Timeline: Teen violence plagues the East Valley

It was Oct. 28, three days before Halloween, when Lord attended a party in a Queen Creek neighborhood. The party was large, around 100 to 200 teens attended. Neighbors said they called police several times that evening because of the gathering. 

"We had students falling out of cars. We had kids vomiting in our front yard here. We were trying to take care of teenagers with open alcohol... sick," Jeanna Pignatiello, who lives nearby, said.

Officers with the QCPD said they first received a call about a disturbance around 9 p.m. that Saturday. Officers said several teens were leaving the area and they didn't see any illegal activity, so they left.

Police said they responded to a second call about 40 minutes later and that's when they found a teen, later identified as Lord, lying in the road near 194th Street and Via Del Rancho Road.

First responders performed CPR and took Lord to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Pignatiello told 12News she believes the party could have been stopped before someone lost their life.

"I can't imagine as a parent what that feels like but to know we were calling for an hour at least, maybe two," Pignatiello said. "Where were the police? Where were the adults? How did this get to continue? How was this so out of control?"

RELATED: A teen went to a Halloween party in Queen Creek. Two days later, he died

Two days after being assaulted, Lord died of his injuries. Family said Lord had a severe brain injury.

Queen Creek police classified Lord's death as a homicide.

Lord went to Combs High School in San Tan Valley. The school hosted a candlelight vigil on Nov. 9 for Lord. Hundreds of community members, friends and family gathered around the school's candlelit courtyard and listened to family and friends of Lord reflect on his life and legacy.

RELATED: 'I thought we would have more time': Friends and loved ones remember teen killed at Halloween party

He was described as a positive light in the community.

“I feel like I’m missing a part of myself," said friend Andrew Vasquez.

“Preston was one of the happiest souls I’ve ever met," said friend Andres Zavala.

“I miss you Preston. I hope you know how much I’m thankful for you," said friend Merrick Bowles.

One mother read a letter on behalf of her son, Fabian Moreno, who was Lord's friend. She fought back tears.

“I lost my father. But this type of pain hurts. To see my son go through this hurts," she said.

Later on Nov. 9, Queen Creek police announced they had served several search warrants related to Lord's death, but that no arrests had been made.

"We understand that the community wants quick resolution – as a police department, we are committed to a thorough investigation to hold the appropriate people accountable and bring justice to the family," a statement from the QCPD said. 

RELATED: Queen Creek police serve search warrants as investigation into teen's death at Halloween party continues

On Nov. 14, Queen Creek police said they had identified multiple persons of interest in Lord's homicide investigation, but still had not made any arrests. 

Police said they received hundreds of tips since the assault and were in the process of reviewing a "substantial amount" of data before making an arrest.

"Our Investigators are determined and dedicated to solving this case," Police Chief Randy Brice said in a statement. "However, we want more than just an arrest. We want to ensure that those involved are convicted of the crime."

The FBI was also brought in to help with the case and agents were working with police to offer a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. 

RELATED: Police identify multiple 'persons of interest' in Preston Lord homicide

On Nov. 26, a 17-year-old Casa Grande Union High School senior died after being shot at a house party. 

Casa Grande police said an altercation between an unknown number of party attendees took place and resulted in shots being fired. Hailey Stephens and another 17-year-old girl were hit. Both were victims of stray bullets, police said.

The shooting was not related to the Lord investigation, but enhanced worries for community members about teen violence in the East Valley. 

A total of nine teenagers were arrested in connection with the house party and shooting.

RELATED: 'Hailey had a huge life left in front of her': Family of Casa Grande teen killed in house party keeps her memory alive

Two days after the Casa Grande house party shooting, another teen was shot and killed in San Tan Valley. 

Jamiere Jenkins went to the same high school as Lord. 

Jenkins was shot after a verbal confrontation with another teen, according to officials. 

Anthony J. Garcia, the suspect accused of shooting Jenkins, was charged with one count of second-degree murder. Garcia is not being prosecuted in juvenile court.

“We have seen far too many young lives impacted and cut short due to youth violence,” Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted, and it is my sincere hope that our youth begin to appreciate and recognize the inherent value in every human life.”

Jenkins' case has not been linked to any others mentioned, but again, another teen was killed by violence in the east Valley, furthering concerns from the community. 

RELATED: 17-year-old indicted for allegedly murdering Combs High School student

One month after the assault on Lord and after no arrests had been made, hundreds in the East Valley spent the somber anniversary together by walking from American Leadership Academy in Queen Creek to the Queen Creek Police Department. Participants wore orange, Lord's favorite color.

“It’s been a month since our family got a call that would change our lives forever," said Melissa Lord, Preston Lord's aunt. “It’s also been a month since a group of boys decided to beat my nephew and leave him on the side of the road and go home like nothing happened. It’s been a month since the parents of these boys have chosen to live a life of silence while we’ve been living a real-life nightmare.”

Preston Lord's death sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community.

“I think everyone feels the same. We’re just heartbroken and devastated but also trying to come together to support not only the family but the safety of all of our youth," said Katey McPherson, a community mental health advocate.

RELATED: Queen Creek community walks for justice one month after deadly attack of 16-year-old Preston Lord

On Dec. 21, Chief Brice provided an update on the investigation.

"I understand that it is incredibly frustrating for the public that there has not yet been an arrest. To secure a conviction, the County Attorney must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt - social media posts are not enough - they must be authenticated and corroborated," Brice said in a statement.

QCPD has conducted numerous interviews and issued several search warrants.

Brice said, however, not everyone is cooperating.

"I want to thank those parents and children that have come forward to provide information or details related to this case. However, some parents have actively refused to let their children participate in the investigation. We need people to come forward and stand up for Preston," Brice said.

Brice said police have increased patrols in areas where teens are known to congregate as the community waits for arrests.

Officials with the Gilbert Police Department announced Dec. 22 they reopened four criminal cases involving teen assaults in the wake of Preston Lord's death in Queen Creek.

Lord's death brought several other East Valley assaults to light where groups of suspects have ganged up on one victim and beat them up. Many of the assaults are recorded, often by the suspects, and shared on social media.

Videos of some of these incidents have been circulating among East Valley community groups. 

One of the groups linked to some of the incidents is known as the "Gilbert Goons."

A Gilbert PD spokesperson told 12News that initially they did not have any cases where the victims or suspects referred to the "Gilbert Goons," however recent updates from victims now refer to their assailants as being associated with the group.

"We are actively reviewing our assault cases involving youth to see if there is any additional information or correlation between these incidents that can assist us with our past investigations," said Brenda Carrasco, a public information officer with Gilbert PD.

RELATED: 'There haven't been any consequences': Gilbert PD reopens 4 teen assault cases as concerns over teen violence in the East Valley continue

Exactly two months after the deadly assault on Lord, officials with the QCPD said they are referring charges against seven people to the MCAO. 

"While charges have been submitted for review, the investigation continues and the public is encouraged to submit any new tips," Chief Brice said.

Officials with the MCAO said it would "likely take some time" to review those charges.

RELATED: Queen Creek police submit charges against 7 people in death of Preston Lord

After officials with the QCPD announced they referred charges against seven people to the MCAO, Attorney Hector Diaz said the charges that people could face in the case could be wide-ranging.  

“From potential first-degree murder to maybe even manslaughter or negligent homicide or something in between,” Diaz said. “And that is going to depend on the evidence. You also have the potential of aggravated assault allegations, you also may have the potential of tampering with physical evidence.”  

Diaz said those who are at the center of the case likely do know charges are being submitted, noting any attorneys the potential suspects have retained are likely working to gather evidence, too.  

“This is a situation where if these individuals were put on notice, let’s say a month or two months ago, and if they have counsel, there no doubt would have been a parallel investigation in terms of: what is the level of culpability of my client? Is he actually a target? Do they have the wrong person? Do they have the wrong level of information?,” Diaz said.  

Diaz said that the county attorney's office will be looking closely at the case that Queen Creek submitted.  

“What the county attorney is going to want here is a clear indication that they have probable cause to charge these offenses,” Diaz said. “If it is a Grand Jury presentation, to make that presentation, and to obtain an indictment, and then subsequently to obtain convictions for the offenses that they charged.”  

As for how long it could take to learn who those seven people are that have had charges submitted against them, Diaz believes it will take some time.  

“I think it’s going to be guided by the volume of information that the county was presented. I expect that the county is going to – given the seriousness of this high profile nature of this – they’re going to want to make sure that they have everything that they need to make that presentation of the Grand Jury," he said. "Or if it’s going to be a direct complaint, they want to have it, they want to get it right.”

Queen Creek Police Department has not released the seven people's ages, names or charges submitted.  

As teen violence investigations in several jurisdictions continue, a teen was charged related to a brutal attack at a north Phoenix fast food restaurant in May 2023. Kevin Durkin, 15, lost seven teeth in total in the attack and had to undergo multiple surgeries and dozens of appointments.

Adam Zodrow, 18, was charged in the assault. He accepted a plea deal for an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. 

Zodrow was sentenced to six months behind bars for the assault. 

“It feels like he's just getting kind of a slap on the wrist and what kind of message does that send to the kids?” Brett Durkin said.

“I'm glad he's getting some time but I definitely think it should have been a bit more,” Kevin Durkin said.

Zodrow told the judge he felt "truly horrible" about what happened to Kevin Durkin and he's "haunted" by his actions every day. 

The judge chose not to credit Zodrow with any time previously served in jail, meaning he will serve the full six-month sentence. Zodrow will then be placed on supervised probation for four years. 

He was also ordered to pay the victim's family at least $3,500 in restitution.

While this attack is similar to what has been happening in other parts of the Valley, the Durkins believe this attack is not related to the Lord murder.

On Jan. 5, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office confirmed it was investigating a video of a group teen assault that happened in the area of the San Tan Mountain Regional Park.

The assault happened on Nov. 18. Officials said they were called to a desert area off of North Wagon Wheel Road and West Sun Dance Drive for a report of an altercation.

Video of the fight was been shared on social media in the East Valley and it shows a 16-year-old getting ganged up on by a group of other teens. The juvenile is punched multiple times and once he's taken to the ground, assailants take turns kicking him.

Officials said the teen suffered minor injuries and was not able to immediately identify his attackers.

On Jan. 10, Pinal County officials announced a 20-year-old man who identified himself as associated with the "Gilbert Goons" was arrested for the assault. Jacob Pennington of Gilbert faces aggravated assault charges for his alleged involvement.

Two days later, Sheriff Mark Lamb said that 18-year-old Garrett Bagshaw of Mesa was also arrested and booked into jail for his alleged involvement in an assault. Lamb said the case remains under investigation.

"I was not surprised about another attack," said McPherson.

McPherson and others have been vocalizing concerns about the safety of teens in the East Valley for the past several months. 

"I think the public needs to know there's not just like one group of four or five. We're talking 20-30 deep and this style is a thing. It's a trend," McPherson said.

It's unclear if those involved in the Pinal County assault case are connected to any other cases being investigated.

McPherson cautions parents of this violent trend and said social media plays a big role. She notes assailants typically record their group-style assaults then share the videos on social media for the purpose of clout and likes.

On Jan. 8, the East Valley high school Preston Lord attended canceled upcoming sporting events against another East Valley school as investigations into teen violence continue in the area. 

"Due to the highly sensitive nature of recent events, coupled with the heightened level of commentary and concern shared by community members, it was determined that canceling the upcoming games was in the best interest of our students," a statement from J.O. Combs Unified School District said. 

Preston Lord attended Combs High School. The school canceled its basketball games against ALA-Gilbert North.

The decision to cancel the boys and girls basketball games on Jan. 11 and Jan. 25 was made after consulting the Arizona Interscholastic Association, the district said. 

As of Jan. 9, GPD was investigating at least nine incidents related to teen violence. The department said it has launched four investigations that came from online tips, in addition to the four cases it reopened that were previously shelved.

Police have declined 12News' repeated requests for an interview to discuss teen violence, however, in a statement, police said victims in some of their cases have referenced their assailants as being associated with the group known as the "Gilbert Goons."

Police are now investigating if that group should be classified as a criminal street gang.

Gilbert officials have partnered with the state's gang task force called the Arizona Gang & Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission (GIITEM). It's also working with Mesa PD's Gang Unit, QCPD, Chandler PD and the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.

12News asked Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell about criminal street gang charges when working on an unrelated case. She explained how they work in Arizona.

“There is an actual charge of assisting a criminal street gang. That’s actually a criminal charge. It’s a crime," Mitchell said.

But in many cases, street gang charges are enhancements added on to existing charges. If the suspect is found guilty, it can lead to a harsher sentence.

“What the enhancement does is a higher level felony, such as a class two or class three, it adds five years to the sentence," Mitchell said. "If it’s a lower level offense, such as a four, five or six, which is the lowest level felony, it adds three years.”

On Jan. 10, the Town of Gilbert approved the formation of a subcommittee to investigate teen violence.

The committee will be made up of town council members Jim Torgeson, Chuck Bongiovanni and Vice Mayor Scott Anderson.

Councilmember Torgeson told 12News the committee plans on speaking with the community about how to move forward in addressing teen violence in Gilbert. As of the meeting, there are no solid plans on what the committee's first step should be.

On Jan. 10, four teens were arrested in connection with the alleged assault and robbery in August 2023 outside of an In-N-Out restaurant in Gilbert that resulted in the juvenile victim going to the hospital. 

Aris Arredondo, 18, and two 16-year-olds face aggravated robbery and aggravated assault charges, according to the GPD. Charges on the two juveniles are being referred to the Maricopa County Juvenile Court. Christopher Fantastic, 18, was also taken into custody for allegedly being involved in the violent incident.

During Fantastic's initial appearance in court, a representative for the MCAO said the August incident was a planned attack and allegedly done in retaliation.

The prosecutor asked the judge to assign a $100,000 bond for Fantastic because they're "extremely concerned" about the safety of the community and the suspect's association with some sort of "group." Fantastic was given a $25,000 bond. 

On Jan. 19, Fantastic was indicted on charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. Arredondo was indicted on Jan. 22.

On Jan. 11, The GPD released additional details on the cases of teen violence currently under investigation.

The agency is seeking assistance from the public to help identify the individuals involved in up to nine incidents. 

Three of the new investigations involve altercations that occurred on unknown dates at the following locations: Williams Field Road and Market Street, Guadalupe Road and Freestone Parkway, and a parking garage near 72 West Vaughn Avenue.

One of the cases is a reopened investigation into an assault that occurred on Dec. 17, 2022, near Higley and Elliot roads. Police have made one arrest in this case but investigators are looking for additional suspects.

Pictures of the incidents can be seen here.

Gilbert police said these investigations are separate from Queen Creek's investigation into Lord's death.

Teen violence was a central focus at the Jan. 11 Chandler City Council meeting. 

Melissa Ciconte, Preston Lord's stepmother, asked councilmembers to adopt a campaign that educates youth on teen violence called "Be an Upstander, Not a Bystander". The campaign was started by an East Valley mental health advocate. 

The goal of the campaign is to start mandatory education sessions in schools and provide resources for families and counselors to prevent more teen violence. 

"The devastating loss of Preston's life was due to unnecessary violence. Our child will never be coming home and we need to prevent this from ever happening again," Ciconte said. "Empowering our youth and building their self-confidence, worth and value will support their outlook on life and give them the courage to stand up to bullying."

On Jan. 17, the Mesa Police Department announced Fantastic, who was one of four teens detained for allegedly assaulting a juvenile outside an In-N-Out in Gilbert, has now been arrested for allegedly being involved in a different "vicious attack" in Mesa.

The incident occurred on May 29, 2023, near Val Vista Drive and Southern Avenue and involved up to 40 juveniles and young adults fighting.

A Snapchat video captured the incident, which helped investigators to identify the subjects who were violently striking the victim.

The victim allegedly told investigators the attack felt "pre-planned" and that he was in "no position" to defend himself against the group of assailants, court records show.

Earlier this month, Mesa police received a report about the May incident that resulted in police identifying two suspects: a 17-year-old who was arrested on Jan. 11 and Fantastic.

Police said Fantastic is facing a charge of aggravated assault. 

Gilbert's police chief spoke about his department's handling of teen violence investigations, specifically closing previous cases of teen violence, for the first time amid community criticism on Jan. 18.

Many in the community accused the department of burying these cases and alleged the police department was covering something up. The chief denied those allegations.

Chief Michael Soelberg defended the actions of his department.

"There's no cover-up. We have an excellent department. We have excellent officers, do excellent work every day. Our officers out on the street, our patrol officers those behind the scenes, they're actively working these cases," Soelberg said.

On Jan. 19, the first public meeting of the Gilbert teen violence subcommittee was held.

Right out of the gate, they discussed potential solutions. 

Bongiovanni brought up multiple ideas, including having businesses open their shops to teenagers so they can hang out there instead of in parking lots or parking garages where some of these assaults have occurred. Bongiovanni also would like to create a survey for teenagers so they can talk about what issues they've seen.

Bongiovanni suggested getting state legislators involved. He proposed creating a bill that would ban the sale of brass knuckles to minors. 

"I really believe they should be controlled for minors," he said. 

Reports obtained by 12News reveal some of the teen assaults involved suspects using brass knuckles against teens.

The committee also talked about involving more schools in the discussion to find solutions. 

“It’s going to take a village on this one but I have faith in Gilbert that we will pull together to do that,” he said.

Connor Jarnagan was 16 when he was attacked by a teen using brass knuckles. The impact was so great that he had to have a portion of his scalp stapled back together.

Now 17, he is asking elected officials to ban the weapon. 

"I'm hoping both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats alike, can come together on this issue and help make Arizona a safer place without providing teens and other criminals easy access to a deadly weapon like brass knuckles. Unlike guns, which can be used for hunting, brass knuckles have no redeeming purpose other than to hurt people," Jarnagan wrote.

Jarnagan wants to prevent what happened to him from happening to anyone else.

“I believe we could make our communities safer and work together to educate people about the dangers of this weapon," he wrote. “There is no redeeming value for brass knuckles – they add nothing to our communities in Arizona besides contributing to violent crime and providing disturbed teens and adults with a weapon that can kill someone.”

Jarnagan received two responses to his letter. 

One was from State Representative Julie Willoughby (R-LD 13). She said she wasn't aware of any cases involving brass knuckles. 

"I have reached out to the local police and inquired about cases that they have that involved brass knuckles or anything similar to those items. There are no records within the last two years," Willoughby wrote.

Willoughby suggested that Jarnagan encourage others to report the incidents.

State Representative Jennifer Pawlik told Jarnagan she already had her bills planned out for this session and suggested he reach out to a Republican to be the prime sponsor.

12News invited the community to a town hall to discuss solutions to teen violence at the Arnette Scott Ward Performing Arts Center on the Chandler-Gilbert Community College - Pecos Campus.

12News journalists Mark Curtis, Caribe Devine, Tram Mai and Bianca Buono were joined by a panel of experts and community members to discuss the roots of this problem and voice ideas for solutions. 

Watch the full discussion in the video below and read more here. 

County attorney Rachel Mitchell said on Jan. 24 that her office is still combing through thousands of pieces of evidence in Lord's death. 

"This is a monumental task," Mitchell said. "The community wants answers. Most importantly, Preston Lord's family wants answers." 

Mitchell said it would be "irresponsible" to put a timeline on the investigation into Lord's death.

"We are still actively working on this, we care very much about getting this done quickly, but we care more about getting it done right," Mitchell said. "This is not something that once we do it if we do it wrong we can course correct. That's not the way the law works."

Mitchell said her office is not prepared to answer definitively whether or not the Gilbert Goons is a "criminal street gang," which would impact the charges.

Mitchell also confirmed that the "Gilbert Goons" group has come up in the investigation of Lord's death, but did not confirm whether or not there is a connection between the Gilbert Goons and Lord's death.

Mitchell said she is not able to comment on whether or not she will be seeking the death penalty in the case of Lord's death. 

Three more teens were arrested on Jan. 24 in two separate teen violence investigations in Gilbert. 

Kyler Renner, 18, Gage Garrison, 19, and a 17-year-old minor were arrested.

Renner was arrested in two different cases: an assault outside of a residence in November 2022 and a group assault in December 2022. He is being charged with two counts of aggravated assault in each case. When he was arrested, officers said they also found narcotics and drug paraphernalia on him. Charges for the drugs are pending lab analysis, officials said. 

Garrison and the juvenile were both arrested in the group assault case. Both face a charge of aggravated assault. 

Gilbert police said the November 2022 assault, which happened near Higley and Riggs roads, was just reported on Jan. 4. 

The December 2022 group assault was "inactivated due to a lack of investigation leads," Gilbert police officials said. In December 2023, investigators received a video of the assault and reopened the case. Photos of this assault were posted by the department on Jan. 11. 

“The Gilbert Police Department continues to honor its commitment to investigate allegations of acts of teen violence," the department said in a statement. 

Two adults were also arrested on charges unrelated to teen violence. Travis Renner, 50, was arrested for possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said. Officers located the drugs during a search of his home during the teen arrests, officials said.

Kiara Holsapple, 20, was also arrested for drug paraphernalia.

On Jan. 26, Arredondo, Renner, Garrison, Fantastic and a 17-year-old juvenile were in court. 

During Renner and Garrison's initial appearance Thursday morning, prosecutors claim brass knuckles were used in the attack. According to court documents, the victim told investigators he saw one of the suspects had brass knuckles but wasn't sure if they were used. 

Those same documents claim when Garrison was arrested, police found brass knuckles on him.

The 17-year-old was in Juvenile court. It was announced he will be charged as an adult in this case.

Two other teen suspects, Christopher Fantastic, 18, and Aris Arredondo, 18, were also in court. Both are charged in another teen assault that happened at the In-N-Out parking lot at San Tan Village Mall last August.

Fantastic pleaded not guilty to the charges he's facing. Arredondo's hearing was moved because his attorney said they didn't know the media would be at the hearing,

As Arredondo and two others were leaving the building, a 12News photographer tried to ask Arredondo about the accusations he is facing.

"F*** you, f*** you, I'm innocent," is how Arredondo responded before walking away.

12News requested documents from Gilbert PD regarding calls for service to the town's In-N-Out, where several of the assault cases happened. The documents showed police have been called to the restaurant hundreds of times in the past four years and around 30 percent of the total calls involved teens.

12News found Gilbert PD responded to the In-N-Out approximately 256 times since January 2020. In at least 79 cases, the calls involved teens, totaling about 30 percent of Gilbert PD's calls to the premises.

Additionally, Gilbert PD had at least 80 proactive patrol watches in the area of In-N-Out.

The reports mentioned groups of dozens of people gathering, some with guns and gas masks, at the restaurant. 

Also on Jan. 30, three more teens were arrested in Gilbert's investigations. 

19-year-old Deleon Haynes and a 17-year-old juvenile, who was not named, were arrested for an attack at the In-N-Out in August 2023.

A 17-year-old was arrested for their alleged involvement in an assault that occurred outside of a residence near Higley and Riggs roads on Nov. 22, 2022. 

Three more arrests were made on Jan. 31 in connection with investigations involving incidents of group teen violence, according to a Facebook post from the department.

Jacob Pennington, 20, William Owen Hines, 18, and a 17-year-old juvenile who was not named were arrested in connection with several incidents.

• Dec. 2, 2022: Pennington, Hines and the 17-year-old juvenile who was not named were arrested in connection with an alleged assault near Williams Field Road and South Market Street on Dec. 2, 2022.The three of them face charges of aggravated assault in that case. 
•  Dec. 3, 2022: The 17-year-old was also arrested in connection with an assault reported in a parking garage near West Vaughn Avenue on Dec. 3, 2022. The teen is facing charges of aggravated assault and kidnapping. 
• Nov. 22, 2022: An alleged assault that took place outside of a residence near Higley and Riggs roads on Nov. 22, 2022, was reported to the Gilbert Police Department on Jan. 4.

Hines and the 17-year-old juvenile are facing charges of aggravated assault in connection with the investigation.

At the beginning of February, Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg said the department made 22 arrests related to teen violence the previous month. At least three of those suspects are connected to multiple crimes, including stealing a gun from a safe, records show. 

Among the arrests were 18-year-old William Owen Hines, 17-year-old Tyler Freeman, and 17-year-old Jack Woods.

Both Woods and Freeman are being charged as adults. Court records show they have been involved in several crimes:

• Nov. 22, 2022: Police say Hines and Freeman were involved in an aggravated assault of a juvenile victim outside a home near Higley and Riggs roads. Records show they attacked the victim because they were being asked to leave a party. The records say brass knuckles were involved.
• Dec. 2, 2022: Just over a week later, police say Hines and Freeman participated in another aggravated assault at the Gilbert In-N-Out, and brass knuckles were used. Two teenage victims were injured.
• Dec. 3, 2022: The next day, police say Woods was involved in a parking garage assault near 72 West Vaughn Avenue in Gilbert. Records show the group involved had recently left In-N-Out and went to the parking garage area.
• Dec. 17, 2022: Juvenile court records show Freeman assaulted another teen at a party using brass knuckles.
• Dec.27, 2022: Juvenile court records show Hines, Freeman and Woods committed robbery. Documents say they stole someone's safe which contained valuable watches and jewelry, important documents, and a gun. The total value of what was stolen was $38,621.
• Dec. 30, 2022: Records show Freeman assaulted another teen with brass knuckles.

On Feb. 7, county attorney Rachel Mitchell gave an update on the Lord murder investigation where both she and Lord's parents asked the community for patience as law enforcement officials continue reviewing evidence in the case of the 16-year-old's death. 

A law firm representing Lord's parents, Nick Lord and Autumn Curiel, released a statement indicating they're continuing to get updates from MCAO about the status of the case:

"The loss of our son is impossible to bear, and we understand that there is work to be done to achieve justice for Preston. We are exercising patience to ensure the best possible outcome and ask members of the community and the media to do the same. We are grateful for the outpouring of support and appreciate the upstanding individuals who have provided information to law enforcement," the statement reads.

Three more people were arrested in connection with teen violence investigations on Feb. 8. 

Kyler Renner, 18, Gage Garrison, 19, and a 17-year-old minor were arrested.

Renner was arrested in two different cases: an assault outside of a residence in November 2022 and a group assault in December 2022. He is being charged with two counts of aggravated assault in each case. When he was arrested, officers said they also found narcotics and drug paraphernalia on him. Charges for the drugs are pending lab analysis, officials said. 

Renner's bond was set at $100,000 during his arraignment. Garrison had his bond set at $75,000.

Garrison and the juvenile were both arrested in the group assault case. Both face a charge of aggravated assault. 

Kuehner filed a lawsuit on behalf of his son on Feb. 9 where he details ongoing harassment surrounding the In-N-Out attack and claims parents failed to intervene when assaults and drug use came to light.

In it, he names nearly 50 people, though it's not clear if all of them are directly connected to the In-N-Out assault

"Local media have reported for more than a year before the filing of this complaint a group of affluent teenagers living in Gilbert, Arizona agreed to conspire and commit assault and battery on innocent and unsuspecting teenagers," the lawsuit reads. 

In the lawsuit, Kuehner said when he told school staff, attempts to intimidate his son intensified.

"Neither the Gilbert Police Department nor the Chandler Unified School district was willing to intervene to protect [the victim]," he says in the lawsuit. 

Kuehner said his son continues to suffer emotional harm from the attack and harassment. 

The lawsuit says before and after the attack "the Gilbert Goons continued to terrorize their victims" by contacting the victims' families, knocking on their doors and driving by their homes. 

Kuehner said at one point, his son was threatened with death if he reported the attacks and would receive images of guns. 

He also alleged the parents of the teens involved ignored assault, battery, drug abuse and illegal behaviors of their kids. 

Kuehner is seeking general and special damages but didn’t name a specific amount.

On March 6, two juveniles and two adults were indicted by a grand jury in connection with the murder of Lord, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. 

The four people indicted are facing first-degree murder and kidnapping charges and are being charged as adults: 

• William Owen Hines, 18
• Talyn Vigil, 17
• Talan Renner, 17
• Dominic Turner, 20, also charged with aggravated robbery

Queen Creek police arrested three of the defendants on March 6. Hines was already in custody for crimes previously mentioned.

Mitchell said the investigation is “not over” and additional charges may be brought forward, but she is “not in a position” to discuss them currently.

Brice said they are looking into “all aspects” of the investigation which could include charging people who had tampered with witnesses or obstructed the process. 

This article will be continuously updated with new information as these cases develop.

12News Journalists Bianca Buono, Adriana Loya, Chase Golightly, Colleen Sikora and Gabriella Bachara contributed to this report. 

East Valley Teen Violence