Additional Coverage:
- Wisconsin teen gets lengthy sentence for beating boy, 5, to death with golf club and dumping body (themirror.com)
A Wisconsin teenager has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the first-degree murder of 5-year-old Prince McCree.
Eighteen-year-old Erik Mendoza confessed to a brutal attack on Prince, using a golf club, a 30-pound barbell, and a concrete birdbath pedestal to inflict fatal injuries. After the assault on October 26, 2023, Mendoza wrapped the child’s body in garbage bags secured with duct tape and discarded it in a dumpster. Mendoza was arrested alongside 29-year-old David Pietura Jr., both of whom lived with Prince and his mother.
In February, Mendoza entered guilty pleas to first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse, and three counts of reckless endangerment. He faces life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 50 years.
Over the past two years, Mendoza’s defense attorney sought to dismiss the case or have it moved to juvenile court, efforts that were unsuccessful. The defense later argued for an insanity plea, describing Mendoza as a “very troubled, seriously mentally ill person” who was nonetheless legally responsible. This was also rejected when a judge ruled Mendoza competent to stand trial.
In a powerful courtroom moment, Prince’s father, Darron McCree, expressed his anguish and anger from behind a protective glass barrier, stating, “When he killed my baby, he killed me.” He went on to say he wished the defendant no mercy and voiced a desire for retribution.
Prince’s mother, Jordan Barger, also spoke, saying she was relieved that justice had been served. “That’s all that matters to me. My 5-year-old didn’t deserve that,” she said.
David Pietura Jr. faces life without parole after pleading guilty in June 2024 to first-degree intentional homicide as a party to the crime. Pietura, who lived in the basement of the home, was reportedly supervising Prince when the murder occurred.
According to court documents, Prince’s mother had asked Pietura to watch her son while she rested, later leaving to go shopping under the impression her son was in Pietura’s care. When she checked the basement, the room was empty and dark, prompting Pietura to admit Prince was not there and leading to a police report.
Investigators found blood on the basement floor, which Pietura initially claimed came from Mendoza during horseplay. However, further investigation, including cellphone records and blood evidence on Pietura’s leg, led to his arrest for obstruction of justice. A K-9 unit later discovered Prince’s decomposing body on the property, bound, gagged, and blood-soaked.
Authorities used special reagents to uncover bloodstains that had been cleaned and obtained surveillance footage showing Pietura and Mendoza disposing of the child’s body on the afternoon of October 25, 2023.
Upon arrest, Mendoza allegedly admitted to strangling and beating Prince with a golf club, noting the child was initially alive and “foaming from the mouth and crying.” He then reportedly punched and kicked the boy until lifeless before dropping heavy objects on his head. Mendoza told police he was “bored” and “wanted to stab someone badly” during his initial interview.
The case has deeply shaken the community, with the family and authorities seeking justice for the young victim.