Teen who pleaded guilty in death of Preston Lord sentenced to 17 years in prison

PHOENIX — The first of seven suspects accused of killing Preston Lord in a group assault in 2023 was sentenced on Friday.

William Owen Hines, 19, was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison for his involvement in Lord’s death as well as three other assault cases.

Hines and the other suspects were accused of fatally beating the 16-year-old Lord at a Halloween party in October in Queen Creek. Lord died two days after the attack on Oct. 28, 2023.

Initially, Hines pleaded not guilty.

However, he later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in March of this year.

He is the first and only suspect in the high-profile case to make a plea agreement.

Hines was first named as a suspect in the death of Lord in March 2024.

Six other suspects still face charges of first-degree murder, felony murder and kidnapping:

• Dominic Turner.
• Taylor Sherman.
• Talan Renner.
• Talyn Vigil.
• Jacob Meisner.
• Treston Billey.

Preston Lord case isn’t only one involving Hines

Hines also pleaded in three other assault cases.

Two of the assaults occurred in late 2022 in Gilbert.

The third was a vehicular aggravated assault in July 2023. The victim spent 16 days in the hospital, according to his mother, who spoke during Hines’ sentencing hearing.

“William Hines is not showing remorse,” she said. “My son’s life was irreversibly changed by Hines’ actions.”

Hines wasn’t charged in any of the cases until Lord’s death put a spotlight on the problem of youth violence in the East Valley.

Charges have since been filed in multiple assault cases, including many involving a group of violent youths known as the Gilbert Goons.

Hines was sentenced to 12 years in prison for Lord’s assault and 5 years for an earlier assault. He has already served 456 days in prison.

“William Hines has shown us through not just one, but a series of acts, that he is unfit for society,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press release. “The fact that he inflicted harm on other victims did not give him pause as he continued his escalation that ended in the death of Preston Lord. Prison is the only appropriate outcome, and there is still more work to be done.”

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