QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — Seven people, adults and teens, have been arrested in connection to the death of 16-year-old Preston Lord, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said.
On Wednesday, four people were indicted on murder and kidnapping charges:
- William Owen Hines, 18
- Talyn Vigil, 17
- Talan Renner, 17
- Dominic Turner, 20, also charged with aggravated robbery
On Thursday, three more suspects were indicted: Jacob Meisner, 17; Taylor Sherman, 19; and Treston Billey, 18. All are also facing murder and kidnapping charges.
The accused made their initial court appearances Thursday and Friday. They are all being held on a $1 million bond.
Vigil appeared in juvenile court Thursday, where his bond was also set at $1 million. He will be housed in the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, not juvenile detention.
It has been more than four months since the teen was assaulted at a Halloween party in Queen Creek. Two days later, Lord died from his injuries. His death was ruled a homicide by the Medical Examiner's Office.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Actualización: 6 arrestados en conexión con la muerte de Preston Lord
In late December, the Queen Creek Police Department recommended charges for review against seven people, both juveniles and adults. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has been reviewing the case ever since.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell in a news conference Wednesday night said an investigative grand jury was asked to review the case. An investigative grand jury is used to conduct further investigation beyond the police investigation, Mitchell said. This jury can require witnesses to appear in front of them or obtain documents by using a subpoena, Mitchell said.
“Because of the secret nature of grand jury proceedings, that’s as far as I’m going to go,” Mitchell said. “I’m not going to what substance was developed from the jury and I’m not going to tell you who was called, if anyone, to testify in front of the grand jury.”
The investigative grand jury began reviewing the case on Feb. 7.
The other piece of evidence that was required was the medical examiner’s report, Mitchell said. The medical examiner ruled Lord’s death a homicide in early February.
Mitchell said the investigation is “not over” and additional charges may be brought forward, but she is “not in a position” to discuss them currently.
Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice said they are looking into “all aspects” of the investigation which could include charging people who had tampered with witnesses or obstructed the process.
"Yes, we are still working, actively, to make arrests," Brice said.
Editor's Note: 12News does not typically name juveniles unless they are being charged as adults.
Lord's family makes statement
The parents of Lord, Nick Lord and Autumn Curiel, released a statement through their law firm:
We extend heartfelt gratitude to the community members who stepped up to provide information to secure these arrests. But for law enforcement's collective efforts and community members' invaluable cooperation, these arrests would not have happened. Each arrest represents a step towards accountability and justice for our son Preston.
Gilbert police summarize interactions with four people indicted
Following the announcement of indictments in Queen Creek, the Gilbert Police Department held a news conference where Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg detailed interactions with the four people indicted in Lord's death.
In the juvenile cases, Soelberg did not say which juvenile he was referring to when listing previous interactions.
The first juvenile had one previous arrest by the Gilbert PD related to riding a dirtbike into someone's yard. There were eight other interactions with this person dating back to 2017. In the interactions, the juvenile was a victim, a witness, he received a civil traffic citation, and in one case, there was insufficient evidence for an arrest, Soelberg said.
The second juvenile had three arrests. Two of the arrests were for a minor in possession of tobacco at a school and one was for shoplifting. There were seven other prior interactions with this juvenile dating back to 2021. In four of the interactions, the juvenile was a witness. One interaction was when an investigation revealed no crime happened, another when there was insufficient evidence for arrest, and in one incident, the victim did not want charges brought forward.
Another one of the indicted adult suspects had a juvenile record with Gilbert PD. Because the person was a juvenile at the time, Soelberg would not say which of the indicted the record belonged to.
That person had two juvenile arrests: One for assault involving “a fight over a girl” and one for driving recklessly in a dirt lot. There were eight other interactions with this person dating back to 2017. In three of those interactions, he was a victim. He also received a civil traffic citation and in the other three cases, the victim did not want to pursue charges.
Hines had previously been indicted on three aggravated assault charges in a case in which he allegedly harmed someone with a vehicle in a July 2023 incident, in connection with an assault at an In-N-Out in December 2022 and in connection with an assault at a party in November 2022.
Turner had one documented interaction with Gilbert police, which was a crash involving a road hazard in 2023.
Between 2022 and 2024, Taylor Sherman was arrested for suspicion of DUI, received a civil traffic citation, was involved in two traffic collisions, and was a victim in a criminal damage case.
“Today’s indictment represents one more step in bringing justice to the Lord family,” Soelberg said.
Meisner did not have any adult arrests or interactions with the Gilbert PD.
Either Meisner or Sherman had a juvenile record with Gilbert PD with four previous arrests. Gilbert PD did not give names for juvenile offenses.
The juvenile was arrested for alcohol consumption; disorderly conduct related to fireworks; criminal damage for doing donuts with farm equipment in a field; and aggravated assault that wasn’t reported until January 2024. There were seven other interactions with this juvenile dating back to 2019. In those interactions, he posted a nude photo of himself in one case; one case where evidence was insufficient for an arrest; one case where the victim did not want to pursue charges; and two cases where he was a witness. The final two cases are still active investigations, one was not reported until December 2023 and the second investigation has resulted in the arrest of four individuals, and we are actively working on investigating this juvenile’s involvement.
Soelberg said there are currently 12 active investigations involving teen violence.
Vigil held in Queen Creek community
On a street filled with orange ribbons, more than 100 people dressed in orange held a vigil for the teen.
"This is unfortunately where his life was taken," one community member said.
Lord's stepmother spoke during the vigil.
"There is an emptiness in our life that can never be replaced," Melissa Ciconte said.
Watch more in the video below.
Understanding the Lord case
Lord attended a Halloween party on Oct. 28, 2023, in a Queen Creek neighborhood. The party was large, around 100 to 200 people, and neighbors said they called the police several times throughout the evening regarding the party.
Officers with the QCPD said they first received a call about a disturbance around 9 p.m. that Saturday. Officers said several teens were leaving the area and they didn't see any illegal activity, so they left.
Police said they responded to a second call about 40 minutes later and that's when they found a teen, later identified as Lord, lying in the road near 194th Street and Via Del Rancho Road.
Two days after being assaulted, Lord died of his injuries. Family said Lord had a severe brain injury.
Queen Creek police classified Lord's death as a homicide.
Lord went to Combs High School in San Tan Valley. The school hosted a candlelight vigil on Nov. 9 for Lord. Hundreds of community members, friends and family gathered around the school's candlelit courtyard and listened to family and friends of Lord reflect on his life and legacy.
Later on Nov. 9, Queen Creek police announced they had served several search warrants related to Lord's death, but that no arrests had been made.
"We understand that the community wants quick resolution – as a police department, we are committed to a thorough investigation to hold the appropriate people accountable and bring justice to the family," a statement from the QCPD said.
On Nov. 14, Queen Creek police said they had identified multiple persons of interest in Lord's homicide investigation, but still had not made any arrests.
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Officials with the Gilbert Police Department announced on Dec. 22 that they reopened four criminal cases involving teen assaults in the wake of Preston Lord's death in Queen Creek.
Lord's death brought several other East Valley assaults to light where groups of suspects have ganged up on one victim and beat them up. Many of the assaults are recorded, often by the suspects, and shared on social media.
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said on Jan. 24 that her office is still combing through thousands of pieces of evidence in Lord's death.
"This is a monumental task," Mitchell said. "The community wants answers. Most importantly, Preston Lord's family wants answers."
Mitchell said it would be "irresponsible" to put a timeline on the investigation into Lord's death.
"We are still actively working on this, we care very much about getting this done quickly, but we care more about getting it done right," Mitchell said. "This is not something that once we do it if we do it wrong we can course correct. That's not the way the law works."
Here are a few links to our previous coverage of the investigations:
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