Lily Peters Case Ends Before Wisconsin Trial

According to a criminal complaint referenced in the report, Peters-Berger allegedly told police that he was walking the trail with Lily when he asked her to go off the path before launching a sexual attack. The complaint said he admitted that when they left the house, he intended to rape and kill her. He allegedly told police he punched her in the stomach, knocked her down, struck her with a large stick and strangled her until she died. He then sexually assaulted her after believing she was dead, according to the complaint. He also allegedly said he returned later that night after learning she had been reported missing and moved her body before covering it with leaves.

Peters-Berger was 14 at the time of the alleged killing. Prosecutors later succeeded in trying him as an adult, and his identity was made public after it was initially withheld because he was a juvenile. His defense team had pushed for a venue change and special jury selection rules, arguing that heavy local coverage would make a fair trial difficult in Chippewa County. Judge Gibbs granted those requests, and jury selection had been scheduled for October 21 and 22, with trial set to begin Nov. 2.

The upcoming hearing closes the door on the trial that many had expected in one of Wisconsin’s most disturbing child-killing cases. For readers, the main question now is what resolution prosecutors and the defense will present on Aug. 26, and whether the case ends with a plea or another court outcome instead of a public jury verdict. The Lily Peters case still matters because it shows how child homicide prosecutions can move through the adult court system after years of legal preparation.