PHOENIX — All seven men accused of killing 16-year-old Preston Lord have been arraigned and all pleaded not guilty.
It has been more than four months since Lord 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: Los 7 sospechosos en la muerte de Preston Lord se declaran no culpables en la lectura de cargos
In late December, the Queen Creek Police Department recommended charges for review against seven people, both juveniles and adults. Those seven people were arrested last week:
- Talan Renner, 17
- Talyn Vigil, 17
- William Owen Hines, 18
- Dominic Turner, 20
- Taylor Sherman, 19
- Treston Billey, 18
- Jacob Meisner, 17
Billey was arraigned Thursday morning. The other six suspects were arraigned on Wednesday. Hines did not personally appear in court after denying transport and his lawyers pleaded not guilty in his place.
Billey was the last of the seven suspects to be arrested last week, pushing his hearing a day later. Queen Creek PD's special assignment unit was seen outside Billey's home Wednesday looking to serve a warrant. Records show the following day, Billey self-surrendered to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Hines, Turner, Vigil, Sherman and Billey remain in Maricopa County Sheriff's Office custody. Meisner and Renner are being held in juvenile detention. All seven suspects are being tried as adults.
As of now, court records show four of the seven suspects have hired private attorneys while three have been appointed public defenders.
All suspects are due back in court on April 30. They're all being held on $1 million secured appearance bonds in connection with Lord's murder.
>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
TEEN VIOLENCE ACROSS THE VALLEY
Watch 12News+ for free
You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12News+ app!
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.
Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives.
Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for "12 News KPNX."
Amazon Fire TV: Search for "12 News KPNX" to find the free 12News+ app to add to your account, or have the 12News+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.