What happened to Preston Lord?

A fight erupted outside a Halloween party in Queen Creek, AZ, near Phoenix, on Oct. 28, 2023, leaving 16-year-old Preston Lord dead two days later. Six teenagers and one 20-year-old are now charged with the crime, and disturbing social media messages have been revealed referencing their guilt.

The fight broke out when an inexpensive necklace was stolen from one of Lord’s friends, Fox 10 Phoenix reported. When Lord and other friends confronted the boys who took it, Lord was knocked to the ground when witnesses said someone in a white suit stomped on him and then fled the scene. At that time, the remaining suspects took cell phone video of Lord’s unconscious body.

After a months-long investigation, Talan Renner, 17, Talyn Vigil, 17, William Owen Hines, 18, Dominic Turner, 20, Taylor Sherman, 19, Treston Billey, 18, and Jacob Meisner, 17, who were all allegedly involved in the attack, face charges stemming Lord’s death and the necklace robbery. All seven suspects, whom Lord reportedly didn’t know, have pleaded not guilty.

The Preston Lord text messages

Central to the Preston Lord case are a series of social media messages and texts recovered in the investigation implicating the seven suspects in Lord’s murder. One sent by Talan Renner reportedly read, “Got in a fight…killed a kid..guess I don’t know my own strength.” Another, meanwhile, added, “Talan killed someone with his hands.”

Another message, sent from an individual not charged in connection with Lord’s death, stated, “Yo tell me you didn’t delete the video of the dead kid. It’s 10k if you give to the popo,” referring to the reward authorities offered for information. Other messages sent between the group urged those involved to delete all video and photos taken at the scene.

There may have been others involved

All seven suspects charged in connection with Preston Lord’s death were arraigned in mid-March 2024. Speaking with AZFamily.com, Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice said as many as 15 individuals may be implicated and that Lord’s assault was one of the most brutal he’d seen in his law enforcement career.

In his AZFamily interview, Brice urged witnesses who may have been there that night to come forward. Adults involved in the case may be charged in connection with the case, but it’s unclear if those charges stemmed from Lord’s attack or possibly obstruction or destroying evidence. “We said from the very beginning the arrests aren’t enough. It’s the conviction that we’re really looking for,” Brice added.