Judge lowers bail for additional defendants in Preston Lord case

Three people accused of fatally beating 16-year-old Preston Lord are closer to being released from prison after a judge lowered their bail by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge on Tuesday cut the $1 million bail ordered at their arrests by half — or maybe more.

The ruling follows a series of bail reductions for nearly all defendants in the case, following protests from prosecutors and the Lords family.

Of the seven people charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping, only one remains in custody on bail.

“Please consider that my family has to deal with seven different scenarios on top of our grief and what this has put us through,” Lord’s mother, Autumn Curiel, said in her court filing opposing the reductions. One of the people charged is ruthless and still poses a threat to society, she said.

“This defendant’s bail should not be reduced for potential parole because he has a history of violence and an unstable family situation,” she said.

Judge Bruce Cohen ultimately sided with the defense, saying the views of Lord’s family were extremely important, but other factors, such as the potential danger to the community posed by the defendants and the weight of the evidence, also played a role.

“Justice for Preston can only be served if I properly consider the law and take no action in response to Preston’s outrageous loss,” he said.

Cohen set three different amounts for each defendant: $250,000 for Dominic Turner, $350,000 for Jacob Meisner and $500,000 for Talan Renner.

Lord was beaten in a gang attack at a Halloween party Oct. 28 in Queen Creek, punched, kicked and stomped on. He died two days later from brain injuries without regaining consciousness.

A December investigation by The Arizona Republic detailed how Lord’s death was linked to the “Gilbert Goons,” a gang of teens who filmed their blitz-style attacks on teens in parks and garages, outside fast-food restaurants and at house parties. The attacks, mostly in Gilbert, went unchecked by authorities for more than a year.

The other four defendants in Lord’s case are Treston Billey, 19, William “Owen” Hines, 18, Taylor Sherman, 19, and Talyn Vigil, 18. All seven defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Billey and Sherman were released from custody after Cohen lowered their bail in July. Vigil was released on $1 million bail set in March. Hines remains in custody and did not request a lower bail.

Defense attorneys say their clients are not a flight risk, but question evidence

In the courtroom Tuesday, Meisner, 17, Renner, 17, and Turner, 20, sat separately in the jury box. Lord’s family and their supporters and the defendants’ family sat in the gallery.

All three defense attorneys argued that their clients were not a flight risk, did not pose a threat to the community and disputed the weight of the evidence against them. Attorneys for Meisner and Renner said they had done well in juvenile detention. Both wore blue polo shirts, a symbol of good behavior.

“It’s also possible that this tragic incident was just a good, old-fashioned wake-up call,” said Meisner’s attorney, Andrew Marcantel. “And it was. It was definitely a wake-up call.”

Lord’s stepmother reacted sharply to this suggestion, turning to the judge.

“This is not a ‘good old-fashioned wake-up call,’” Melissa Ciconte said. “This was a choice. A choice they made of their own free will to attack another person. Their acts of violence are nothing new.”

Even with his bail reduced, Meisner will remain in custody until January, when he turns 18.

Meisner was sentenced to probation in June after pleading guilty to participating in two “Gilbert Goons” attacks in Gilbert and Mesa. He was ordered to remain in juvenile detention until he turns 18, at which point he was to be transferred to an adult facility.

Marcantel said what happened in Lord’s case was different from what Meisner had been involved in in the past — fights between high school students that were “mostly misdemeanor in nature.”

He claimed that no eyewitness at the Halloween party accurately described Meisner’s costume, including Lord’s friends and other co-defendants. He also said that in text messages after the beating, Meisner said he never touched Lord.

Renner’s attorney, Christine Whalin, made nearly identical arguments, saying most of the evidence against her client was based on hearsay.

She said Renner had no prior criminal history and argued he did not pose a threat. Even when he was attacked in August at a juvenile detention center, Whalin said, Renner did not resist.

Whalin said Renner did not have the funds to post the $1 million bail. Prosecutors argued in court documents that Renner’s parents had vast financial resources. Whalin argued that bail should be based on what Renner could pay on his own.

Whalin also said there was great concern for Renner’s safety if and when he was transferred to adult custody, and referred to the earlier attack. She did not specify what led up to the attack or why he would be in danger.

Turner’s attorney argued he had no criminal history. Turner asked for a lower bond in June but was denied.

Louis Spivack said that after his client was denied, Sherman filed a similar motion, which was granted. Spivack said Turner and Sherman had similar circumstances and backgrounds. Spivack also said Turner had no ties to the “Gilbert Goons.”

Prosecutors and Lords family members oppose bail reductions

Prosecutors presented different arguments against each of the three defendants.

One said Meisner’s progress in juvenile detention was “commendable” but did not change the evidence against him. Another said Turner’s situation was not similar to Sherman’s, including the fact that Turner was also charged with aggravated robbery in that case. They said Renner admitted to participating in the attack on Lord.

Lord’s mother and grandfather asked the court not to lower bail for the three accused people.

“Preston was punched, surrounded and brutally attacked by the defendants and then left in the street to die,” Curiel said.

Cohen said if all three post bail, they will all be placed under house arrest and electronic monitoring. He said Renner will not be allowed to live with his father, who has been charged with drug offenses. The three will not be allowed to leave their homes except to meet with lawyers.

Cohen ordered the trio to undergo random drug tests. He told them to surrender their passports and banned them from using social media. They will not be allowed to contact victims, witnesses, co-defendants or anyone charged in related assault cases.

Renner’s attorney asked for contact with his father and brother, but Cohen did not issue a decision.

Cohen set Renner’s bail at $500,000, saying the teen had the financial means. He also reported Renner’s whereabouts after the attack on Lord.

Police reports indicate Renner left town in the days after the attack. He also traveled to Costa Rica in December, a fact that was raised during questioning.

After leaving the courtroom, Renner’s parents, Travis and Rebecca Renner, were served with a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Lord’s father.

Lord’s grandfather said after the hearing that lowering the bail was not what the family wanted.

“Everybody has a right to their due process. There’s nothing we can do as a family to change that,” Tony Reich said. “And we’re just going to keep pushing. And when the trial starts, it’s going to be a whole different ball game.”

Elena Santa Cruz is a justice reporter at The Republic. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.

Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @robertanglen.