“My baby didn’t deserve anything,” Prince’s mother said before the judge handed down Erik Mendoza’s sentence.
The story of Prince McCree has reached a legal end. A Wisconsin judge has sentenced both people convicted of death to life in prison. Prince was only 5 years old when he disappeared from his home Milwaukee home in October 2023.
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At first his family thought he was missing. Then things turned into something much darker. Police found Prince’s body in a dumpster about a mile from where he was last seen. Now Erik Mendoza, who was 15 when Prince died, will spend decades behind bars.
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What happened to Prince McCree?
Prince was last seen on October 25, 2023 at the Milwaukee home where he lived with his family. According to the criminal complaint obtained by Fox 6Prince’s mother, Jordan Barger, kept him home from school that day because he had a cough and sore throat. She last saw him around 9 a.m. and thought he went to the basement to play video games. Later that day, Jordan realized Prince was missing and contacted police. His parents and neighbors searched the area in hopes of finding him alive.
Police found Prince’s body the next morning in a dumpster near Hawley Road and Vliet Street. The discovery shocked the Milwaukee community and quickly turned the missing child case into a murder investigation. Authorities later charged Erik and David Pietura in connection with Prince’s murder. Both lived in the same house as Prince and his family Fox News.
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When police arrested David, he eventually told investigators he knew where Prince’s body was. According to 12 NewsDavid told officers, “It wasn’t me,” “I didn’t want any of this,” and “I loved that kid,” before telling them Prince’s body was in a dumpster behind a bar.
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Surveillance footage showed Erik and David walking through an alley while carrying a garbage bag. GPS information also placed them near the alley where Prince’s body was later found.
Erik initially denied hurting Prince or knowing where he was. According to the complaint, he later admitted to choking and beating the little boy.
A Wisconsin teen has been sentenced to life in prison.
Erik pleaded guilty in February to five of the six charges against him. These charges include first-degree intentional homicide, concealment of a corpse and three counts of recklessly endangering safety in the second degree. On June 5, a Milwaukee County judge sentenced Erik to life in prison. He will not be eligible to apply for parole for another fifty years. Prince’s family spoke in court before the verdict. His mother, Jordan Barger, said she wanted Erik to receive the maximum sentence.
“I hope he gets the most because my baby didn’t deserve anything,” Jordan said per Fox 6. “He was five, you were fifteen. That’s a very, very big difference. And like I said, I’m just glad justice was done.”
David, the other man accused of Prince’s death, had been convicted before Erik. David pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide in 2024 after reaching a deal with prosecutors. A judge sentenced David to life in prison in July 2024.
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