QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — The Queen Creek Police Department submitted charges against the two homeowners who hosted the Halloween party Preston Lord and his alleged attackers attended before he was killed.
The Oct. 28, 2023 house party was attended by up to 200 people, according to police. The homeowners stated it was supposed to be a small get together hosted by their teen. They were inside the home during the party.
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“We did submit charges on the homeowners the same time we sent the other charges to the county attorney. So they're under review," said Queen Creek PD Chief Randy Brice.
“Can you tell us what charges you submitted?” asked 12News reporter Bianca Buono
"No, we're not going to disclose that until they're done with a review," Brice said.
'It's been tough. I will not sugarcoat it.'
Chief Brice sat down one-on-one with 12News days after his department's 1,200-page investigative report into Lord's death was publicly released.
The report details accounts from dozens of witnesses, interviews with alleged suspects, and some of the evidence police have collected.
"Do you have DNA evidence and do you anticipate DNA playing a large role in the trial?" Buono asked.
"I won't go into detail about that because it's going to be for the trial and we haven't released those records yet. We did gather some DNA and there's an analysis, but I'm not going to go into details on that but it is a part of our investigation," Brice said.
The report shows tips received by police that allege one of the seven suspects, Talan Renner, was pulled out of school the day after Lord died from his injuries and was taken out of the Valley by his parents so his hands could heal.
Watch the full interview
“Is that hindering your investigation? And is that against the law?” Buono asked.
"The fact that that occurred, that person was taken out of town, you have to remember we have to look at it was there some criminal aspect to it? So we're investigating," Brice said. "If we find something that's criminal, we will send that information the county attorney for charges, but still under investigation. But we're not jumping to conclusions. But we're fully investigating.”
The chief wouldn't elaborate on the role each of the seven suspects allegedly played in the group-style attack, saying that will have to come out in trial, but he said the case continued to develop after his department recommended charges to the county attorney's office back in December.
The report shows in mid-December, police were recommending second-degree murder charges for some of the suspects and aggravated assault or robbery for others. Not all seven suspects were mentioned at the time. But by the time charges were formally announced, seven suspects were charged with first-degree murder.
"As we refined the case, and the details kept on coming in, we worked with the county attorney to refine what we would actually be charging. That's part of the review process. And so the county attorney, again, a lot of credit to their office, they did a wonderful job to really understand the details of the case and where it led to. And I think we've come up and they've come up with the the best case scenario for what should be charged in this," Brice said.
“I just wanted to ask how your department is doing mentally after living this for the past several months," Buono asked.
“I appreciate that. I think one of the things that are lost, especially when we had that frenzy, of why is this done. And all the criticism that came along with that is not only the officers and the support staff, and all the people that are in conjunction with this, you'd be surprised how much this has touched the entire department. It was overwhelming just for that, then on top of that, all the other, you know, scrutiny because of different feelings that were out there about how we were conducting business. So it's been tough, I will not sugarcoat it," Brice said.
The chief said Queen Creek has a robust mental health and support system for officers.
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