CHIPPEWA FALLS
Chippewa County Judge Steven Gibbs sentenced Carson Peters-Berger to life in prison Wednesday after the 18-year-old pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide in the death of his 10-year-old cousin, Lily Peters, on April 24, 2022.
Peters-Berger was 14 when he lured Lily Peters off a familiar trail near Chippewa Falls while she was cycling home from her aunt's house. He took her into nearby woods, where he beat, strangled and sexually assaulted her. Her body was discovered the next day.
Authorities arrested Peters-Berger on April 25, 2022. His guilty plea this week resolved the case under a plea agreement that dismissed two additional charges: first-degree sexual assault causing great bodily harm and first-degree child sexual assault involving a child under 13.
Peters-Berger's attorneys, Michael Cohen and Alicia Linzmeier, had sought to move the case to juvenile court, arguing their client needed mental health treatment unavailable in the adult criminal justice system. Judge Gibbs rejected the request, citing the severity of the offenses. A state appeals court upheld his decision.
