Milwaukee teenager Joseph Prado was sentenced Friday, May 29, 2026, to 25 years in prison for his role in the Easter morning shooting that killed 17-year-old Donell Jones. Under Wisconsin's truth-in-sentencing rules, that prison term will be followed by 20 years of extended supervision. Authorities say the shooting erupted as a party broke up near 23rd and Townsend in Milwaukee, leaving Jones dead and another person wounded. Friends and classmates remembered Jones as a Milwaukee Lutheran senior who had planned to study medicine.
According to CBS 58, Prado, now 18, pleaded guilty in March to felony murder, attempted armed robbery and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent. The station reports the judge ordered 25 years of initial confinement followed by 20 years of extended supervision, matching the structure laid out at Friday's hearing.
Jones' family and teammates described him as a promising student-athlete; his mother and school officials told WISN he had recently enrolled at Northern Illinois University and was due to graduate that spring. A candlelight vigil and school memorial captured the community's grief in the days after the killing.
How Prosecutors Say The Shooting Unfolded
Prosecutors, citing surveillance footage and the criminal complaint, say Prado and a friend chased down and confronted a group outside the party and tried to rob one person. Prado reportedly fired multiple times after hearing nearby gunfire, according to CBS 58's earlier reporting on the charges. Court records show the case moved from arrest to a guilty plea in March, resolving the criminal proceedings that followed the April 20, 2025, shooting.
Sentencing And Legal Notes
Wisconsin treats felony murder within its homicide statutes, and sentences are commonly split into an initial confinement period followed by extended supervision, which explains the structure of Prado's term. The Wisconsin State Law Library outlines the statutory elements and sentencing framework that apply in these cases.
Hoodline previously covered the community's response after Jones' death in April 2025, and the May sentencing closes a major chapter in the case while renewing local conversations about youth gun violence in Milwaukee. The outlet reported on the vigil and the school's reaction.
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