Preston Lord: 4 indicted for teen's murder, per MCAO
UPDATE: Two more people were indicted in the Preston Lord case as of Mar. 7, 2024, according to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. You can find the latest information here. The original story is below.
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QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. – A grand jury indicted four people in connection with the murder of Preston Lord, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced on March 6.
Preston was assaulted during a Halloween party on Oct. 28. He died while at the hospital on Oct. 30.
On Feb. 15, his death was officially ruled as a homicide by the medical examiner.
During a joint news conference with the Queen Creek Police Department, Mitchell identified the four suspects in his death as William Hines, Talan Renner, Dominic Turner, and Talyn Vigil.
All four are accused of murder and kidnapping. Turner is also accused of robbery. They are all in police custody.
On Thursday morning, 19-year-old Taylor Sherman made his first court appearance in connection to Lord's killing. Sherman is also accused of first-degree murder and kidnapping. Hines, Turner and Sherman are being held on a $1 million bond. Renner and Vigil have not yet made their initial court appearances.
During an interview with KTAR, Rachel Mitchell said Jacob Meisner was also arrested, marking the sixth arrest for Lord's murder.
From left: William Hines, Dominic Turner and Taylor Sherman (MCSO)
‘A step towards accountability and justice’
The Lord family released a statement on the news saying, in full, "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."
"Since the cases related to Lord’s death were submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) in late December 2023, prosecutors – including those at the most senior level of the office – have undertaken a detailed review of 600 videos and a 2,000-page police report among other evidence to develop the case against those indicted today," the county attorney's office said.
On Feb. 7, an investigative grand jury began hearing this case. Mitchell says an important piece of evidence they considered was the medical examiner's report from Feb. 14.
"A grand jury was convened and heard evidence over the course of five weeks. My office has put in hundreds of hours, as have the members of several East Valley police departments. I offer my deep thanks to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s office for the difficult and important work they have done. But let me emphasize: this investigation is not over. There is more information to review and the potential for additional charges exists," Mitchell said.
Police encourage anyone with information to submit tips at https://p3tips.com/952.
Watch the full press conference
Gilbert PD holds a press conference
Not long after the QCPD and MCAO announcement, the Gilbert Police Department held its own news conference.
Gilbert PD Chief Michael Soelberg detailed some suspects' criminal pasts. He says Turner does not have an arrest record.
"I'm limited as to what I can discuss," he said, as two of the suspects are juveniles.
Teen violence in the East Valley
The far East Valley community has been in the news in recent months as a result of ongoing teen violence investigations.
Read More: Teen violence: Here's a list of suspects authorities have arrested
In addition to indictments over Preston's death, there have been arrests and indictments in other unrelated teen violence cases.