment he needs in the adult criminal justice system. The judge refused, ruling earlier this year that such a move would diminish the seriousness of the crimes.

The 3rd District Court of Appeals affirmed that decision on Tuesday, finding that Gibbs exercised his discretion properly. The appeals court found that Gibbs described the severity of Peters' injuries in detail, the teenager told investigators he attacked her, lured her into the woods and the crime was premeditated.

A message left at Cohen's office was not immediately returned.