TEMPE, Arizona — One of the six remaining Preston Lord suspects has been arrested for a third time while out of custody awaiting trial in the East Valley murder case.
Preston Lord, 16, was attacked and beaten while leaving a 2023 Queen Creek Halloween party. Seven people were arrested, and just one has taken a plea agreement.
Five of the six remaining defendants, including Talyn Vigil, have bonded out and are currently on house arrest and GPS monitoring.
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
Friday, ABC15 learned Vigil was arrested Thursday, September 17 by Tempe police. Online, the alleged violations in his case include “racing on the highway”.
Tempe police say Vigil was arrested, along with another 23-year-old man, for reckless driving and exhibition of speed while the two were on motorcycles in the area of Arizona State University.
“Both men were observed by police officers splitting traffic, performing burnouts while stopped at intersections, and participating in an exhibition of speed, including drag racing and disregarding Arizona traffic laws,” said an email from Tempe police. “Their actions demonstrated a flagrant and reckless disregard for the safety of other motorists.”
ABC15 reached out to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office about the arrest.
“We’re aware of the situation,” said an email from MCAO staff. “Any action we take will be done through the appropriate channels in court.”
Our team has also reached out to the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department, which oversees Vigil’s pretrial supervision.
We’re currently waiting for their response.
ABC15 has also requested court documents filed in Vigil’s new Tempe case.
Vigil appeared in court late Friday. A judge said a warrant had been issued for allegedly violating his release conditions.
An additional five thousand dollar bond was set, and the court took away Vigil's driving privileges.
"I honestly, I agree with you," said Vigil in court. "I don't, if you guys take it, completely okay with me. Because I don't, I'm not gonna say anything, you know. But, wasn't my fault, and I'm honestly gonna stay off of driving myself."
UPDATE: "I'm not gonna say anything, you know. But, wasn't my fault, and I'm honestly gonna stay off of driving myself."
— Ashley Holden (@ashleyvholden) September 19, 2026
Talyn Vigil appeared in court after being arrested for a third time while out of custody awaiting trial in the Preston Lord murder case. In court, it was said… pic.twitter.com/KiRQKCiLPw
All of the previous release conditions Vigil was expected to follow will still be in place.
The court acknowledged there are certain appointments outside his home that Vigil is allowed to attend.
"You're supposed to be limited from house arrest to go to your attorney, bondsman, medical appointments, court," said the judge. "But when I'm reading things, I'm like, I don't know which those you're going to. But it seems like when you're on a motor vehicle, doesn't go well, and good choices are not made."
In court, the judge said a hearing would be set for September 24 in front of the judge "handling this matter".
It originally appeared it would take place in front of Judge Myers, who is presiding over the murder case.
Monday, ABC15 worked to clarify this date and who would be the presiding judge. As of now, we are waiting to hear back from the courts and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
Vigil's attorney, Jason Gronski, sent our team an email saying he had filed a motion to continue the upcoming hearing. He told ABC15 he would be traveling.
Tuesday, ABC15 received a comment from the Lord family's attorney.
"The repeated and blatant disregard for the court’s orders is nothing short of astounding," said attorney Bryn DeFusco.
PREVIOUS ARRESTS
ABC15 was the first to report that Vigil, now 20, was arrested in the fall of 2025 for violating an order of protection. Then, in February, he was arrested again for reckless driving.
Both arrests were unrelated to Vigil's superior court case.
This spring, Maricopa County prosecutors in the murder case filed to have Vigil's release conditions revoked and a new higher bond amount set.
Ultimately, Judge Sam Myers denied the motion filed by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
The judge said the major factors he considered were the teen’s already high bond, whether he would show up to court, and if he was a danger to society.
ABC15 later obtained Gilbert municipal court records, including audio from a court hearing in June, which showed Vigil signed two plea agreements in both misdemeanor cases.
There were two cases stemming from the September 2025 incident, and one was dismissed.
In the February case, Vigil's charge was amended to disorderly conduct.
The two plea agreements, signed by Vigil, placed him on probation for three years.
The agreement meant avoiding jail time, but there was a 180-day suspended sentence if he violated the terms of probation.
As for the murder case, there will be several trials. The defendant set to go first is Jacob Meisner.
Earlier this moth, his trial date was pushed to November.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said Vigil bonded out of custody on Monday, September 21.
Tempe municipal court staff told ABC15 on Monday that Vigil had a five thousand dollar cash only bond set in his new case. They had not received the bond receipt yet, but said his next court date would likely be in October.
ABC15 obtained new court documents which show it was an officer in an unmarked car who spotted the motorcycles last week.
Those documents allege the two appeared to be "racing and showing off".
Those court documents say around that time of day hundreds of ASU students are walking around campus near the roadway and there are a large amount of cars.
It also says, at one point, the two allegedly accelerated side-by-side to 50-60 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone.
The motorcycle driven by the 23-year-old apparently belonged to Vigil and didn't have a license plate. The other rider allegedly admitted to "his dangerous operating of the motorcycle".
The court documents say Vigil told officers her did not think he was driving recklessly.
Vigil is on probation in Gilbert for his previous misdemeanor cases. ABC15 reached out to see if this new arrest would have an impact.
A public information officer for Gilbert police checked on our request, sending back this statement.
"The defendant is currently on unsupervised probation and is in good standing. There has not been anything filed to impact his probation as a result of his recent arrest. If at any point there is something filed, the judge may set a hearing and determine if there are any impacts to his case here."
On Wednesday, the Gilbert police PIO provided an updated statement regarding Vigil's probation.
Want more news in your community? Add ABC15 as a preferred source on Google below:
