MILWAUKEE — The trial begins Monday for a Milwaukee teenager charged in connection with the death of 5-year-old Prince McCree.
Watch: Trial begins for Milwaukee teen charged in death of 5-year-old Prince McCree
Erik Mendoza, now 18, will face trial as an adult. Mendoza was one of two people charged in Prince McCree's death.
Prince was reported missing in October 2023 and was later found dead in a dumpster. In June 2024, David Pietura pleaded guilty to beating the child to death and was sentenced to life in prison.
Prince's death prompted Governor Tony Evers to sign "The Prince Act" in April 2024. The law lowers the bar for an Amber Alert.
5-year-old Prince McCree was reported missing but an Amber Alert was never issued because there was not enough information. His body was found the next day.
TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins looked into the law Monday morning and learned it stands for the "Protection and Recovery Involving Non-Located Children Endangered."
It expands the state's missing person's alert system to cover children under 10, and children under 18 with disabilities, who don't meet the criteria for an Amber Alert. The law would trigger alerts for missing children across the emergency alert system, sending information out via highway signs, digital billboards, and social media.
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