Autopsy findings are preliminary and the cause of death was determined to be homicide, county coroner Ron Patten told CNN Thursday. No other details have been revealed.
The 14-year-old suspect faces three charges: first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual assault and first-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, resulting in great bodily harm, District Attorney Wade Newell said. .
The defendant, who was arrested Tuesday, made statements to law enforcement that “his intention was to rape and kill the victim from the beginning” as they walked down the wooded trail where his body was found Monday, the prosecutor said in a statement. audience.
Newell argued that there was a need to protect the community and also a concern about the defendant’s flight, given the severity of the punishment he could face for the charges against him.
Judge Benjamin J. Lane agreed to a $1 million cash bail requested by the state, with the conditions that the defendant, identified only as “CP-B.”, have no contact with other minors and have no dangerous weapons.
Karl Schmidt, the defendant’s attorney, argued that his client is not a flight risk.
“He can’t drive. Frankly, he’s not in a position to raise a lot of money on his own. He lives with his mother. He’s a lifelong resident of Chippewa County,” Schmidt said.
Newell said the defendant also made a statement to police that he punched the victim in the stomach, knocking her to the ground, “essentially strangled her, beat her with a stick, before strangling her to death, before sexually assaulting her.” she.”
The juvenile defendant’s next hearing is scheduled for May 5 at 4:30 pm ET, where he will appear by video, not in person.
Newell said it’s premature to make any determinations about whether the case will stay in adult court. In Wisconsin, first-degree intentional homicide, which is the first charge on a criminal complaint, by law originally begins in adult court.
Suspect knew Lily Peters, police chief says
Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm told reporters Tuesday night that “the suspect was not a stranger, the victim knew the suspect.” He did not say how the suspect and Lily knew each other.
Officers believe Lily was last seen by family members on Sunday, according to a police department news release. She was supposed to be on her way home from her aunt’s house when she disappeared, police said.
Lily’s father called police later that night, and officers discovered her bike in a wooded area next to a walking trail.
A body was found in the woods near the walking trail, police said, and the Chippewa County coroner’s office confirmed the remains were Lily’s.
At a news conference Monday, Kelm did not elaborate on how the girl was killed or what evidence was found at the scene. Kelm said Tuesday that authorities received more than 200 tips.
“These tips were instrumental in solving this case,” he said.
Kelm said a search warrant was executed at a home where evidence was collected and additional interviews were conducted.
“There is still a lot of work to do,” he said. “Our thoughts continue to be with the family during this terrible time.”
Lily was a fourth grade student in the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District, according to the district’s Facebook page. All students and staff were invited to wear purple on Friday to honor Lily.
Note: The video in the player above is from a previous report.
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