A 16-year-old girl will spend at least three decades behind bars after receiving a life sentence for the fatal shooting of her mother two years ago.
Lilyana Wagner was sentenced on Aug. 24 to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, according to District Attorney Patrick Warren.
The case began on Nov. 19, 2024, when officers checked on the home of 51-year-old Rachel Wagner.
Lilyana Wagner, who was 14 at the time, had been involved in a car crash earlier that day. She told the responding officers that she lived with her mother, who had not reported to work and was not answering phone calls. When police arrived at the residence to conduct a welfare check, they discovered Rachel Wagner dead from a single gunshot wound to the head.
A joint investigation between the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Tifton Police Department revealed that Lilyana Wagner had been using her phone to communicate with people who encouraged her to commit ‘violent acts.’
Investigators also found records showing the teenager had an active interest in school shootings and mass casualty attacks.
Rachel Wagner, the mother, had purchased a firearm at a pawn shop the month before her death and allowed her daughter to store both the gun and ammunition in her bedroom. Following the shooting, Lilyana Wagner wrote a confession detailing her motive.
“This whole thing was a last-minute choice,” Lilyana Wagner wrote in the note. “I was going to commit a school shooting at my old middle school but chose this instead. Although I didn’t commit a school shooting, the whole event was inspired by these people,” followed by a list naming six school shooters.
Following the sentencing, Warren reflected on the missed opportunities to prevent the killing, WSB-TV reported.
“I can’t help but think of all the decisions that were made that led to this tragic outcome; what if Lilyana had not connected with people online who encouraged her to commit this act; what if Rachel had not purchased the gun and ammunition and given them to Lilyana; and what if they both had received the help and support they needed to live normal, healthy lives?” Warren said. “While we are left with these questions, we must use this tragedy to do better in our own lives. To help when we see a need, to speak up when we see something wrong, and to support those who are struggling.”
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