A 14-year-old boy who allegedly killed a 10-year-old girl in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, knew the child and planned the attack, according to a prosecutor.
The body of Lily Peters was discovered Monday on a trail the day after she disappeared as she made her way home from a visit at her aunt’s residence, 11 Alive reported Wednesday.
Lily was initially reported missing by her father, police in Chippewa Falls said, and authorities found her bicycle in a wooded area near her relative’s house.
“The boy, identified only by his initials, appeared in adult court in Chippewa County by video from a juvenile detention center. Judge Benjamin Lane agreed to District Attorney Wade Newell’s request for $1 million cash bond,” the 11 Alive report continued:
Lane said the high bond was necessary to protect the community given the teen’s “statements regarding his intentions and his statements regarding that when he did get off the trail, he 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,” Newell told the judge at the bond hearing.
The teenager reportedly said “that his intention was to rape and kill the victim from the get-go,” according to Newell.
Newell also said the boy was charged with 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.
Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm announced the arrest Tuesday after officials executed a search warrant at the home of the girl’s aunt. Kelm said the department received over 200 tips regarding the case.
“The same trail my kids walk down by themselves all the time, it was a safe place up until Sunday,” one resident told Fox 9 on Tuesday:
Meanwhile, neighbors left drawings, flowers, candles, and stuffed animals outside Lily’s elementary school and on a bridge to honor her memory.