A Milwaukee man has been handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole by a judge for his involvement in the fatal beating of a 5-year-old boy last year. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jean Kies imposed this sentence on 27-year-old David Pietura, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Pietura’s lawyer, Russell Jones, advocated for the chance of parole after serving 40 years in prison. However, Pietura expressed during the sentencing that he did not deserve parole and stated that if Wisconsin implemented the death penalty, he would merit it.
Prosecutors stated that Pietura and a 15-year-old boy had been living with the family of 5-year-old Prince McCree. Allegedly, Pietura and the teenager fatally beat Prince in the basement of the residence in October, using various objects like their fists, a barbell, a concrete birdfeeder, and a golf club, after which the body was concealed in a Dumpster.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear. Pietura informed the authorities that the teenager had discussed killing Prince for some time due to his dislike for the boy.
Pietura faced charges of complicity in first-degree intentional homicide, child abuse, and concealing a body. He pleaded guilty to the homicide charge in June, leading to the dropping of the other accusations as part of a plea deal.
The 16-year-old teenager is now confronting multiple charges in adult court, including complicity in first-degree intentional homicide. The teenager’s legal representative is striving to have the case transferred to juvenile court.
In response to the tragic deaths of Prince and 14-year-old Lily Peters in Chippewa Falls in 2022, Governor Tony Evers signed a law in April of that year to enhance Wisconsin’s missing person alerts for children.
