Audio Captures Lake Brantley Teens Joking; Prosecutors Seek Adult Charges

WFTV obtained audio that captured Lake Brantley High School students Isabelle Valdez, 15, and Lois Lippert, 14, joking and saying "It's over" while being processed after their arrests on Jan. 23, 2026. Prosecutors have since moved to charge the girls as adults, filing court records that list attempted first‑degree premeditated murder, and are using the recording in detention hearings as they press to keep both teens behind bars.

The case began with an anonymous tip submitted on Jan. 22 through the state tip portal that a student planned to kill a classmate the next day, officials said. Seminole County and Altamonte Springs investigators traced the tip to the 15‑year‑old and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office spoke to her the night of the tip, records show. The next morning, Jan. 23, police contacted Lake Brantley High School security at 7:38 a.m. to remove the 15‑year‑old from class, and both students were pulled from classes and interviewed before Altamonte Springs officers took them into custody.

Authorities recovered a knife and "other items" on campus, court records and reporting state. WFTV and the Orlando Sentinel reported detectives later uncovered texts and an apology note from Valdez written the night before her arrest, as well as drawings that investigators say depicted Valdez, the classmate and the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza. Orlando Sentinel reporting on unredacted materials says Valdez allegedly sought to conduct a "blood ritual" to "reunite" with the dead Sandy Hook mass shooter, and that at least one drawing depicted Valdez cutting the classmate, which she told investigators Lippert drew at her request.

WFTV's readout of the patrol car recording quotes specific lines from the teens' exchange: "Valdez told Lippert that she was going to use makeup this morning for her mugshot, but she could not find anything." The readout then records, "Valdez then said, 'It's over.' Lippert replied, 'Yea, it's over. It doesn't matter if you look good or not.'" WFTV reported the teens had been placed in the back of the same patrol car, allowing officers to listen in, and that the conversation included jokes about mug shots, prison time, the blood ritual, hopes Valdez might be sent to a psych ward and plans to spread their story in true crime communities. Hoodline noted law enforcement has not released the full audio publicly and that questions remain about its provenance and trial use.

Legal filings show the 18th Circuit State Attorney's Office, after what a spokesperson called "significant discussion" among top prosecutors, decided adult charges were warranted. The spokesperson said, "Protecting public safety in this case calls for more aggressive, longer-term sentencing options than what the juvenile justice system offers, especially considering the serious nature of the crime and prosecutors' assessment of the defendants." Defense commentary to WESH included attorney Rajan Joshi's reminder, "Because these individuals are under the age of sixteen and over the age of fourteen, they can be charged as an adult. But it's not mandatory."

Both girls remain in custody at the Seminole County Jail and had initial court appearances the week after the filings, records show. Seminole County Public Schools publicly thanked the person who submitted the tip and praised coordination between school staff and law enforcement. The FBI is assisting with parts of the inquiry, and court proceedings in Seminole County are ongoing as prosecutors press for adult treatment of the case and judges consider motions on release and detention.