WI Teen Gets Life In Killing Of 5-Year-Old Boy Found In Dumpster

MILWAUKEE, WI — A Wisconsin man who was 15 when prosecutors said he helped kill 5-year-old Prince McCree was sentenced to life in prison Friday.

Erik Mendoza, now 18, will not be eligible to petition for release for 50 years, FOX6 Milwaukee reported, citing Wisconsin Circuit Court Access and court documents.

Mendoza pleaded guilty in February to first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and three counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety, WISN reported.

Prince was reported missing in October 2023 after his mother allowed him to go into the basement of the Milwaukee home where the family lived to play video games, according to the criminal complaint in the case.

The next day, authorities found Prince's body in a dumpster near North 55th Street and West Vliet Street, roughly a mile from his home, according to WISN.

Another defendant in the case, David Pietura, was previously sentenced to life in prison, FOX6 reported.

Mendoza did not speak at Friday's sentencing. His defense attorney spoke on his behalf, telling the court Mendoza has severe mental health issues, including schizophrenia.

Prince's death later helped lead to changes in Wisconsin's missing-child alert system.

Gov. Tony Evers in April 2024 signed the "Prince Act," formally known as 2023 Wisconsin Act 272. The law expanded the criteria for issuing missing-child alerts in Wisconsin, according to the governor's office.

Evers signed the bill at Hawley Environmental School in Milwaukee, Prince's former elementary school. The governor's office said Prince's disappearance helped inspire the legislation.

The Wisconsin Legislature said the bill was named in memory of Prince and was intended to address gaps in the state's alert system for missing children.