MARICOPA COUNTY, AZ — The six remaining defendants accused in the murder of Preston Lord are due back in court on Wednesday, November 12. This was originally the deadline to file to sever, or separate, the defendants' cases. It's also one of the few remaining court dates before the current Jan. 12, 2026, trial date.
In the days and weeks before court, several defendants filed requests for an extension to the severance deadline. Those included counsel for Talyn Vigil, Treston Billey, and Talan Renner.
Vigil and Renner's defense teams both requested a two-week extension. Court documents say the Judge is granting at least Vigil until Jan. 7, 2026, to file. It's unclear if that date will apply to the other defendants as well.
Renner also filed a request to appear virtually for Wednesday's court date.
"As this court is aware, this case has received a large amount of media attention that has increased civilian and media presence in the courtroom, subsequently raising safety concerns," his attorneys said in their filing.
The six defendants are all charged with felony murder and kidnapping.
At last check, all but one defendant has bonded out of custody. Jacob Meisner is the only person who remains in the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Recently, ABC15 first reported that Vigil was arrested and accused of violating a protective order while out on bond. That case is still playing out in municipal court.
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Pretrial services, which monitors those out of custody while awaiting trial, said it could not answer our questions regarding the arrest and Vigil's release conditions.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office told ABC15 they were aware and monitoring the arrest.
This court date comes weeks after the East Valley community marked two years since the beating death of Preston Lord. The 16-year-old was leaving a Queen Creek Halloween party in 2023 when he was attacked.
Preston's stepmom, Melissa Ciconte, encouraged people to stand up against teen violence and "light the night" for the teen until justice is served.
"We need your support," said Ciconte at the two-year walk. "We need your presence outside the courtroom with signs and messages of 'enough is enough' of losing our youth to violence."
ABC15 has requested permission for our camera to be inside the courtroom. Our team will provide updates as they come in.
