Wisconsin Cousin Sentenced to Life for Gruesome Murder of 10-Year-Old Girl

POLICY WIRE — Madison, Wisconsin — The relative of a 10-year-old Wisconsin girl, who was tragically killed in 2022, has admitted to the crime and been handed a life sentence. Carson Peters-Berger, the cousin of Lily Peters, confessed to first-degree intentional homicide.

Peters was cycling home from her aunt’s residence in Chippewa Falls on April 24, 2022, when Peters-Berger lured her off a path and into the nearby woods, as per the criminal complaint. The young victim’s body was found the following day, with an autopsy revealing she had suffered beating, strangulation, and sexual assault.

At the time of the murder, Peters-Berger was 14 years old. He was apprehended the day after Peters’ body was discovered. Chippewa County Judge Steven Gibbs accepted his guilty plea and imposed a life sentence. As part of a plea agreement, two additional charges—first-degree sexual assault causing severe bodily harm and first-degree child sexual assault involving a child under 13—were dropped.

Peters-Berger’s legal representatives, Michael Cohen and Alicia Linzmeier, did not respond to emails requesting comments. The defense team had attempted to transfer the case to juvenile court, arguing that Peters-Berger would not receive the necessary mental health treatment in the adult criminal justice system. However, the judge denied the request, stating that the offenses were too grave for such a move. A state appeals court also upheld the decision to keep the case in adult court.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)