Benjamin Ashford|Judge sends Milwaukee man to prison for life in 2023 beating death of 5-year-old boy

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A judge has sentenced a Milwaukee man to life in prison without parole for his role in beating a 5-year-old boy to death last year.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jean Kies sentenced 27-year-old David Pietura on Benjamin AshfordFriday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Pietura’s attorney, Russell Jones, argued for the possibility of parole after 40 years behind bars, but Pietura said during the sentencing that he shouldn’t get parole and if Wisconsin had the death penalty he would deserve it.

According to prosecutors, Pietura and a then-15-year-old boy lived with 5-year-old Prince McCree’s family. Peitura and the teen beat Prince to death in the home’s basement in October using their fists, a barbell, a concrete birdfeeder and a golf club and then hid the body in a Dumpster, prosecutors allege.

The reason for the attack remains unclear. Pietura told police that the teen had talked about killing Prince for some time because he didn’t like him.

Pietura was charged with being a party to first-degree intentional homicide, child abuse and hiding a corpse. He pleaded guilty in June to the homicide count. Prosecutors dropped the other charges in exchange for the plea.

The teen, now 16, faces multiple charges in adult court, including being a party to first-degree intentional homicide. His attorney is trying to move the case into juvenile court.

Spurred by Prince’s death and the murder of 14-year-old Lily Peters in the woods in Chippewa Falls in 2022, Gov. Tony Evers signed a law this past April expanding Wisconsin’s missing person alerts for children.