Teen sentenced to life after killing mother instead of planned school shooting

Georgia teenager Lilyana Wagner, aged 14 at the time of the crime, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the fatal shooting of her mother, Rachel Wagner, who was found dead in bed with a bullet to the back of the head. The murder occurred after Wagner abandoned a scheme to carry out a school shooting at her former middle school, a plan she said was inspired by multiple mass shooters. Police were alerted when Wagner crashed her mother’s vehicle and could not reach her at work, leading to the discovery of the homicide.

A handwritten confession detailed her admiration for six school shooters and her communication with anonymous online contacts who urged her to plan violent acts, using apps that evaded detection. The gun used was purchased from a pawn shop a month prior, and Wagner pleaded guilty, with parole eligibility set after 30 years of incarceration. District Attorney Patrick Warren emphasized the tragic chain of missed interventions that led to the outcome.