An 18-year-old Wisconsin man was sentenced to life in prison for the 2023 murder of a 5-year-old boy in Milwaukee. Erik Mendoza will be eligible for parole after 50 years. The victim’s family addressed the court during the hearing.
Erik Mendoza pleaded guilty in February to first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse, and three charges of reckless endangerment. He was 15 at the time of the killing. Prince McCree’s body was found in a dumpster on October 26, 2023. Mendoza’s co-defendant, David Pietura Jr., had already pleaded guilty and received a life sentence without parole. During sentencing, Prince’s father Darron McCree spoke from behind a glass wall, saying he wished he could strangle the defendant. Prince’s mother Jordan Barger later told reporters she was glad justice was served. Prosecutors described the crime as particularly egregious. Mendoza’s attorney noted his client’s serious mental illness. The case involved multiple attacks on the child with a golf club and other objects before the body was disposed of.