QUEEN CREEK, AZ — Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice tells ABC15 that witnesses in Preston Lord’s deadly assault have “opened up” more in follow-up interviews, which is helping the homicide case progress.
Preston Lord was beaten by a group of teens outside a Halloween party in late October. The 16-year-old died two days later.
The size of the investigation is massive. There have been more than 300 citizen tips, 600 videos, and a 2,000-page written police report.
After weeks of refusing on-camera interview requests, Chief Brice agreed to answer ABC15’s questions Tuesday morning.
“We're trying to tighten up everything and just exhaust every possibility, so we have all the evidence necessary for the county attorney to do her job,” Brice said.
Last month, Queen Creek investigators submitted recommended charges to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, but they won’t name their seven suspects. No one has been arrested.
Chief Brice explained what officers have been doing recently to help get the homicide case where it needs to be.
“We've had witnesses that were reluctant to provide information, so we've gone back to them and done walkthroughs with them,” Brice said. “What we're finding is that they're starting to open up a little bit more and provide additional information.”
The town of Queen Creek created its police department two years ago, and the death of Preston Lord is the department’s first homicide investigation.
“We're a brand-new police agency, but we're not brand-new police officers,” Brice said. In addition to having experienced homicide investigators on the case, the chief said the FBI provides technical support and other logistics.
Community members, frustrated with the police's pace, have done their own detective work. They've developed their own, unofficial lists of suspects and even shared potential video evidence on social media pages.
While the chief said he wants the community’s tips, he said “the noise in social media” has not been helpful, and “we've had incidents of vigilantism toward people that may or may not be involved in this case.”
The chief also addressed rumors that the department could be reluctant to arrest teens who may be part of prominent local families.
“As far as any type of cover-up or preferential treatment, it's not happening,” Brice said. He said the department does not have any relationships with the individuals being named by citizens on social media and there are no relationships between the police and people that are related to our suspects.
Chief Brice said investigators want to be as transparent as possible. While the community may be frustrated by the process, his department is “going to do it right for a conviction.”
Have a news tip related to teen violence in the East Valley? Email us at teenviolence@abc15.com
