Crime & Safety
Waukesha Man Pleads Guilty in Tosa Teenager's Heroin Death
Daniel Birtic, one of two suspects in the overdose death of Alex Hopping, pleads guilty to first-degree reckless homicide for his role in the crime.
A Waukesha who supplied heroin that later has pleaded guilty for his role in her death.
Daniel Lee Birtic, 24, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of first-degree reckless homicide for providing heroin to Alexandra Hopping, 19, who overdosed and died in her home April 18, 2011.
A second defendant, Edwin Esteves, 33, is slated to stand trial in the case June 4; however, he will make his final pre-trial appearance Tuesday where he could also potentially plead guilty.
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The men were charged under the state’s Len Bias law after Wauwatosa police officers conducted inside a home in the 1800 block of North 70th Street.
The conditions of Birtic's plea arrangement were not released. According to the Hopping family, , Birtic's plea bargain involved a reduced sentence. The maximum sentence for first-degree reckless homicide under the Bias law is 40 years in prison.
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Both men remain in Milwaukee County Jail. Birtic will be sentenced July 20.
