Judge Steven Gibbs. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI (WSAU) — A Chippewa County judge has ruled against moving the case against the teen suspected of killing and sexually assaulting Lily Peters to juvenile court.
Multiple sources including WQOW TV in Eau Claire are reporting that Judge Steven Gibbs has sided with the state in the reverse-waiver process, meaning the court proceedings will stay in the adult system and the boy’s name will eventually be released.
The defese team for the boy, who is still identfied as C.P.B. in court documents, had argued that he would get better treatment in the juvenile system. But Judge Steven Gibbs sided with the prosecution, who argued that moving the case to the juvenile system would diminish the sevrity of the act.
No further court action was scheduled as of Tuesday morning. Charges against the boy include first-degree intentional homicide and two counts related to sexual assault. He faces a mandatory life sentence if found guilty on the homicide charge alone.
Investigators say the boy was riding a hoverboard alongside Peters as she was riding her bike home after visiting her aunt’s house. That’s when he is said to have asked her to “go exploring” in a wooded area.
Police say he told them that he beat her with a stick and punched her numerous times, then left her body in the area and returned home. When he learned that she had been reported missing, officers say he returned to the area to try to hide her body better.
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