Six people have been charged in the death of a 16-year-old Arizona boy who died after a gang-style assault during a Halloween party in suburban Phoenix last year, authorities said.
On Wednesday, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said that in the death of 16-year-old Preston Lord, Dominic Turner, 20, William Hines, 18, Taran Renner and Taryn Vigil were charged with the death of 16-year-old Preston Lord. It was announced that four people, all 17 years old, would be indicted.
All four are charged with felony first-degree murder and kidnapping.
“These four charges are just the beginning,” Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Blythe said at a news conference.
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Preston Lord, 16, died last year after being the victim of a gang-style attack at a Halloween party in suburban Phoenix, authorities said. (FBI)
Then, on Thursday, Mitchell’s office announced charges against Taylor Sherman, 19, and Jacob Misner, 17. Both men are also charged with first-degree murder and various other charges. All six suspects are in custody.
Authorities said Hines was already in custody on an unrelated assault case. Mitchell’s office told Fox News Digital that the three boys, Meisner, Renner and Vigil, are being charged as adults.
Lord’s parents, Nick Lord and Autumn Kriel, said the arrest “represents a step toward accountability and justice for their son Preston,” according to a statement released by their attorneys.
Lord was beaten on October 28, 2023, after a party at Queen Creek. Mr Lord was found by paramedics on the road just before 9.50pm and taken to hospital where he died two days later. The attack shocked the community and prompted calls for more police action to combat youth violence.
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Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley said in a statement: “There is still work to do, and while we cannot bring Preston back, the arrests in the Preston Road murder investigation are an important step in the process.” Ta. “I think and pray for the Lord’s family every day. I am so grateful that we can continue to move forward in our pursuit of justice for Preston.”
The medical examiner ruled Lord’s death a homicide, but the cause of death has not been released.
From left: William Hines, Dominic Turner, Taylor Sherman. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
Mitchell said her office reviewed 600 videos and 2,000 pages of police reports, among other evidence, to develop the case against the original four suspects. An investigative grand jury began hearing the case on February 7th.
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Investigators said they suspected Lord was killed by a gang called the Gilbert Goons, the Arizona Republic reported in December. They reportedly recorded the attacks in parks, parking lots, outside fast food restaurants and at house parties, and posted the videos on social media. media.
Many of the attacks occurred in the nearby city of Gilbert and went unchecked by police for more than a year, the report said.
