PHOENIX — All seven people accused of killing 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Halloween party in October in Queen Creek pleaded not guilty to the charges they face in connection to his death.
Those in court Wednesday were 17-year-old Talan Renner, 20-year-old Dominic Turner, 17-year-old Talyn Vigil, 19-year-old Taylor Sherman, and 17-year-old Jacob Meisner. One of the accused, 18-year-old William Hines, did not appear at his hearing Wednesday but entered a plea of not guilty.
The seventh individual, 18-year-old Treston Billey, was not in court Wednesday. He appeared in court Thursday and also entered a not-guilty plea.
Court paperwork indicates that a necklace was stolen from another victim, only listed in the records as "Victim A."
At some point after, Lord and a group went running and were chased before the attack took place.
Lord died two days after the October 28 attack in Queen Creek.
Family, friends, and community members have been pushing for justice in the attack for months, including a candlelight vigil held just after the arrests were made last week.
The attack brought attention to a string of violent attacks involving teens in the East Valley, dating back to late 2022.
TIMELINE: A look at teen violence in the East Valley
Multiple East Valley agencies have since made dozens of arrests in multiple cases regarding teen violence.
More cases remain under investigation.
