A 26-year-old man has received a life sentence with a minimum 25-year term for murdering a nine-year-old girl. Deividas Skebas fatally stabbed Lilia Valutyte while she played with a hula hoop in Boston, Lincolnshire, on July 28, 2022. The attack occurred in the town center near her mother’s embroidery shop, shocking the community.
Skebas, a Lithuanian national, had entered the country legally just three weeks prior and was employed as a fruit picker. The defendant pleaded guilty to manslaughter based on diminished responsibility, citing his schizophrenia diagnosis. However, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court rejected this defense and convicted him of murder on February 5 following a trial where his mental state became the central issue.
During proceedings, the prosecution argued that Skebas understood his actions were criminal and deadly. Prosecutor Christopher Donnellan KC described the killing as “clearly a wicked act,” asserting that the defendant knew he was killing a child. The defense countered that Skebas was severely deluded and unable to comprehend the wrongfulness of his conduct due to his psychiatric condition.
Defense counsel Andrew Campbell-Tiech KC emphasized that clinicians treating Skebas doubted he would recover from his mental illness. The defendant had told police he was being controlled by NASA, demonstrating the extent of his delusions. Following the killing, Skebas claimed he possessed the power to resurrect Lilia but believed this could only happen if police contacted his alleged NASA controller.
Lilia’s mother provided a victim impact statement expressing that their family’s grief was “not something you recover from.” She described being overwhelmed by terrifying thoughts and unanswered questions about why her daughter was targeted. She discovered and cradled her daughter’s body after the attack, enduring trauma that continues to affect the family profoundly.
