A Milwaukee teenager will spend the rest of his life behind bars for his role in the gruesome beating death of 5-year-old Prince McCree.
Erik Mendoza was 15 when prosecutors say he and David Pietura bludgeoned Prince with a barbell, a golf club and a 70-pound concrete birdfeeder and dumped his body in a trash bin on Oct. 25, 2023.
Circuit Court Judge Michelle A. Havas handed down the sentence on June 5. She said Mendoza will be eligible to petition for extended supervision after 50 years, mirroring a sentencing recommendation by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson.
Darron McCree told the judge he wanted Mendoza, now 18, to “die and burn” with “no mercy” for what Mendoza did to his son. The emotional Milwaukee father went on to say he wished he could mete out the punishment “by my hand.”
“When he killed my baby, he killed me. I’m a different person now,” McCree said. “I believe there’s a God, but I don’t feel like he did nothing for my baby.”
Mendoza pleaded guilty in February to charges of first-degree intentional homicide, abusing a corpse, recklessly endangering safety and two counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety. A sixth charge accusing Mendoza of physical abuse of a child, repeated acts causing death, was dismissed, but read into the court record for the purposes of sentencing.
Mendoza declined to give a statement.
Here’s what happened to Prince McCree
Prince was reported missing from his home in the 2400 block of North 54th Street in Milwaukee on Oct. 25, 2023. His body was found the next morning about a mile south, on the 5500 block of West Vliet Street.
Pietura, 29, pleaded guilty in June 2024 to first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime in the case. He is serving a life sentence.
Prosecutors say Pietura and Mendoza were living with Prince and his family at the time of the attack.
Defense lawyer Scott Anderson, of Milwaukee, said his client is responsible for his role in the crime, but is also seriously troubled and mentally ill. He pleaded with the judge to allow him to have a shot at eligibility for extended supervision after 30 years.
This is a developing story. Stay with jsonline.com for updates.
Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee teen gets life sentence in 2023 beating death of Prince McCree
Reporting by Chris Ramirez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Chris Ramirez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
