New CCTV footage showns a nine-year-old girl playing in the street minutes before she is stabbed to death.
Lilia Valutyte is seen playing with a hula hoop with her younger sister before she was fatally stabbed around 6.15pm on Thursday, 28 July in Boston, Lincolnshire.
Police officers and paramedics run towards Lilia after the attack as onlookers stare in shock and are cleared away from the area.
A toy pram was left at the scene where the pair had been playing, according to locals.
A man accused of murdering Lilia appeared in court this week after he was arrested following an appeal by Lincolnshire Police.
Chief Superintendent Martyn Parker said the arrest came after “a combination of intelligence and information supplied by several members of the public.”
Deividas Skebas, 22, appeared at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on Monday where he spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth during a two-minute hearing.
Skebas, who was wearing a grey tracksuit, was told by district judge Peter Deits “the offence you are facing is the most serious offence anyone can face in court”.
Lincolnshire Police previously said Lilia’s parents are being supported by specially trained officers.
A resident from the area told The Telegraph that her mother wouldn’t have been far away as the girls played in the street.
“I’m sure her mum wouldn’t have been far away as she always checked on them. She was a very quiet girl, and I just can’t understand it.
“I didn’t see what happened, but we were told [police] were looking for footage of a man running away.”
Donna Burton, 57, a hairdresser, who works at a salon overlooking the scene of the incident, saw Lilia playing hide and seek with her little sister at 5.50pm on Thursday, about 30 minutes before she was killed.
She told The Times: “They were just playing, one was hiding, playing hide and seek the older one, and she popped out, with the little one was looking for her, and they were just really happy. It’s really sad.”
Nine-year-old Marko Losif was in the same class as Lillia and told Sky News that she was “always really enthusiastic and always happy”. He said that she always looked after other people.
Marko’s father, Alin, said young Lillia’s death was “terrifying”.
A plea and trial preparation hearing has been set for 19 September.
