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Preston Lord honored on would-be 19th birthday
Loved ones gathered on what would have been Preston Lord's 19th birthday to honor his memory and advocate for community involvement to end youth violence. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen reports.
CHANDLER, Ariz. - Family and friends of Preston Lord are honoring him on what would have been his 19th birthday, a date now officially recognized as "Preston Lord Day."
Loved ones gathered in downtown Chandler to commemorate the occasion on Sept. 23.
What we know:
The commemoration comes almost three years after the then 16-year-old Preston Lord was beaten to death at a Halloween party in Queen Creek. Since then, his family and friends have been fighting to end teen violence.
On what would have been Lord's 19th birthday, his father, Nick Lord, remembered his son's character.
"He was kind and friendly to everyone no matter what," Nick Lord said.
His loved ones are remembering his continuing impact.
"He was a leader," said Melissa Ciconte, Lord's stepmother. "He was an athlete. He was all of the things you would want in a child."
His dad, stepmother, and the community came together to honor him with "Preston Lord Day."
"We need to start getting the message out there that youth violence will not be tolerated," Ciconte said. "We need parents involved. We need school districts involved."
Marking what would have been Preston Lord’s 19th birthday, loved ones came together in downtown Chandler on a date now officially designated as Preston Lord Day.
Dig deeper:
Lord was beaten outside a Halloween party in October 2023. He died two days later.
"What we're trying to do is to spread awareness throughout the community and have people aware that teen violence is a growing concern," Nick Lord said.
Lord's death pushed state leaders to pass Preston's Law, creating harsher penalties for people convicted of swarming, meaning multiple people attacking a single person.
Nick Lord noted that the law "has enabled law enforcement to have more tools to use when holding people accountable."
Police arrested seven suspects in Lord's death. One has already pleaded guilty and was sentenced, while six others are still awaiting trial.
"I want a fair trial for everyone," Nick Lord said. "I believe in due process, and we want our day in court, and we want it soon."
Meanwhile, Nick Lord is hoping his son's legacy of being kind continues to spread.
"Take care of each other," Nick Lord said. "We've all we got."
What's next:
A judge has set a Nov. 3 trial date for Jacob Meisner, one of the six defendants accused of taking part in Lord's murder. A seventh defendant, William Hines, took a plea deal and was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in Lord's death.