LILY PETERS CASE: 18-YEAR-OLD COUSIN LEARNS HIS FATE

LILY PETERS CASE: 18-YEAR-OLD COUSIN SENTENCED TO LIFE

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — More than four years after 10-year-old Lily Peters disappeared in Wisconsin, her cousin Carson Peters-Berger has pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide and been sentenced to life in prison.

Peters-Berger, now 18, was 14 years old when Lily was killed in April 2022. A Chippewa County judge accepted his guilty plea on Aug. 26, 2026, bringing an end to a case that had remained in court for years.

A LIFE SENTENCE AFTER A GUILTY PLEA

Judge Steven Gibbs sentenced Peters-Berger to life in prison with the possibility of extended supervision after 25 years. He was also given credit for the roughly four years he has already spent in custody.

Under the plea agreement, two sexual-assault charges were dismissed but read into the record. Peters-Berger was also ordered to pay more than $30,000 in restitution.

The guilty plea means the jury trial that had been scheduled for November will no longer take place.

LILY DISAPPEARED AFTER LEAVING HER AUNT’S HOME

Lily was reported missing on the evening of April 24, 2022, after leaving her aunt’s home in Chippewa Falls.

Her body was discovered the following morning in a wooded area near a walking trail.

Peters-Berger was arrested shortly afterward and eventually prosecuted as an adult. His defense had previously sought to move the case into juvenile court, but that request was rejected and the decision was upheld on appeal.

FAMILY MEMBERS SPOKE IN COURT

During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Lily’s family and people who knew her described the lasting impact of her loss.

Friends and relatives spoke about how much they still miss the 10-year-old girl and the effect her death has had on the wider community.

Peters-Berger did not make a statement during the hearing beyond answering questions related to his guilty plea.

A CASE THAT LASTED MORE THAN FOUR YEARS

The legal proceedings stretched across several years because of disputes over whether Peters-Berger should be tried as an adult and other pretrial issues.

The case had been scheduled for trial in November 2026, but the guilty plea brought the proceedings to an earlier conclusion.

THE LEGAL CHAPTER IS NOW OVER

For Lily’s family, however, the sentence cannot undo the loss of a 10-year-old girl whose life ended in 2022.

Carson Peters-Berger will now serve a life sentence, with the possibility of extended supervision after 25 years. After more than four years of court proceedings, the case has finally reached its sentencing chapter — but Lily’s family continues to live with the loss.