A man has been found guilty of murdering a nine-year-old girl who was stabbed while playing outside her mother's embroidery shop in Lincolnshire. Deividas Skebas, 26, was convicted at Lincoln Crown Court for the fatal attack on Lilia Valutyte in Boston on 28 July 2022.
Details of the Tragic Incident
The court heard how Skebas, a Lithuanian national diagnosed with schizophrenia, stabbed Lilia in the heart as she played with a hula hoop on a street in the town centre of Boston. Lilia collapsed into her mother's hands following the assault, with her mother, Lina Savickiene, discovering her child covered in blood and with the hoop still around her.
Mother's Harrowing Account
In a written statement presented to the court, Ms Savickiene described initially thinking that something might have happened with the hula hoop. She recounted shouting for help while attempting to cover her daughter's wounds as Lilia became pale. The emotional testimony highlighted the sudden and devastating nature of the attack that occurred in a public setting.
Legal Proceedings and Defence Arguments
Skebas had denied murdering the girl but admitted to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. Defence barrister Andrew Campbell-Tiech KC told the jury that Skebas, who appeared via videolink from the high security Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire, was quite obviously deluded at the time of the incident.
The court heard that after the killing, Skebas claimed he had the power to resurrect Lilia if police contacted his controller in Nasa. Mr Campbell-Tiech further stated that treating clinicians doubt Skebas will recover, adding that his future is not one that any of us would wish for ourselves or our children.
Jury's Deliberation Focus
Jurors were told there was no dispute that Skebas had killed Lilia, but they needed to determine his state of mind during the attack. The trial examined the complex intersection of criminal responsibility and mental health conditions, with the prosecution successfully arguing for a murder conviction despite the defence's diminished responsibility claim.
Skebas had moved back to the UK just weeks before Lilia's death, adding another layer to the tragic circumstances surrounding this case. The conviction brings legal closure to a case that has deeply affected the Boston community and raised questions about public safety and mental health support systems.
