Corey Stingley death: Cases dismissed, men complete agreements

MILWAUKEE - Two men, who pleaded guilty to felony murder in the 2012 death of Corey Stingley, have had their cases dismissed after a judge ruled they completed the terms of their deferred prosecution agreements.

Deferred prosecution agreement

In court:

In January, prosecutors charged Robert Beringer and Jesse Cole with felony murder. The charges came more than a decade after Stingley's death.

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Beringer and Cole pleaded guilty, and Judge Laura Crivello withheld a judgment of conviction for six months as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. If the two men didn't commit any new crimes, the judge would likely dismiss the case with prejudice.

That's what happened on Monday. Court records show Crivello received and signed orders to dismiss the cases against Beringer and Cole, both of whom completed the agreement. Because the cases were dismissed with prejudice, it means the same case cannot be refiled in the future.

The deal, which meant the men avoided prison time, was made with prosecutors and Stingley's family – part of a years-long effort to get justice for the teen.

Death investigation

The backstory:

In December 2012, police showed up to a West Allis convenience store. Stingley was inside pulseless, unconscious and being held down by three men: Beringer, Cole and Laumann, who died in 2022. 

Surveillance video showed Stingley putting liquor bottles into his backpack. At the counter, the clerk confronted Stingley, who then tried to run off. That's when the three men inside the store took Stingley down and restrained him until police arrived. During this time, the teen stopped breathing. 

The criminal complaint against Beringer and Cole said West Allis EMS believed it was approximately eight minutes before Stingley regained a pulse. However, he was not breathing on his own and was taken to a hospital. He died from his injuries two weeks later.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Stingley died from anoxic brain injury – a lack of oxygen to the brain due to asphyxia and physical restraint. The office noted Stingley's airway was obstructed with "reasonable force."

Restorative justice

Dig deeper:

Craig Stingley, Corey's father, sought criminal charges against the men involved in his son's death for years.

"I believe this process that we've gone through has provided that reclamation, that restoration, that respect that he deserves. The accountability that we were seeking," he said in January.

Over the years, different district attorneys declined to file charges. A judge appointed Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne as a special prosecutor in 2022.

Ozanne said that if the third man involved, Laumann, were still alive, this would be a "different situation." The special prosecutor said Laumann was the "most culpable" in Stingley's death.

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After talks with the Stingley family, Ozanne said it became clear that a "traditional" criminal justice route would not accomplish what the family wanted. The family, Bering and Cole met over several meetings through a Marquette University Law School restorative justice program led by former Milwaukee County Chief Judge Mary Triggiano.

"We found some things in that restorative justice process. It wasn't something I initially thought was going to work, but I learned some things about myself that I believe will shine a light for somebody else," said Stingley.

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