TEEN COUSIN WHO LURED LILY PETERS, 10, INTO WOODS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON

More than four years after 10-year-old Lily Peters disappeared while riding her bike home, the heartbreaking case has reached a major legal conclusion.

Carson T. Peters-Berger, Lily’s cousin, pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide on Aug. 26 and was sentenced to life in prison for her 2022 killing.

Peters-Berger was just 14 years old when Lily was killed. He is now 18.

Under the sentence, he will be eligible for extended supervision after serving 25 years.

LILY DISAPPEARED ON HER WAY HOME

Lily, a fourth-grader from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, disappeared on the evening of April 24, 2022.

She had been riding her bicycle home after visiting her aunt.

When she failed to arrive, her family reported her missing.

Her bicycle was later discovered along a trail, and her body was found the following day in nearby woods.

The discovery triggered a massive investigation that quickly focused on someone Lily knew.

HER COUSIN WAS ARRESTED

Peters-Berger was arrested shortly after Lily was found.

According to the criminal complaint, investigators said he told them that he had persuaded Lily to leave the trail and go into the woods.

He admitted attacking her and later concealing her body.

The original case included charges of first-degree intentional homicide as well as sexual-assault charges.

Those additional sexual-assault charges were ultimately dismissed as part of the resolution but were “read in,” meaning the judge could consider the allegations when determining the sentence.

CASE REMAINED IN ADULT COURT

Because Peters-Berger was only 14 when the crime occurred, his defense previously fought to have the case transferred to juvenile court.

His attorneys argued that he would benefit from mental-health treatment and rehabilitation rather than being prosecuted as an adult.

Those efforts were unsuccessful.

The case remained in adult court, where Peters-Berger faced the possibility of life imprisonment.

HE PLEADED GUILTY INSTEAD OF GOING TO TRIAL

A trial had been expected later in 2026.

Instead, Peters-Berger entered a guilty plea to first-degree intentional homicide on Wednesday, bringing the long-running case to an end without a trial.

The judge sentenced him to life in prison, with eligibility for extended supervision after 25 years.

The plea means jurors will never hear the full case in a trial, but Peters-Berger has now formally admitted responsibility for Lily’s killing.

LILY’S FAMILY REMEMBERS THE GIRL SHE WAS

While the case has focused heavily on the circumstances of Lily’s final moments, her family has continued to remember her as a joyful 10-year-old girl.

Lily loved riding her bicycle and playing outside with friends.

Her family also shared a poem she had written that expressed her wishes for a kinder and more peaceful world.

One of her wishes was simply that people would be kind to one another.

That message has taken on an especially painful meaning for her family following her death.

MORE THAN FOUR YEARS OF WAITING FOR JUSTICE

Lily’s disappearance shocked the small Wisconsin community of Chippewa Falls in 2022.

The case remained in the public spotlight through years of court proceedings, including arguments over whether Peters-Berger should be tried as a juvenile and preparations for a potential adult trial.

Now, more than four years after Lily was found, the case has reached its final major courtroom chapter.

Peters-Berger will spend the rest of his life under a sentence that allows him to seek extended supervision only after 25 years.

A FAMILY LEFT WITH A LOSS THAT CANNOT BE REPAIRED

The sentence cannot undo what happened to Lily.

She was only 10 years old.

Her family lost a daughter, granddaughter, niece and cousin — while a community was left mourning a child whose life ended far too soon.

For those who loved Lily, the most important part of her story is not the crime that took her life.

It is the little girl they remember.

The girl who loved to ride her bike.

The girl who enjoyed playing in the snow.

And the girl who once wrote that she wished people would simply be kind to one another.

Now, after years of investigation and court proceedings, the legal case is over.

But for Lily Peters’ family, the grief will continue long after the courtroom doors close.