Six individuals, including five teenagers and a 20-year-old man, have been charged in connection with the brutal murder of a 16-year-old boy in Arizona. The victim, Preston Lord, was found severely beaten and left to die on a road after a Halloween party last October. This incident is part of a disturbing trend of escalating teen violence in the area.
Maricopa County Prosecutor Rachel Mitchell announced the indictments, revealing that the evidence includes over 600 pieces of video footage. The accused are three men aged 18, 19, and 20, and three 17-year-old boys. Mitchell expressed empathy for the victim’s family, acknowledging the unimaginable pain they must be experiencing.
The family of Preston Lord issued a statement expressing their gratitude to the community members who provided crucial information leading to the arrests. They emphasized that without the combined efforts of law enforcement and the community, the arrests would not have been possible. They view each arrest as a step towards achieving justice for their son.
The tragic incident occurred on October 28. Police were alerted to an assault near 194th Street and Via Del Rancho in Queen Creek, a suburb of Phoenix. Preston was found in the road with life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries two days later.
Following the incident, police initiated a homicide investigation, gathering hundreds of tips, conducting interviews, and executing over 50 search warrants in their pursuit of the perpetrators, known as the “Gilbert Goons”. In one instance, a neighborhood street in Gilbert was shut down by the Queen Creek SWAT team to serve an arrest warrant.
Preston’s aunt, in a statement on a fundraising website, described the killing as unfathomable and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and love from the community. She revealed that Preston had suffered a severe brain injury and despite attempts to save his life, he passed away two days later in the hospital.
Prosecutor Mitchell hinted at the possibility of additional charges, as there are suspicions of a cover-up related to the beating. She stated that no one is exempt from the investigation and if sufficient evidence is found to bring additional charges, they will be pursued.
The arrests have been made amidst ongoing investigations into other assaults by teenagers in the Phoenix suburbs, highlighting a concerning trend of teen violence.