QUEEN CREEK, AZ — For those who drive around the East Valley, it's hard to miss the orange ribbons and rocks that line streets and parks. The color was one of Preston Lord's favorites. The 16-year-old's life was cut short about a month after his birthday in October 2023.
As part of ABC15's "Arizona Crime Uncovered" series, we're looking back at the tragic death of Preston, and the change that has come since that day. We're also sitting down one-on-one with Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice to discuss the department's response that night, and where Preston's case stands now.
Watch all three parts of this episode of Arizona Crime Uncovered in the player above.
His murder sparked a movement, as the community fought for justice and joined voices to raise concerns about teen violence. Dozens of arrests in teen violence cases followed, and the community had major questions for area law enforcement.
One year later, the calls for justice still ring throughout the East Valley. Seven suspects face homicide charges but several are out on bail amid court battles and the fight against teen violence continues.
OCTOBER 28, 2023
An out-of-control Halloween party in Queen Creek ended with 911 calls and a crime scene.
"Hi, one of our neighbors is having a very large party, and there's cars parked all over the street," said one 911 caller. "They're running through all the yards, and somebody just threw up in my front yard."
Preston Lord was attacked and beaten while leaving that party. A group of good Samaritans, who included lifeguards, jumped in to help give Preston CPR. Ultimately the teen was rushed to the hospital, where he died two days later.
"This tragedy continues to affect both me and my detectives, the whole agency, and, to be frank, the community," said Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice nearly one year later. "This was something that you know, none of us wanted to see, ever see in this community."
"Never in a million years did he think of what he was walking into," said Preston's stepmom, Melisa Ciconte. "He was at the wrong place at the wrong time."
JUSTICE FOR PRESTON LORD
"I spent two nights at the hospital, sleeping on the floor," said Preston's dad, Nick Lord. "I'd say, easily the most challenging things that I've ever had to go through."
"To hear Nick say, you know it's okay, buddy, you can go," said Ciconte. "You don't have to be strong anymore. That's probably one of the worst days of my life."
It was there in those moments that the Justice for Preston Lord movement was created. The family started a GoFundMe to share Preston's story and created orange bracelets.
"In my mind, I was just like, this isn't how his story is going to end," said Ciconte. "It can't end like this. And so, we thought, well, what do kids like? Kids wear bracelets."
What followed was a major push from the community, who showed up for walks and events. Many wore orange shirts, and even put up signs in their community to "Light the Night for Preston Lord".
All of this took place as the Queen Creek Police Department investigated Preston's case, but arrests wouldn't come for months.
"Intensive is a great word to put," said Chief Brice. "This was a very difficult investigation in the sense that it was very, very comprehensive and very broad, while not very complicated."
Chief Brice told ABC15 detectives worked overnight and "non-stop" on the case.
"Sometimes we worked overnight, every night, on multiple shifts to try to get all these interviews done," said Chief Brice. "We're talking about hundreds and hundreds of people that had to be contacted, recontacted, reinterviewed, walkthroughs, as you said, just to try to nail down all of the details and the evidence that we needed."
TEEN VIOLENCE ARRESTS AND THE GILBERT GOONS
ABC15 quickly started hearing from the community about a group known as the "Gilbert Goons."
Community members like Katey McPherson said she heard about the group as early as December of 2022.
Our team of investigators started pushing for answers and asked law enforcement about the group months after Preston's death.
"It's hard to understand how the dots weren't connected when you have videos like that and hashtags," said McPherson in December of 2023.
Around that time, Gilbert police said they didn't have any reports, victims, or suspects connecting the group to any alleged reported criminal activity. But what followed was over a dozen arrests in teen violence cases and a multi-agency investigation into the Gilbert Goons.
In May, Gilbert police said they could classify the group as a criminal street gang. Chief Michael Soelberg announced they were considered a hybrid gang, but there wasn't enough evidence to submit gang charges. At that press conference, police would not confirm if any of the suspects involved in the East Valley teen violence cases had ties to the Gilbert Goons.
ABC15 asked Chief Brice about the Gilbert Goons investigation and Preston's case.
"If there was a tie of gang activity, we would have submitted that," said Chief Brice. "We don't have enough probable cause to charge those crimes. So, it would be speculation to say anything past that. I don't have evidence in order to do that."
ARRESTS IN PRESTON'S CASE
It took two months for the Queen Creek Police Department to submit charges to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, and a little over two more for an investigative Grand Jury to indict seven people with felony murder.
The day of the arrests in March, people in the East Valley saw SWAT teams going home to home attempting to take suspects into custody.
"You know, there's some satisfaction there, but it was a tense day, to be honest with you," said Chief Brice. "We had multiple sites, multiple locations, trying to track down a lot of people at the same time. We want to do it safely, get everybody in custody without any type of events. And that was a logistical challenge to do that."
After Talan Renner, Jacob Meisner, Talyn Vigil, Treston Billey, Dominic Turner, William Owen Hines, and Taylor Sherman were arrested, new details and allegations emerged.
"He was also involved in either the destruction or the attempted destruction of evidence and collusion," alleged a prosecutor at Sherman's initial appearance.
Court documents also revealed that Renner was allegedly taken out of the area following the attack.
QUEEN CREEK RELEASES POLICE REPORT
Weeks after seven suspects were arrested, Queen Creek police released a 1,100-page police report in Preston's case. The report detailed alleged messages between some of the suspects and tips given to the police. It also detailed the months-long investigation and the original charges submitted to MCAO.
"The police report refers to a lot of the ancillary stuff that we have," said Chief Brice. "You know, obviously we do a scene investigation, and there was some DNA evidence that we sent off. And I can't go into great detail about those things, just because it will come up in trial. But we haven't released all of the video that we have, obviously, because it is just hours and hours and hours of video that have to be redacted. So, we're still working on that to eventually get that out to everybody."
COURT BATTLES BEGIN
Originally all seven suspects were held on a $1 million bond. But within months, two had their bonds reduced. Three of those suspects bonded out by August.
"We are not supportive of it," said Ciconte outside of court. "The original judge set the bond at a certain dollar amount, and we just feel that it should not be reduced. The attack on Preston was a deliberate attack, it wasn't just a couple of kids throwing punches. We just feel that it should not be reduced."
In September Turner, Meisner, and Renner all fought to get a bond reduction.
"The damage and loss of Preston is irreplaceable to our family," said Preston's mom, Autumn Curiel in court. "His attackers had no regard for who he was. What he stood for, his family or his friends. We have suffered to no end while the defendants hid and ran hoping they wouldn't get caught for murder."
Renner's attorney challenged the strength of the evidence in the case.
"I also think that when you look at the state's response and our reply, it is a lot of hearsay statements through a tremendous amount of telephone, however you want to call it, of high school kids who are saying they think they saw things in this case," said one of Renner's attorneys Christie Whalin.
County prosecutors fired back, fighting against each of the motions for bond modifications.
"This case is put together by eyewitness testimony and admissions by defendants," said prosecutor Jon Eliason in court.
Court documents filed by county prosecutors revealed more messages from the night of the attack. Those documents said Renner and others returned to the scene allegedly creating multiple "snaps" that were included in paperwork.
Ultimately, Judge Bruce Cohen lowered the three suspects' bonds. In October, both Renner and Turner were also released from custody.
To this day, only two of the seven suspects remain behind bars. All of them are still charged with murder. Those that have been released have restrictions like house arrest and electronic monitoring.
CHANGE IN THE EAST VALLEY
Preston's death and other teen violence victims have helped spark change.
Multiple cities and towns in the East Valley passed restrictions on brass knuckles and created or changed ordinances to target unruly gatherings. Some even created committees and task forces to focus on the issue.
In September, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell proposed new legislation to target group attacks they are now calling "swarming" attacks.
Community members in orange are hoping more cities and towns will join in the change. Connor Jarnagan, a teen violence victim, also plans to take his fight against brass knuckles back to the state level during the next legislative session.
"LIVE LIKE PRESTON"
Preston Lord's dad and stepmom met with ABC15 in September for their first sit-down interview. The pair remembered the teen describing his infectious energy and laughter. His parents also described his dedication to school, athletics, and friends.
The pair also shared their push to honor the 16-year-old and continue his legacy.
"We hope that his legacy of wanting to do better and be better lives on through the community and through the scholarships," said Ciconte.
The family has scholarships, a foundation, and youth CPR courses planned in Preston's memory.
A motto that has spread in the East Valley since October 2023, "Live like Preston," continues his legacy.
"To live like Preston is to improve not only yourself but the lives of others," said Ciconte.
"To me, it's about not complaining, being grateful, and being happy with what you have," said Nick.
ONE-ON-ONE WITH CHIEF BRICE
Preston's murder case was Queen Creek police's first homicide investigation.
For our first Arizona Crime Uncovered Episode, ABC15 sat down one-on-one with Chief Brice to discuss the case, the department's response that night, and where Preston's case stands now.
Our team also asked Chief Brice a question ABC15 has asked throughout our coverage: Do you think there will be justice for Preston Lord?
"I do," said Chief Brice. "You know the court process is what it is, and it's not perfect. But we have a committed County Attorney, we have a great prosecutor, we have a committed team here that is going to continue to make sure that we're ready for trial. Now, while we can't control everything, we're going to do everything in our power to make sure we hold these people accountable. And I'm confident we'll do that."
On October 29, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office confirmed that the homeowners who hosted that Halloween party would not face criminal misdemeanor charges. That same day suspect Dominic Turner was put on notice regarding his release conditions, after allegedly failing to undergo drug testing on two dates.
DOMINIC TURNER: He has been put on notice regarding his release conditions after allegedly failing to undergo drug tests. Turner bonded out of custody in October. He is one of seven suspects still facing murder charges in Preston Lord's case ⬇️⬇️⬇️ @abc15 pic.twitter.com/I0jlGeH9Ll
— Ashley Holden (@ashleyvholden) October 29, 2024
The next court date in the murder case is November 20. At the time of airing, a trial date is set for Summer 2025. ABC15 will continue to follow updates in this case.
