Death penalty isn't on the table for 3 suspects in Preston Lord killing. Here's why

Elena Santa Cruz and Jimmy Jenkins, Arizona Republic
Updated ·2 min read
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The Maricopa County Attorney's Office said it would not pursue the death penalty in the killing of 16-year-old Preston Lord.

The death penalty is now off the table for Treston Billey, 18, Taylor Sherman, 19, and Dominic Turner, 20, according to an email from the office on Wednesday.

They were death penalty eligible because they were adults at the time of the Oct. 28 beating of Lord that caused his death. Now, if they are convicted of first-degree murder, the three could face a maximum of life in prison.

Who has been arrested in the Preston Lord killing?

Seven people were arrested by police in March and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with the attack on Lord at a Halloween party in Queen Creek. Lord died two days later.

Criminal justice: 3 people charged in 'Gilbert Goons' beatings accept plea deals

Also charged in the killing were William "Owen" Hines, 18, Jacob Meisner, 17, Talan Renner, 17, and Talyn Vigil, 17. All seven are being tried as adults.

Billey, Meisner and Turner were also charged with aggravated robbery in connection with a necklace that authorities say was taken from Lord's friend as the attack unfolded.

The death penalty was never on the table for Hines, Meisner, Renner and Vigil because they were juveniles at the time of the attack. In Arizona, juveniles cannot be sentenced to death. They face a maximum of life in prison.

Why County Attorney Rachel Mitchell decide against seeking the death penalty

County Attorney Rachel Mitchell told The Arizona Republic in March the decision to seek the death penalty was ultimately hers to make after a thorough and long-standing procedure of review and recommendation by a senior team of attorneys in her office.

"The final decision is solely mine as to whether to allege the death penalty," Mitchell said. "And when I do it, I'm looking for a couple things. Number one, evidence that will stand up over decades, literally decades, because that's how long it is taking cases to get to the point of execution."

At a news conference on Wednesday, Mitchell said her decision in the Lord case was partly influenced by the fact that despite being relatively close in age, several of the defendants were eligible for the death penalty while others were not.

"Is it a situation where a matter of months determines whether you have the death penalty alleged against you?" Mitchell asked. "I have to take that into account, and look at the equity of that."

Last week, the trial for the seven defendants was pushed from November 2024 to July 2025.

Elena Santa Cruz is a justice reporter for The Republic. Reach her at elena.santacruz@gannett.com. Follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.

Jimmy Jenkins is a justice reporter for The Republic. Reach him at jjenkins@arizonarepublic.com or 812-243-5582. Follow him on X @JimmyJenkins.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Preston Lord defendants will not face the death penalty. Here's why