A Wisconsin teenager accused in the 2022 death of his 10-year-old cousin, Lily Peters, may not face a trial in November as a resolution hearing is now scheduled. Carson Peters-Berger, 18, was originally set to be tried for first-degree intentional homicide and sexual assault related to his cousin’s death.
The Chippewa County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that a resolution hearing will take place on August 26, as reported by WEAU. District Attorney Wade Newell indicated the scheduled resolution suggests the case will conclude at the hearing instead of going to trial.
However, Peters-Berger’s defense lawyer, Michael Cohen, informed the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the hearing aims to resolve issues that will affect the trial’s necessity. Court records have yet to define the resolution to be discussed at the upcoming hearing.
Lily Peters was killed at age 10 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, in April 2022. (Chippewa Falls Police Department)
Lily’s father reported her missing on the evening of April 24, 2022, when she didn’t come home from her aunt’s house. He later discovered Lily’s bicycle in a nearby wooded area, but despite an initial police search, she remained unfound.
Authorities discovered Lily’s body the next morning at the site where her bicycle was found. Investigators noted injuries consistent with blunt force trauma.
Peters-Berger, alleged to be 14 at the time, reportedly invited Lily to “explore off the trail,” according to police interviews. The complaint details that Peters-Berger allegedly assaulted Lily by punching her and hitting her with a stick in the woods.
Lily Peters, aged 10, was found dead in a wooded area in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. (Chippewa Falls Police Department)
Peters-Berger also allegedly confessed to strangling Lily and attempting sexual assault post-mortem, as per the complaint. Supposedly, Peters-Berger returned home afterward, disposed of his clothes, and later revisited the crime scene intent on better concealing Lily’s body under leaves.
He faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual assault, and first-degree sexual assault of a child under thirteen, potentially facing life imprisonment for the most severe charge.
Fox News Digital reached out to Chippewa County District Attorney’s Office and Peters-Berger’s defense attorney for further comments.