Georgia Teen Sentenced to Life for Killing Mother Instead of Shooting Up School

Lilyana Wagner, 16, pleaded guilty to felony murder after shooting her mother in Tifton, Ga. She had planned a school shooting but chose to kill her mother instead.

Georgia Teen Gets Life Sentence After Killing Mother Instead of Former Schoolmates

A 16-year-old Georgia girl has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years for the murder of her mother, whom she shot in the head in November 2024.

Lilyana Wagner pleaded guilty to felony murder and aggravated assault in connection with the death of her mother, 51-year-old Rachel Suzanne Wagner, at the family home in Tifton, Georgia. According to Law & Crime, Tifton Judicial Circuit District Attorney Patrick Warren announced the sentence in a press release.

Wagner was 14 years old at the time of the killing.

Officers from the Tifton Police Department conducted a welfare check at the home after Rachel Wagner failed to show up for work on Nov. 19, 2024, and did not answer her phone. The visit came after Lilyana was involved in a car crash and told officers at the scene that she lived alone with her mother. Police found Rachel Wagner dead in her bed, killed by a single gunshot wound to the back of her head.

Investigators uncovered an extensive social media presence that revealed Lilyana Wagner was "obsessed with school shooters and mass shootings" and had expressed interest in planning a mass casualty event. The Tifton Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined she had been using multiple apps to communicate with strangers online who "encouraged" her to follow through with plans for some form of violent act. After the car crash — which occurred after she had already shot her mother — Lilyana continued communicating with those contacts from the hospital.

In a handwritten confession letter, Lilyana Wagner described how she chose to kill her mother rather than carry out a school shooting. "This whole thing was a last-minute choice," she wrote. "I was going to commit a school shooting at my old middle school but chose this instead." She listed six mass shooters as her inspiration for "the whole event."

The gun used in the killing was legally purchased at a pawnshop, Warren said. Rachel Wagner had allowed her daughter to keep the firearm and ammunition in her bedroom.

District Attorney Warren used the press release to address parents directly. "I urge you to never underestimate the influence that exists behind your child's screen," he said. "It is your duty to know who is influencing your child, and it is your duty to know what they are being taught to believe is acceptable. Most importantly, please keep the door open for them to come to you as the best time to intervene is before an online influence becomes a criminal record."

Rachel Wagner was a New Zealand native who had lived in the United States for nearly 30 years. Her sister-in-law, Kiri Te Paea, told New Zealand outlet Stuff shortly after the murder that Lilyana was heavily into video games, particularly those involving guns and shooting. The homeschooled teenager reportedly spent "hours and hours gaming while Rachel was at work," completing her schoolwork quickly before returning to the games.

Source: Law & Crime