Three youths and a 20-year-old man were indicted by the Maricopa County prosecutor for the death of a 16-year-old Arizona boy found badly battered outside a Halloween party last year. Beaten Preston Lord, 16, died two days after being found on a road in Queen Creek on Oct. 28, spurring calls for more police action against adolescent group violence in that and other communities.
Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice addressed a press conference, “These four indictments are just the start.” He said police are booking more people.Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell accused William Owen Hines, 18, Dominic Turner, 20, and two 17-year-olds with first- or second-degree murder and kidnapping. She said Turner is also accused with robbery.
Mitchell stated that all four Preston murder suspects are adults. NBC News won't name the 17-year-olds since they're minors. Mitchell called the investigation “extremely complex” with hundreds of police reports and 600 videos. In response to a juvenile disturbance, officers found Preston in a highway at 9:49 p.m. Oct. 28. His hospitalization killed him two days later.
Police said they saw many teens leave about 9:07 p.m. but witnessed no illegal activity and went to another call. Last month's medical examiner report found Preston murdered. Police have not disclosed the death reason. The criminal cases were not in online Maricopa County court records, and defendants' attorneys were unknown. At least two other Hines attorneys denied representing him in the murder case.
"We thank the community members who provided information to secure these arrests," Preston's parents, Nick Lord and Autumn Curiel, said in a lawyer-distributed statement. "But for law enforcement’s collective efforts and community members’ invaluable cooperation, these arrests would not have happened," said. "Each arrest represents a step towards accountability and justice for our son Preston." The grand jury began investigating the case on Feb. 7, Mitchell said. Queen Creek police arrested three of the four suspects Wednesday after the indictments were returned; Hines was already in jail, her office said.
Gilbert police are investigating youth gang violence, including the “Gilbert Goons,” after Preston's death and subsequent assaults. Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg and others denied the four were members of such a group. Gilbert has 12 active group teen violence investigations, Soelberg said Wednesday after the Lord case indictments.
Hines is the only Gilbert adult suspect with three serious assault crimes, two of which were allegedly committed earlier but not reported until December and January, according to Soelberg In January, Soelberg said community resentment over Preston's death led to cyber vigilantism and misinformation about unrelated persons. According to Soelberg, an innocent 17-year-old was accused of murder and threatened because someone posted the false location online.
Mitchell said the Lord family is "in agony" over losing a child and begged social media users to examine their influence in recent months.
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