Investigators: Man, teen beat 5-year-old to death in Milwaukee, hid body in dumpster
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Criminal charges have been filed against two people in connection to the death of a 5-year-old boy found dead inside a dumpster in Milwaukee.
Officials have charged 27-year-old David Pietura and a 15-year-old (not named or pictured) with the following:
- First degree intentional homicide
- Physical abuse of a child, repeated acts causing death
- Hiding a corpse
The 15-year-old is also facing three counts of recklessly endangering safety in connection to a series of alleged random stabbings in the city of Milwaukee on Oct. 23.
Five-year-old Prince McCree was found in a dumpster on the city's near northwest side Thursday, Oct. 26 after he was reported missing on Oct. 25. Authorities say the child was found bound and gagged inside multiple garbage bags.
McCree's death was determined to be a homicide.
According to a criminal complaint, the accused and McCree lived in different areas of the same residence. On the morning McCree was reported missing, his mother kept him home from school with a cough and sore throat. The complaint says the child's mother last saw him around 9 a.m., when it says McCree wanted to go into the basement of the home to play video games.
Investigators say a search of the home uncovered evidence related to McCree's death, which led them to interview the 15-year-old and Pietura.
The complaint says Pietura eventually told authorities he walked in on the 15-year-old choking the child but did not intervene. It goes on to say the two bound and gagged the child, put the child's body in a garbage bag and continued to beat him repeatedly, at times using a barbell and taking turns striking him with a golf club.
During an interview with authorities, Pietura told investigators the 15-year-old had "talked for some time about wanting to kill someone." He said the teenager never liked McCree and had discussed wanting to kill him.
The complaint says surveillance video was recovered, appearing to show the two suspects with a white garbage bag walking through an alley in the 5400 block of Vliet. The pair were allegedly captured walking up to the dumpster where the body of McCree was recovered.
On Monday, a woman named Jackie drove by at a loss for words. After a long pause, she said she can, "just pray. It's all you can do."
Jackie does not know Prince's family, but her son was murdered last January.
She told us, "I feel for the mother, the siblings, whoever else is involved in this. It's just sad," adding, "For someone to do this to a kid, it's not right."
Not knowing what else to do, Jackie bought a Christmas tree to leave at the scene. "I just wanted to give him something, or the family, or something to this memorial," she said.
The dumpster where Prince McCree was found dead has become a makeshift memorial, with candles, flowers, and toys honoring the 5-year-old boy. But that location is not the only place where the 15-year-old defendant admitted to committing violent crime.
The 15-year-old defendant said two days prior he stabbed three people within an hour, all of them apparently random targets.
Near 42nd and North, he ran up behind a man and stabbed him in the back.
At 35th and Center, he stabbed a man in the shoulder from behind.
Then he stabbed a woman in the back of the neck at a bus stop near Center and Sherman.
To investigators, the 15-year-old defendant said he "wanted to stab someone badly" and he "admitted feeling a rush from stabbing each victim."
Two days later he allegedly attacked and killed McCree.
Prince's family members said on the phone that every day is getting worse and worse as they learn new information about his murder.
They said his mother would not let people she didn't trust around her children, and so she never saw this coming.
Pietura is due in court Monday, Oct. 30. The 15-year-old is set to appear in juvenile court Oct. 31.