Schizophrenic Man Receives Life Sentence for Murder of Nine-Year-Old Girl
A schizophrenic man who stabbed a nine-year-old girl to death in an unprovoked attack has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. Deividas Skebas, 26, killed Lilia Valutyte in July 2022 while she was playing with a hula hoop outside her mother's embroidery shop in Boston, Lincolnshire.
Details of the Tragic Incident
Lilia Valutyte was playing in Fountain Lane, a quiet street not accessible to through-traffic, when Skebas approached her. According to prosecutor Christopher Donnellan KC, Skebas waited for other pedestrians to move out of the way before quickening his pace and stabbing Lilia in the heart with a knife he had purchased two days earlier from a Wilko shop. The force of the blow knocked her back towards some shop shutters, and she was declared dead within an hour of the attack.
Her mother, Lina Savickiene, who was working inside the shop, heard her daughter call for help and found her covered in blood with the hula hoop still around her. In a statement, Mrs. Savickiene described how Lilia collapsed in her hands, and she desperately tried to cover the wounds while shouting for assistance.
Legal Proceedings and Defense
Skebas denied murder but admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, citing a history of mental illnesses including schizophrenia. However, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court convicted him of murder. Prosecutor Donnellan emphasized that the act was deliberate and wicked, stating that Skebas knew his conduct was wrong and that he was killing a child.
Defense barrister Andrew Campbell-Tiech KC told the jury that Skebas was "quite obviously deluded," referring to claims of control by entities like NASA and a microchip. Clinicians treating Skebas have expressed doubts about his potential for recovery.
Aftermath and Sentencing
Following the attack, Skebas shaved his beard, hid the knife behind a radiator, and attempted to flee the country on a bus to Lithuania. He was arrested on July 30, but due to his declining mental health, he was transferred to a hospital. Today, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 25 years before parole consideration.
This case highlights the tragic consequences of untreated mental illness and the justice system's response to such heinous crimes. The community of Boston, Lincolnshire, continues to mourn the loss of young Lilia Valutyte, whose life was cut short in a senseless act of violence.
