MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee teenager charged in the death of 5-year-old Prince McCree pleaded guilty to five felony charges in court on Monday.
Erik Mendoza, now 18, faced Monday's trial as an adult. Mendoza was one of two people charged in Prince McCree's death.
Watch: Milwaukee teen pleads guilty in death of 5-year-old Prince McCree
Ahead of his scheduled jury trial Monday, he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse, and three counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety.
A judge set his sentencing date for June 5 at 2 p.m.
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 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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