By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A judge has set a trial date for one of the six defendants accused of taking part in the beating of Preston Lord, leading to his death over two years ago.
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Judge Sam Myers vacated the original Oct. 1 trial date for Jacob Meisner and set the new trial date as Nov. 3.
This was much sooner than what both prosecutors and the defense teams wanted. Meisner’s attorney asked to push back the trial six months, while prosecutors wanted early to mid-January.
What’s the holdup?
The issue for attorneys on both sides was interviewing witnesses. The state originally said there were more than 320 potential witnesses but then narrowed down that list to about 50.
Both sides said scheduling interviews has been slow due to coordinating the availability of prosecutors and multiple defense teams.
Meisner’s attorney said they had about 30 witnesses left to interview, which he said would take months to do. Myers rejected that idea.
“Assuming that there are 30 interviews to do, I can’t understand how it would take months to do 30 interviews,” Myers said. “I feel like y’all can do 30 interviews in the next six weeks.”
The victim’s counsel, which represents Preston Lord’s family, also objected to pushing back the trial date.
“Every time this case is pushed back, my clients endure further harm with the hands of the justice system,” the lawyer said. “They’re forced to relive what happened without knowing when justice will actually be served.”
A trial procedure conference was set for Oct. 22.
What about the rest of the defendants?
The other defendants — Treston Billey, Talan Renner, Taylor Sherman, Dominic Turner and Talyn Vigil — still don’t have dates for their trials.
Myers scheduled a complex case management conference for all five of them for Nov. 10.
However, Sherman’s defense attorney said if Meisner’s trial starts, others will quickly follow.
“I presume that the court’s going to move all the cases, just like a train. Every car moves one step,” he said.
All six are facing charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Billey, Meisner and Turner are also facing charges of aggravated robbery.
Where does the case stand?
Since Lord’s death, the case has been in a back-and-forth battle in court.
Earlier this year, a judge granted motions to sever Renner and Meisner from the other four defendants, meaning they will be tried separately rather than in a single joint trial.
Legal experts say severing defendants and postponing trials are routine steps in complex cases with multiple defendants and overlapping evidence. One attorney explained that severance can reduce the risk of jury confusion when evidence applies to some defendants, but not others.
Lawyers for Vigil previously asked a judge to consider dismissing the charges. Vigil picked up two new criminal cases while on release: a reckless driving charge and a separate case involving an order of protection in Gilbert.
Meisner’s lawyers also turned down a plea deal that would have seen him serve between seven and 21 years in prison. Meisner’s defense claimed that he was not responsible for Lord’s death.
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During Tuesday’s hearing, Meisner’s defense lawyer said the state’s case is getting weaker. He said 13 eyewitnesses could identify Meisner as being involved in the attack. He said the defense interviewed one of the three witnesses who were part of the state’s grand jury presentation, and the witness did not tell the truth.
“He said that he, quote, technically lied to the police when he said he saw my client attack Preston Lord,” the lawyer said. “And in fact, told us during the interview, actually, I never actually saw anyone matching Jacob’s description anywhere near where the attack of Preston occurred.”
The six suspects have all pleaded not guilty.
Only one defendant sentenced
The only suspect who has been sentenced in the murder case is William Owen Hines. Last May, Hines cut a deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 12 years in prison for Lord’s death.
Hines was also sentenced an additional five years after pleading guilty to vehicular aggravated assault in a separate case. The two sentences will be served consecutively.
After Hines pleaded guilty in March, he admitted to kicking Lord at least once during the attack. He said during the hearing that the events “horrified” him.
What led up to Lord’s death?
Documents show none of the seven suspects knew Lord before the night of the attack, Oct. 28, 2023. Numerous neighbors called 911 the night of the party, stating there were over 200 kids in the neighborhood and some were armed.
“Someone’s going to get hurt. Someone’s going to get killed,” one caller said. “These kids have weapons on them.”
Prosecutors said a stolen gold chain led to a fight between two groups, including Lord’s friends.
When Lord and his friends tried to get the stolen gold chain back, a confrontation ensued between the two groups. Officials say Lord and his friends ran but were chased. That’s when the attack occurred.
In the paperwork, detectives say Lord was unconscious when police showed up and had injuries to his face and the back of his head. Lord remained in the hospital but died two days after the attack.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined to file charges against the homeowners who hosted the Halloween party. The prosecution cited “no reasonable likelihood of conviction.”
The couple who hosted the party agreed to settle with Lord’s family.
What has changed since Lord’s death?
The case sparked policy changes in cities and at the state capitol. Several Valley cities banned teens from buying or owning brass knuckles, which were used in the attack on Lord. Police departments and cities launched programs to better connect with teenagers.
Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed Preston’s Law, which establishes harsher penalties for people convicted of group-style beatdowns, called “swarming.”
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