One of the defendants in the Preston Lord case was back in court Friday, as prosecutors pushed for Talyn Vigil to be sent back to jail. The teen has been arrested in Gilbert twice, now, while on house arrest awaiting trial in the murder case.
Despite Friday’s hearing, Vigil will be out of custody for at least a few more weeks, if not more as this all plays out in court.
On Friday, a judge heard from all sides, including Bryn DeFusco, the attorney representing Preston Lord’s family.
Inside court
"He's demonstrated a complete disregard for this court's orders," said DeFusco. "It's also an affront to my clients and the integrity of the court. At some point, privilege must give way to accountability, and it's our position that point is now."
Vigil is one of the six remaining defendants charged in the murder of Preston Lord. The 19-year-old was one of the first defendants to bond out of custody in 2024.
Currently, only one, Jacob Meisner, remains in the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff's office.
ABC15 was the first to report that Vigil was arrested in the fall of 2025 for violating an order of protection. Then, in February, he was arrested again for reckless driving. Both cases are still moving through the municipal court.
"This is the alternative to being in jail," said Prosecutor Ryan Green. "And unlike a lot of people who are on house arrest, you don't have any violations, we now have two separate cases that are literally being prosecuted."
Questions about the second arrest
Vigil’s attorney, Jason Gronski, pushed back in court. He raised concerns and questions about the second arrest and the Gilbert Police Department's enforcement of electric bikes and motorcycles.
"My concern here is we do have a misdemeanor offense that a police officer does not witness himself," said Gronski. "He does not see any of the actions that is done by Talyn Vigil, so, and arrest him for that. Which gives me a lot of concerns, because it's based off a hearsay statement from a 911 caller."
ABC15 has requested a copy of the police report and reached out to Gilbert police.
"He's still at the house," insisted Gronski. "He's compliant."
In court, Gronski also requested the ability to file additional sensitive information under seal.
Judge Sam Myers gave the teen's attorney a deadline of March 18 and asked for copies of the police reports.
Ben Taylor is a criminal defense attorney not associated with this case. He took our questions about this process, including the time it's taking for a final decision.
"Alot of people want justice to be swift they want things to happen within the hour, like a TV show," said Taylor. "But in real life these things are normal and Judges take their time. The prosecutors and defense attorneys take their time to decide what is the ultimate right decision."
Taylor said if Vigil is convicted in the other two cases, those can play a future role if plea deals are on the table.
What's next?
The Lord family's attorney, along with prosecutors, will have a deadline of March 25 to provide a response to the additional filing.
The Judge told prosecutors he couldn't hold Vigil non-bondable, so he asked prosecutors what new release conditions they would be requesting.
Green said they would request a bond increase.
"But I do think that there needs to be some sort of tightening up of the house arrest provisions that would disallow even the possibility of, for example, picking up a reckless driving," said Green.
Judge Myers says he will make his decision on or before April 1.
The first of several trials in this case is currently set to begin in October 2026. The defendant on trial first will be Jacob Meisner.
