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6 arrested in connection with death of Arizona teen beaten outside Halloween Party

Phoenix Arizona; Maricopa County Sheriff's office
Phoenix Arizona; Maricopa County Sheriff's office

Six people have been arrested months after the death of a 16-year-old who was beaten outside a Halloween party in Arizona on October 28, 2023, and died two days later in the hospital.

A Maricopa County grand jury indicated two more suspects on charges stemming from the gang-style, fatal beating of Preston Lord:  Taylor Sherman, 19, was booked late Wednesday by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office on one count of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping; and Jacob Meisner, 17, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated robbery, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. He was in custody on other charges when he was served with the charges connected to Lord’s death.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said at a news conference on Wednesday that four others have been charged so far in Lord’s death — Dominic Turner, 20, William Owen Hines, 18, and Talan Renner and Talyn Vigil, both 17, were indicted on first- and second-degree murder charges, as well as kidnapping. Renner and Vigil are juveniles but will be charged as adults.  Turner also was charged with aggravated robbery.

All six defendants are being held on $1 million bonds, according to the county attorney’s office. In a statement obtained by NBC News through their attorney, Lord’s parents, Nick Lord and Autumn Curiel, thanked community members “who stepped up to provide information to secure these arrests … But for law enforcement’s collective efforts and community members’ invaluable cooperation, these arrests would not have happened. Each arrest represents a step towards accountability and justice for our son Preston.”

Editorial credit: Thomas Trompeter / Shutterstock.com