A Georgia teenager who investigators say had considered carrying out a shooting at her former middle school before killing her mother instead has been sentenced to life in prison.
Lilyana Rose Wagner, now 16, pleaded guilty to felony murder and aggravated assault in connection with the November 2024 death of her mother, 51-year-old Rachel Suzanne Wagner. She was sentenced on Aug. 24 and will become eligible for parole after serving at least 30 years.
The case began on Nov. 19, 2024, after Wagner was involved in a single-vehicle crash in Crawford County. Officers responding to the crash learned that she lived with her mother and that Rachel Wagner had failed to report to work and was not answering calls.
A welfare check was conducted at the family’s home in Tifton, where officers found Rachel Wagner dead from a gunshot wound.
Wagner was 14 at the time.
Investigation uncovered plans for a school shooting
As investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the killing, they found evidence that Wagner had developed an interest in school shootings and other mass-casualty attacks.
Investigators with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Tifton Police Department also found communications on her phone involving people who encouraged her to engage in violent acts.
A handwritten confession recovered during the investigation provided additional information about what had happened. Wagner wrote that killing her mother had been a last-minute decision after she abandoned a plan to carry out an attack at her former middle school.
The investigation also found that Wagner had continued communicating with people online after her mother’s death, according to authorities.
Prosecutors said the evidence raised broader questions about the influences surrounding the teenager and how those warning signs had gone unnoticed.
Gun had been kept in the teenager’s bedroom
Authorities said the firearm used in the killing had been purchased by Rachel Wagner from a pawn shop about a month before her death.
The gun and ammunition were reportedly kept in Lilyana’s bedroom with her mother’s permission.
District Attorney Patrick Warren later pointed to access to the firearm, the teenager’s online activity and other circumstances as factors that contributed to the tragedy.
Investigators also examined whether there were other issues that might have explained the killing, including whether Wagner had been frightened, hurt, struggling with her mental health or experiencing problems at home.
Officials said the investigation did not simply focus on what happened, but also on understanding why it happened.
Life sentence brings the case to a close
Wagner’s guilty plea and sentencing came nearly two years after her mother’s death.
Under the sentence, she will spend at least 30 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole.
Following the sentencing, Warren said the case raised difficult questions about whether earlier intervention could have changed what happened.
He pointed to the influence of people communicating with Wagner online, her access to a firearm and the possibility that the family needed additional support.
Warren also urged parents to pay attention to the people and communities influencing their children through their screens.
The district attorney said the case should serve as a reminder to speak up when something appears wrong and to seek help when someone is struggling.
For Rachel Wagner’s family, the case ended with a life sentence. For Lilyana Wagner, the conviction means decades in prison before she can even seek parole.
