Teen charged with killing 5-year-old Prince McCree appears in court; trial set for February

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The teen charged with killing a 5-year-old Milwaukee boy appeared in court Thursday, Nov. 6. 

Prince McCree went missing in October of 2023, and his body was found the next day in a dumpster near 55th and Vliet. 

Seventeen-year-old Erik Mendoza is one of two people charged in McCree's death. A trial date is now on the books for the new year. 

Mendoza has been in jail for two years. His defense lawyer has brought several motions to dismiss his case that have all failed. 

Mendoza is accused of beating 5-year-old Prince McCree to death using a barbell, a concrete bird feeder, and a golf club before hiding his body in the dumpster. 

Mendoza was 15 years old at the time. 

In 2024, his attorney, Scott Anderson, asked for a hearing to waive him to juvenile court, then dropped the request. 

Mendoza was found competent to stand trial last November. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, leading to two doctor evaluations last month. 

His attorney asked for a Miranda-Goodchild hearing used to determine if a defendant was properly read their rights and understood what they meant, but on Thursday, Attorney Anderson dropped that motion, too. 

"It is my understanding that the defense is not pursuing a motion to suppress Mr. Mendoza's statement," Judge Michelle Havas said. 

"I decided that that motion was not viable and I was not going to bring it," Anderson replied.

Mendoza's trial is now scheduled to start on Feb. 16, 2026, with charges of first degree murder and child abuse causing death. 

He faces life in prison. The other man convicted in McCree's killing, 29-year-old David Pietura, is currently serving a life sentence.