Deividas Skebas, a 26-year-old Lithuanian national, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years for the brutal murder of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte. The horrific attack took place on July 28, 2022, in Boston, Lincolnshire, while the young girl was innocently playing with a hula hoop outside her mother's embroidery shop.
Shocking Details of the Attack
Skebas stabbed Lilia Valutyte directly in the heart during what should have been a carefree moment of childhood play. The victim's mother, Lina Savickiene, discovered her daughter lying on the ground covered in blood with the hula hoop still around her body. Initially confused about what had happened, Savickiene immediately began shouting for help while attempting to cover her daughter's wounds as the child grew increasingly pale.
Legal Proceedings and Mental Health Considerations
Despite initially being deemed mentally unfit to stand trial in 2023, Skebas underwent reassessment in spring 2025 that determined he was competent to face criminal proceedings. The trial commenced at Lincoln Crown Court in January 2026, where Skebas had denied murder but admitted to manslaughter by diminished responsibility, citing his schizophrenia diagnosis.
During the trial, jurors heard that Skebas told police he believed he was being controlled by NASA at the time of the attack. Prosecutors argued that despite his mental health condition, Skebas knew what he was doing when he stabbed Lilia and made conscious efforts to avoid detection afterward. The jury ultimately convicted him of murder on February 5, 2026.
Sentencing and Judicial Remarks
Mr Justice Choudhury delivered the life sentence on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, with Skebas appearing via video link from Rampton Hospital, a high-security facility in Nottinghamshire. The judge described Lilia as a "happy, lively girl as carefree as any nine-year-old should be" and condemned Skebas's actions as a "shocking and horrific act of violence."
In his sentencing remarks, Justice Choudhury emphasized that Lilia should have been completely safe while playing in a pedestrianized area just yards from her mother's shop. The judge also noted that Skebas had been using drugs including cannabis and amphetamines, which likely worsened his schizophrenic symptoms.
Emergency Response and Aftermath
An off-duty police officer who happened to be nearby attempted to save Lilia's life immediately after the attack, but tragically, these efforts proved unsuccessful. The embroidery shop where the incident occurred has become a site of profound local tragedy, with the community still grappling with the senseless loss of a young life.
Lilia Valutyte would have turned thirteen years old in 2026, a milestone her family will now mourn rather than celebrate. The case has raised significant questions about mental health treatment, criminal responsibility, and community safety in public spaces where children should feel protected from harm.
