CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (Court TV) — A teenager has pleaded guilty to killing a 10-year-old girl whose body was found in the woods.
Carson Peters-Berger pleaded guilty in court on Aug. 26, 2026. (WEAU)
Carson Peters-Berger, 18, pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide at a hearing on Wednesday as part of an agreement with prosecutors under which two sexual assault charges were dismissed.
Peters-Berger, previously known only as “C.T.P.-B,” was 14 when he was first charged as an adult in the case. Investigators said the victim, Iliana “Lily” Peters, had been riding her bike home from her aunt’s house on April 24, 2022, when the defendant saw her and convinced her to leave the trail and explore the woods with him. Peters, who was in fourth grade, was reported missing at 9 p.m. that night when she didn’t return home.
Her body was found the next morning on a walking trail.
Prosecutors had said the defendant knew his victim and planned the attack. At a bond hearing shortly after Peters-Berger’s arrest, prosecutor Wade Newell said that the defendant “punched the victim in the stomach, knocked her to the ground, essentially strangled her, hit her with a stick, before strangling her to the point of death — before he then sexually assaulted her.” After his arrest, the defendant made statements “that his intention was to rape and kill the victim from the get-go,” Newell said.
Lily Peters (Chippewa Falls Police Department)
An autopsy determined that Peters died from strangulation and blunt force trauma; the Chippewa County coroner ruled her death a homicide.
Immediately after Peters-Berger pleaded guilty, the court moved to sentencing.
Members of the victim’s family spoke at Wednesday’s hearing, WEAU reported, describing the impact of the loss on their lives. They also expressed concerns that Peters-Berger could commit future crimes if he is ever released. The defendant did not speak at the hearing.
While Peters-Berger was only 14 when he was arrested, under Wisconsin law, anyone over age 10 accused of first- or second-degree homicide is automatically considered an adult in the court system.
“I can think of no more serious offense in the world than first-degree intentional homicide,” Judge Steven Gibbs said as he began to announce Peters-Berger’s sentence. “While you were a minor when you committed it, it is still a very serious offense and it shook this community.”
Gibbs sentenced the defendant to life in prison, with the possibility of extended supervision after 25 years. “I do take into consideration the fact that you were 14 when you did this, and I believe in giving people a second chance after you’ve paid your debt to society,” Gibbs said.
