Two men pleaded guilty Thursday to felony murder charges in connection with the 2012 death of 16-year-old Corey Stingley in West Allis, more than 13 years after the teenager died during what prosecutors described as false imprisonment.
Robert Berringer, 67, and Jesse Cole, 39, entered guilty pleas to felony murder with false imprisonment as the underlying offense, charged as parties to a crime. The case was resolved through a restorative justice process that brought together the defendants and Stingley's family over the past year.
Under the plea agreement, both men will receive deferred prosecution for six months. If they comply with the terms, prosecutors will ask the court to dismiss the charges with prejudice, providing finality to the case.
The maximum penalty for the charges would have been up to 18 years in prison - six years for the underlying false imprisonment charge plus an additional 12 years because the crime resulted in death.
Prosecutor William Brown told the court the state pursued restorative justice after realizing the traditional criminal justice system would not accomplish the Stingley family's main goals of restoring Corey's humanity and achieving accountability.
"We were upfront with Mr. Cole and Mr. Berringer and their attorneys that this was a case we were going to charge," Brown said. "We hoped that the process, if they were willing to participate, would guide our recommendation to you, Your Honor, for resolution in this matter."
The restorative justice process was facilitated by former Judge Mary Triggiano, director of the Andrew Center for Restorative Justice at Marquette Law School. Brown said the process allowed both sides to see each other's humanity and created compassion and empathy.
Watch: Men plead guilty in teen's 2012 death after restorative justice process
Brown noted that the most culpable individual in Stingley's death had died before the current prosecution team took over the case as special prosecutors. He said if that person were still alive, they would likely be seeking lengthy incarceration through the traditional system.
During the hearing, Stingley's parents addressed the court about their son's death and the impact on their family.
His father, Craig Stingley, said he was not seeking vengeance and that the pain would begin to heal after the proceedings.
"I'm not looking for vengeance. I don't have vengeance in me today," Craig said. "There's still pain, but after today, that will begin to heal too, because we do have strength from being able to go through this."
Corey's mother, Alicia Stingley, spoke about how her son's death changed their family forever.
"Corey was my baby. The mother is not supposed to bury her child," Alicia Stingley said. "On that day, December 14, really has changed the trajectory of my life, of our whole family's lives."
She described the milestones her son would never experience - prom, graduation, marriage, and children. Corey would have turned 30 on March 1.
"All of my other kids have reached their 30s. I'll never get to see that," she said.
Despite the loss, Alicia Stingley expressed forgiveness toward the defendants.
"The forgiveness and love that was expressed to them was a little new, was a little different," she said. "I've been forgiven much, so I'm able to forgive, and I thank the Lord for that."
Both defendants were released on $500 signature bonds with the condition that they commit no new crimes. The case will return to court in six months for a status conference, at which time prosecutors expect to request dismissal of the charges.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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