CHANDLER, Ariz. — Nearly three months have passed since 16-year-old Preston Lord was brutally beaten outside of a Halloween party in Queen Creek.
Lord died of his injuries two days later.
Despite thousands of pieces of evidence gathered in his case, to date, no one has been arrested in relation to Lord’s death.
As the community grieves his loss, the passing days and weeks raise questions about the investigation – and similar acts of apparently random group violence against other teens in the community.
12News Town Hall: Teen Violence
12News hosted a Town Hall on teen violence Monday night. Watch the replay below or in the player at the top of the page.
RELATED: Gilbert PD exploring gang classification for 'Gilbert Goons,' investigating 8 teen violence cases
Meet the panel
Julia Wheatley, Queen Creek mayor
Wheatley was elected mayor in 2022 and served on the Queen Creek Town Council since 2010. She grew up in Arizona and Queen Creek has been home since 2007.
Katey McPherson, community advocate
Formerly a school teacher, guidance counselor and administrator, McPherson is also a mother of five and active in her community, advocating for parents and students' safety and mental health.
Krissyn Sumare, senior director of Academics, Blueprint Education
Blueprint Education Inc. is a non-profit organization that runs two public charter high schools in Arizona, offering alternative, non-traditional learning environments.
Dr. Aaron Krasnow, associate vice president of ASU’s Health Services and Counseling Services
An expert in the treatment of anxiety disorders, Dr. Krasnow is responsible for Health and Counseling Services for all ASU campuses.
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb
Lamb was elected sheriff on Jan. 1, 2017 and is now running as a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. Lamb’s law enforcement experience includes working as a detective on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Gang Enforcement Unit and other multi-jurisdictional gang investigations.
His office has made two arrests of young adults both facing charges in an assault on a teen that was recorded on video and posted online.
Bishop Anthony Holt, NAACP Arizona State Conference president
A long-time community advocate, Holt served as the West Valley NAACP president and was a founding member in 2017. Holt is interested in curbing teen violence throughout Arizona and bringing effective tools to teens statewide.
Jennifer Clack, Silent Witness
Clack is the Vice President of the Arizona Chapter of Silent Witness, a non-profit that partners with local police, news outlets and the community to help solve and prevent crime.
Latest on Preston Lord, other cases of teen violence
On Dec. 28, the Queen Creek Police Department announced it had submitted charges for review to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office against seven people in connection with Preston Lord's death.
The two months between his death and the announcement of possible charges have been hard on the community. It was the QCPD's first-ever homicide investigation, and a very high-profile one.
On Nov. 26, a 17-year-old Casa Grande Union High School senior died after being shot at a house party.
Casa Grande police said an altercation between an unknown number of party attendees took place and resulted in shots being fired. Hailey Stephens and another 17-year-old girl were hit. Both were victims of stray bullets, police said.
The shooting was not related to the Lord investigation, but enhanced worries for community members about teen violence in the East Valley.
A total of nine teenagers were arrested in connection with the house party and shooting.
Two days after the Casa Grande house party shooting, another teen was shot and killed in San Tan Valley.
Jamiere Jenkins went to the same high school as Lord.
Jenkins was shot after a verbal confrontation with another teen, according to officials.
Anthony J. Garcia, the suspect accused of shooting Jenkins, was charged with one count of second-degree murder. Garcia is not being prosecuted in juvenile court.
In January, a teen was charged in relation to a brutal attack at a north Phoenix fast food restaurant in May 2023 where Kevin Durkin, 15, lost seven teeth in total in the attack.
Adam Zodrow, 18, was charged in the assault. He accepted a plea deal for an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge.
On Jan. 5, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office confirmed it was investigating a Nov. 18 video showing a group teen assault that happened in the area of the San Tan Mountain Regional Park.
Video of the fight was been shared on social media in the East Valley and it shows a 16-year-old getting ganged up on by a group of other teens. The juvenile is punched multiple times and once he's taken to the ground, assailants take turns kicking him.
On Jan. 10, Pinal County officials announced a 20-year-old man who identified himself as associated with the "Gilbert Goons" was arrested for the assault. Jacob Pennington of Gilbert faces aggravated assault charges for his alleged involvement.
Two days later, Sheriff Mark Lamb said that 18-year-old Garrett Bagshaw of Mesa was also arrested and booked into jail for his alleged involvement in an assault. Lamb said the case remains under investigation.
On Jan. 10, four teens were arrested in connection with the alleged assault and robbery in August 2023 outside of an In-N-Out restaurant in Gilbert that resulted in the juvenile victim going to the hospital.
Aris Arredondo, 18, and two 16-year-olds face aggravated robbery and aggravated assault charges, according to the GPD. Charges on the two juveniles are being referred to the Maricopa County Juvenile Court. Christopher Fantastic, 18, was also taken into custody for allegedly being involved in the violent incident.
On Jan. 17, the Mesa Police Department announced Fantastic was arrested again for allegedly being involved in a different "vicious attack" in Mesa.
The incident occurred on May 29, 2023, near Val Vista Drive and Southern Avenue and involved up to 40 juveniles and young adults fighting.
A Snapchat video captured the incident, which helped investigators to identify the subjects who were violently striking the victim.
More teen violence coverage from 12News
Preston Lord
Gilbert In-N-Out beating
Gilbert response
Mesa assault
More ways to get 12News
On your phone: Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
On your streaming device: Download 12News+ to your streaming device
The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.