The family of Preston Lord, an Arizona teen beaten to death on Halloween of last year, is speaking out after police released what they say are text messages between the suspects discussing the attack.
Lord, 16, was badly beaten at a Halloween party on Oct. 28 and succumbed to his wounds in a hospital two days later.
Authorities in Queen Creek, a suburb of Phoenix, Ariz., began investigating his death as a homicide and have since arrested seven suspects in relation to the crime.
According to People, the police report revealed that the suspects allegedly discussed the deadly attack via text message after it occurred.
Talan Renner, 17, Talyn Vigil, 17, William Owen Hines, 18, Dominic Turner, 20, Taylor Sherman, 19, Treston Billey, 18, and Jacob Meisner, 17, are facing first-degree murder and kidnapping charges.
Lord's parents, Nick Lord and Autumn Curiel, opened up in a statement to People Magazine about the loss of their son, whom they described as an honors student and athlete.
"Preston Lord was a beloved son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, uncle, and friend to many, always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. He was doing the right thing but was in the wrong place at the wrong time, in a neighborhood where he had always felt safe," the parents said through their lawyer, Bryn K. DeFusco, at DeFusco Law, P.L.C.
The statement continued, "His parents, Nick Lord and Autumn Curiel, each shared a close bond and relationship with him. The emptiness left in his absence is a constant reminder of the easygoing and generous soul they lost. Preston was a National Honor student, student council member, and three-sport athlete. He was looking forward to his basketball tryouts the following Monday. Instead, his life ended violently, extinguishing all his potential."
"Nick and Autumn will never witness him blossom into the remarkable human he was," the statement added. "They now grapple with the harsh reality of his demise. The milestones they anticipated celebrating with Preston will never come to fruition. It's every parent's worst nightmare."
The statement follows a 1,100-page police report detailing evidence investigators gathered in the months leading up to the arrests.
One of the suspects, Talan Renner, allegedly sent an incriminating text that read, "Got in a fight...killed a kid..guess I don't know my own strength," immediately after the incident took place.
The attack stemmed from a stolen necklace that belonged to one of Lord's friends. A witness also told police that Renner confided to a friend that he was the one who threw the initial punch.
In a separate text exchange allegedly including Taylor Sherman and an unidentified person, a message allegedly reads, "Talan killed someone with his hands," and a later response reads, "Bro, that kid died," the outlet reported.
