Authorities: 10-Year-Old Girl Was Targeted, Murdered by 14-Year-Old
*This story contains descriptions of a crime that are graphic in nature.
Unthinkable. That's the first word that comes to mind in the case of a 10-year-old girl who went missing on Sunday after visiting her aunt. Her body was found the next morning.
Iliana "Lily" Peters was returning home Sunday on a trail in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin which is about 90 minutes east of the Twin Cities, when authorities say she was attacked and killed by a 14-year-old male. The 8th-grader who has lived in the county all of his life was arrested on Tuesday. The two reportedly knew each other.
CBS Minnesota reports he "followed her (Peters) on a trail as she left her aunt's home. The boy allegedly admitted to punching the girl, hitting her with a stick, strangling her, and sexually assaulting her." He reportedly told investigators the crimes were his intention "from the get-go" on Sunday.
The 14-year-old charged with the crime has not been publicly identified. He was referred to in adult court on Wednesday by his initials, C.P.B. He appeared in that court appearance via video from a criminal detention center. He has been charged with First-Degree Murder and two charges of Sexual Assault. Wisconsin law requires the case to begin in adult court, but the defense can ask that it be reassigned to juvenile court.
The defense for C.P.B. had asked for a $100,000 bond but Judge Ben Lane agreed with prosecutors who had asked for a $1 million cash bond. When announcing his decision, Lane said it was because the alleged crimes were "a serious threat to the community." The criminal complaint remains sealed in the case, with another hearing scheduled for Thursday, May 5.