A teenage girl from Georgia was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of her mother, Rachel Wagner, 51, in November 2024. Lilyana Rose Wagner, 16, abandoned plans to commit a school shooting at her former middle school, authorities said.

The killing was discovered when Wagner, then 14, crashed her mother's car and told responding officers she lived alone with her mother. Officers performed a welfare check and found Rachel Wagner dead from a gunshot wound to the back of her head.

Investigators later determined that Rachel Wagner had purchased the gun used in the killing from a pawn shop a month prior. District Attorney Patrick Warren of the Tifton Judicial Circuit said the teenager had become obsessed with mass casualty events but made a "last-minute choice" to kill her mother instead.

Wagner confessed to the crime, listing six shooters in her statement, and acknowledged, "I was going to commit a school shooting at my old middle school but chose this instead. Although I didn’t commit a school shooting, the whole event was inspired by these people."

She will serve 30 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole.

District Attorney Warren emphasized the lasting impact of such crimes, stating, "By then, remorse for your actions cannot erase the damage, and a prosecution cannot give victims back what was taken." He also warned, "I urge you to never underestimate the influence that exists behind your child’s screen," highlighting the role of online encouragement in real-world crimes.

Sources