Milwaukee man jailed for life after boy, 5, found 'blood-soaked and gagged' in garbage bag

A Milwaukee man has been handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole for his part in the brutal killing of a 5-year-old boy last year.

27-year-old David Pietura was sentenced on Friday by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jean Kies following the tragic death of Prince McGree. Despite Pietura's attorney, Russell Jones, arguing for the possibility of parole after 40 years behind bars, Pietura himself stated during the sentencing that he shouldn't be granted parole and if Wisconsin had the death penalty, he would deserve it.

Prosecutors revealed that Pietura and a then-15-year-old boy were living with the family of 5-year-old Prince McCree. They allege that Pietura and the teenager beat Prince to death in the home's basement in October using their fists, a barbell, a concrete birdfeeder, and a golf club before hiding the body in a dumpster.

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Prince McCree was discovered "blood-soaked, bound, and gagged in the fetal position" on October 26, just one day after he went missing from his home. Erik Mendoza, 15, and David Pietura, 27, have been charged with first-degree intentional homicide in relation to the beating and stabbing of the young boy.

They initially misled police about his whereabouts, reports the Mirror US . Despite local police issuing a "critically missing alert," they did not issue an Amber Alert as the little boy didn't "meet the criteria."

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Wisconsin Senator LaToya Johnson said family members told her: "If this was a little white boy, more would be done." The motive behind the attack remains a mystery. Pietura informed the police that the teenager had expressed his desire to kill Prince for some time, simply because he didn't like him.

Pietura was charged with being a party to first-degree intentional homicide, child abuse, and hiding a corpse. He pleaded guilty in June to the homicide count. Prosecutors dropped the other charges in exchange for the plea.

The teenager, who is now 16, faces multiple charges in adult court, including being a party to first-degree intentional homicide. His lawyer is attempting to transfer the case to juvenile court.

Prompted by Prince's death and the murder of 14-year-old Lily Peters in the woods in Chippewa Falls in 2022, Gov. Tony Evers signed a law this past April expanding Wisconsin's missing person alerts for children.

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