Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee teen charged in death of Prince McCree, 5, will remain in adult court
A Milwaukee teenager charged in the death last year of 5-year-old Prince McCree will be tried as an adult.
An attorney for Erik Mendoza, 16, on Friday withdrew his May 10 request to have the case against his client waived into juvenile court.
“I don’t have the horses to proceed” with the waiver process, Milwaukee lawyer Scott Anderson said during a hearing Friday.
Mendoza’s case will be transferred from Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Laura Gramling Perez, who typically handles matters in Children’s Court, to Judge Michelle A. Havas.
Here’s what happened to Prince McCree
Prince was reported missing from his home in the 2400 block of North 54th Street in Milwaukee on Oct. 25. His body was found the next morning about a mile south, on the 5500 block of West Vliet Street.
Police and prosecutors say in court documents Mendoza played an active role in beating Prince to death with a barbell, a 70-pound concrete birdfeeder and a golf club.
Mendoza is charged with two first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime, as well as other felonies, including physical abuse of a child, abusing a corpse and recklessly endangering safety.
Another man was charged in Prince McCree’s death
David Pietura, 27, pleaded guilty in June to first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime. He was given a life sentence.
Prosecutors say Pietura and Mendoza were living with Prince and his family at the time of the attack.
What is Wisconsin’s law about juvenile defendants?
State law allows for children as young as 10 to be charged as adults for certain serious crimes, at least to start the case. Those crimes include first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.
Lesser charges, such as attempted first-degree reckless homicide or attempted second-degree intentional homicide, start in juvenile court.
Wisconsin is one of only three states that require all 17-year-old criminal defendants to be charged as adults.
What’s next for Erik Mendoza?
Perez ordered Mendoza to undergo a psychological evaluation after Anderson indicated he thought his client may lack the mental capacity to aid in his defense.
He is scheduled to return to court Oct. 3 after a report on the doctor’s findings has been completed.
How many children have been homicide victims in Milwaukee?
There were 172 homicides reported in the city of Milwaukee in 2023. Of them, 16 involved victims under 17 – three of whom were younger than 10, Milwaukee police records show.
So far in 2024, the city has seen 77 homicides through Thursday, 12 of which involved victims under 17. Of them, two were 9 years old or younger.
In 2022, a year that Milwaukee saw 215 total homicides, 23 children under 17 were victims, Milwaukee police data shows.
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers is returning to Riverwalk Commons at the Milwaukee Public Market this Saturday, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The free event features a flower market with vendors selling fresh flowers, art, and handmade goods, along with live music on the Riverwalk Common stage.
Milwaukee Public Market
A new floral art installation from Botanical Collective will also be on display, serving as a photo opportunity for attendees. The installation builds on a similar display from last year’s event.
WATCH: Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers returns for a second year with new additions
Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers returns for second year with new additions
“So things that you might have seen last year are absolutely coming back. We have free live music on the Riverwalk Common stage. We have a flower market with vendors selling fresh flowers, art, handmade goods, all of that really fun stuff. Then we also have Botanical Collective last year made this beautiful floral art installation that also acted as a photo op. This year it’s going to look a little different, so we’re really excited to see what they put together,” said Paige Hammond with the Milwaukee Public Market.
Milwaukee Public Market
Also new this year, the festival will kick off with a free yoga class at 11 a.m. Attendees are asked to bring their own mat.
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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Milwaukee, WI
VIDEO: Celebrating Milwaukee, LIVE at Anodyne (Feat. Dan Shafer, Kristin Brey, Angela Lang and special guests) – Civic Media
Murray Avenue and Edgewood Avenue, Shorewood
SHOREWOOD, Wis. – A 13-year-old was taken into custody on Wednesday morning, May 13, following a police chase that started in Milwaukee and ended in Shorewood.
Police chase
The backstory:
It was around 1:40 a.m. Wednesday when the Shorewood Police Department was notified of a pursuit involving a reported stolen vehicle.
The pursuit had been initiated by the Milwaukee Police Department and was terminated before entering Shorewood.
Shorewood officers located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle did not stop, and a pursuit was initiated.
The chase ended near Murray Avenue and Edgewood Avenue.
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The 13-year-old driver and sole occupant ran from the scene – and their vehicle rolled backward into the front of a Shorewood squad car.
Murray Avenue and Edgewood Avenue, Shorewood
Teen in custody
What we know:
The teen was taken into custody with the assistance of several neighboring law enforcement agencies.
The individual will be referred to the Milwaukee County Children’s Court for charging.
No injuries were sustained by the suspect or officers, and no damage was reported resulting from the contact between the vehicles.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Shorewood Police Department.
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