Teen Pleads No Contest After 13-Year-Old Boy With Autism Was Thrown Off Pier to His Death

A Wisconsin teenager has changed his plea in a heartbreaking case involving the death of 13-year-old Jakob Bowerman, a boy with autism who drowned after being thrown from a pier into the water. The latest court development marks a significant step toward resolving a case that has devastated the boy’s family.

Peyton Carnot, now 17, pleaded no contest on October 20, 2026, to second-degree reckless homicide in connection with Jakob’s death. Carnot was 16 at the time of the incident and is being prosecuted as an adult. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 22, 2027.

According to investigators, the incident occurred on August 20, 2025, at Government Pier in Marinette, Wisconsin. Carnot and another defendant, Tylor Birch, were accused of grabbing Jakob by his hands and feet and swinging him off the pier into the water. Prosecutors said the boy had expressed that he did not want to enter the water and could not swim.

Initially, Carnot and Birch reportedly told police that all three had jumped into the water together and that they tried to rescue Jakob after realizing he was struggling. However, investigators later uncovered a different account. According to the criminal complaint, Carnot eventually admitted that he and Birch had thrown the boy into the water against his wishes.

Jakob was pulled from the water and taken to a hospital, where he remained on life support before dying on August 23, 2025. His death was ruled a drowning. The circumstances have raised painful questions about the events leading up to the tragedy and the decisions made by those present.

Birch, who is now 22, has pleaded not guilty to the same charge and is facing separate court proceedings. Carnot’s no-contest plea means he is not contesting the charge, and his sentencing will determine the consequences of his role in the boy’s death. Prosecutors and the defense are expected to jointly recommend a seven-year prison term, although the judge is not required to follow that recommendation.

Source: Law&Crime