First of 7 defendants in Preston Lord’s death sentenced to 12 years

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The first of seven defendants to cut a deal with prosecutors in the murder of Queen Creek teen Preston Lord learned his punishment on Friday afternoon.

Judge Scott McCoy sentenced 19-year-old William Owen Hines to 12 years in prison for Lord’s death. He was also sentenced to an additional five years (with credit for 456 days already served) after pleading guilty to vehicular aggravated assault in a separate case. The two sentences will be served consecutively.

“Our world has been shattered, and no parent should ever have to endure the pain of burying their child, especially under horrific circumstances,” said Nick Lord, Preston Lord’s father.

“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 statement. “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.”

Previously released court documents detailed that the stipulations of the plea agreements for manslaughter and one of the aggravated assault cases came with a sentencing range of 10.5 to 21 years in prison. Prosecutors were seeking the maximum penalty against Hines.

Hines took part in the deadly beating of 16-year-old Lord at a Halloween party in Queen Creek on Oct. 28, 2023. Lord died two days later at the hospital. 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.

Lord’s stepmother, Melissa Ciconte, addressed Hines and the courtroom, speaking about the pain that has followed the death of her son.

“No parent should ever have to bury their child. No family should ever have to endure this level of suffering. I want you to understand the magnitude of what you have done. I want you to feel the weight of the pain you have caused. Not just to me, but to everyone who loved Preston. I hope that every day for the rest of your life you remember his name, his face and the life you cut short,” said Ciconte.

According to the police report, Hines admitted to police that he was “drunk, heat of the moment” and kicked Lord one, two or three times before he started to back off. According to police documents, the attack was over a gold chain.

“One day I have a happy and healthy 16-year-old son, and the next day, I saw him lifeless in a hospital bed. One day I was helping Preston with homecoming, picking out his tie in excitement, and the next, I was choosing the one he’d be buried in,” Autumn Curiel, Preston’s mother, said before sentencing.

Queen Creek police recommended charges in December 2023, and county prosecutors indicted all seven on murder and other charges in March 2024.

All of the crimes were committed while Hines was under the age of 18.

Hines pleaded guilty on March 4 to one count of manslaughter, one count of vehicular aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated assault covering four separate criminal cases. While cooperating with prosecutors isn’t specifically mentioned in Hines’ plea deal, he could testify against other defendants charged in Lord’s death.

Hines was sentenced to three years of probation on the two other aggravated assault cases.

History of violent crimes

In the days before sentencing, prosecutors filed documents detailing Hines’ extensive criminal history and the cases he pleaded guilty to. The documents state that his first run-in with the law occurred on Nov. 11, 2022, when he was caught shoplifting and sent to juvenile court. He has since completed diversion in that case.

Just 11 days after the shoplifting incident, Hines and Jacob Meisner, who is also accused of Lord’s murder, were reportedly involved in the beating of a teen boy at a party. Two other suspects who were sentenced for several teen violence cases, Tyler Freeman and Kyler Renner, were also part of the attack.

The victim asked Hines’ group to leave before they attacked him. Hines claimed he thought his punches “missed the victim,” but later pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault.

Then, on Dec. 2, 2022, 10 days after that assault, documents describe Hines’ involvement in a fight at an In-N-Out in Gilbert. He was arrested and claimed he was drunk and “swung at some random guy,” prosecutors said. He also stated that people wanted to fight his friend group because they had a “reputation.”

Video showed Hines running up to the victim as he was pinned against a vehicle, punching him nine times. He entered a guilty plea in connection with this aggravated assault case as well.

On Dec. 27, 2022, Hines and three other people stole jewelry and a safe during a house party. He was arrested, sent to juvenile court, and required to pay over $29,000.

Court documents say by July 2023, Hines had been arrested twice as a minor and was involved in at least four crimes. “By this time, Hines had dropped out of high school,” prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors went into detail about a crash Hines was involved in on July 6, 2023. Investigators say Hines was driving drunk in Gilbert when he attempted to turn left on a red light, hitting another driver. The victim suffered a traumatic brain injury due to the collision and spent several days in the ICU.

Hines initially denied drinking but then later admitted he had “five or six Twisted Teas” before he got behind the wheel. His BAC was .107. This marks the third case where Hines pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

The death of Preston Lord

The drunk driving crash was just three months before the beating that led to Lord’s death. Documents describe how Hines and six other suspects chased and attacked Lord and his friend group, and he died two days later. As part of a plea agreement, the charge of first-degree murder was reduced to manslaughter, and the kidnapping charge was dropped.

“There is no question that Hines chose to participate in this blitz-style attack that engulfed Preston before he could escape. Hines and his friends transformed what should have been a happy memory in Preston’s high school years into a terrible loss of life that Preston’s family, friends and the community continue to struggle with,” prosecutors wrote.

History of Alcohol Abuse

Prosecutors claimed a common factor in the crimes Hines was involved in was alcohol use. Investigators say a video from Oct. 29, 2023, hours after Lord was brutally beaten, showed a seemingly drunk Hines telling people, “I am buried out of my mind,” while holding a pistol. Other videos posted within the following two hours showed Hines driving drunk while holding a bottle of Tito’s Vodka.

Just over a week later, a Snapchat showed Hines chugging a bottle of Jose Cuervo while behind the wheel.

Prosecutors say there is also evidence that Hines consumed and sold homemade alcohol while in jail, based on jailhouse calls. In one call, he reportedly said, “I’m jealous, I want to be out there. I want to get drunk off some good alcohol. I’m tired of this jail alcohol. It’s trash.”

During his change of plea hearing, Hines claimed to the court that he had “been sober for over a year.” However, prosecutors say some of the jailhouse calls regarding alcohol happened after he entered his plea agreement.

“Mr. Hines has not remained sober and is not yet committed to overcoming his addictions,” prosecutors wrote.

The state recommended that the judge sentence Hines to the maximum available term in prison. Below is an excerpt from documents filed in court this week:

“Unlike Hines, who chose to drop out of high school, Preston was not allowed to finish high school. For Preston, there will be no chance to go to college, enjoy existing friendships and build new ones, find a pursuit or career, marry or raise a family. All of the achievements, milestones and memories that Preston had to look forward to are gone.”

Status of the other defendants

Six other suspects are still charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in Lord’s death and are awaiting trial. They include Treston Billey, Jacob Meisner, Talan Renner, Taylor Sherman, Dominic Turner and Talyn Vigil.

Billey, Meisner and Turner were also charged with aggravated robbery.

Some of them, including Hines, are accused of being part of other East Valley attacks involving young people that are unrelated to Lord’s death.

Since then, the county attorney worked with Arizona Rep. Matt Gress (R-LD 4) to create House Bill 2611, also known as “Preston’s Law.” The legislation aims to strengthen penalties for attacks against a person by three or more assailants by creating a new crime category called “swarming,” a class four felony.

The bill has already cleared the state Senate and is awaiting a final vote in the House.

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