QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — The suspects allegedly involved in Preston Lord's death were attempting to steal property from another victim on the night of Lord's death, according to the unsealed indictment released Friday.
The seven suspects criminally charged in connection to Lord's death following a Halloween party on Oct. 28 have been identified as:
- William Owen Hines, 18
- Talyn Vigil, 17
- Talan Renner, 17
- Dominic Turner, 20,
- Jacob Meisner, 17
- Taylor Sherman, 19
- Treston Billey, 18
The indictment charging the suspects with multiple felonies provides more insight regarding the events that unfolded on the night Lord was attacked.
Turner, Billy and Mesiner were allegedly involved in trying to steal property from a second unidentified victim on the same night Lord sustained his fatal injuries, according to the indictment. These three suspects allegedly used force and threats to get the victim to surrender their property.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office said the piece of property stolen by the suspects was a chain necklace.
All seven defendants are charged in the indictment with allegedly being involved in restraining and killing Lord.
>> Editor's Note: 12News does not typically name juveniles unless they are being charged as adults.
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 Queen Creek Police Department 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 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. Many of the assaults were recorded, often by the suspects, and shared on social media.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said on Jan. 24 that her office was 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: