Teen charged in Preston Lord killing sentenced to probation in 'Goons' beatings (2024)

A teen facing first-degree murder charges in the killing of Preston Lord, 16, was sentenced to probation for his role in two "Gilbert Goons" attacks — but he will remain in custody.

Jacob Meisner, 17, will stay in juvenile detention until January, when he turns 18 and is transferred to the adult justice system, a judicial officer ordered Friday.

Commissioner Keelan Bodow said Meisner was doing well in detention. He has maintained a blue polo shirt, which is a symbol of good behavior, earned his high school diploma and has participated in a substance abuse program, she said.

Flanked by his lawyer and his parents, Meisner accepted the sentence stoically and with almost no comment, nodding his agreement. His parents seemed to agree that detention was the best place for their son.

"I have to say we're not proud of the actions, but we're proud of what he's done moving forward," Anthony Meisner said. "He's come a long way."

Meisner admitted guilt in early June to aggravated assault charges stemming from two Goons beatings that took place in Gilbert in November 2022 and Mesa in May 2023.

The mothers of his two teenage victims told the court the attacks left their sons traumatized and made them afraid to do things they used to take for granted, such as going to the gym or hanging out with friends. Detention was a good start for Meisner, they said.

Outside the courtroom, both mothers pointed the finger at Meisner's parents, saying their failure to impose limits led to the beatings.

"The problem is so much bigger than Jacob Meisner," said JoBeth Palmer, the mother of a 16-year-old beaten at a Mesa park. "The problems started at home and were never resolved."

Meisner is "still just a kid" who turned to drugs and violence as a way to fulfill himself, she said.

"He took it upon himself to find some other ways to get love and attention," Palmer said. "There is a reason he is thriving in detention. His parents should be in detention with him."

Rachel Jorgenson, the mother of a teenager beaten by Meisner at a Gilbert house party, said the case goes much deeper than kids getting beaten up.

The Goons cases represent the inability or unwillingness of parents, school officials and police to intervene and stop the cycle of violence among teens, she said.

"Ultimately, I hope this is the start of change in our community," Jorgenson said.

Palmer and Jorgensen said their sons could have easily shared the fate of Lord given the circ*mstances of the beatings. They used the term "luck" but acknowledged it was the wrong word.

Teen faces possible life in prison in Lord beating death

Meisner's guilty pleas in the Goons beatings could influence the murder case against him, Bodow said Friday.

"Clearly, this matter is extremely serious," she said, referring to the murder case and Meisner's eventual transition to adult detention. "The adult court matters have much more potential consequences."

But probation while in custody could help keep Meisner out of the criminal justice system in the future, she said.

As part of Friday's sentence, Bodow ordered Meisner to write apology letters to the victims.

His lawyer, Andrew Marcantel, asked to be involved in that process because of the murder charges and the potential for self-incrimination. Bodow granted that request.

Meisner is one of seven people Queen Creek police arrested in March after witnesses said they were involved in the Oct. 28 attack on Lord at a Halloween party. All are charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with the attack and are being tried as adults. Meisner and two others were charged with aggravated robbery in connection with a necklace authorities say was stolen from Lord's friend as the beating unfolded.

Meisner was first arrested in January in connection with an attack at a Mesa park. Two weeks later, he was arrested in connection with a beating at a Gilbert house party. He has remained in juvenile detention since.

A December investigation by The Arizona Republic detailed how Lord's death was tied to the Goons, a gang of teenagers whose attacks on other teens went unchecked by authorities for more than a year. Members recorded the beatings and shared many of them online. Authorities have since classified the Goons as a hybrid criminal street gang, but Gilbert police Chief Michael Soelberg said there was not enough evidence to bring additional charges related to the gang designation.

Meisner's mother, Wendi Meisner, defended her son on Facebook before his arrest. She threatened "legal action" against parents and community activists in the southeast Valley who created websites dedicated to ending teen violence and demanding justice for Lord.

She pushed back at posts naming her son as one of Lord's attackers, saying they were putting her family at risk. In a December Facebook post, she acknowledged her son was at the party where Lord was killed but said he had no involvement with the victim.

"Would you turn your child in if he was at a party where something awful happened?" the boy's mother said in the post. "For you and everyone here to judge & attack my family, parenting and livelihood is completely unacceptable & full blown slander."

The mother said her family was cooperating with authorities "the best we can."

Lord defendant punished for role in 'Goons' beatings in Gilbert, Mesa

On Jan. 4, 2024, police in Gilbert and Mesa received delayed reports of assaults. Meisner was involved in both.

The first attack in Gilbert was at a Nov. 22, 2022, house party near Higley and Riggs roads. A teen asked people to leave the party — but they attacked him instead.

The beating, which took place outside the house, was filmed. It captured nine people surrounding the victim as they took turns hitting and kicking him. Meisner, according to court records, is wearing a white hat and dark-colored jacket in the video.

Four people were arrested in January in connection with the attack: Tyler Freeman, 17, who is alleged in court records to have used brass knuckles, William "Owen" Hines, 18, Meisner and Kyler Renner, 19.

Kyler Renner is the brother of Talan Renner, 17, who is charged in the Lord case.

The second case was a May 29, 2023, group beating at a Mesa neighborhood park near Val Vista Drive and Pueblo Avenue.

Police responded to the area that night for reports of a fight involving 30 to 40 kids and young adults. But when officers arrived, no one mentioned a fight, police said.

The Mesa attack was also filmed, and the video shows a crowd of teenagers around a boy on the ground. The boy is being hit repeatedly by a teen standing over him. As the blows continue, another boy steps into the frame and stomps on the victim. Meisner, according to the police report associated with the assault, is wearing a red shirt and tan pants in the video.

The first person arrested in connection with the beating was Christopher Fantastic, 19. Fantastic has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the case and an August 2023 beating and was scheduled to be sentenced July 1.

Meisner declined to speak to police when he was arrested on Jan. 11 about his alleged involvement in the attack, according to the police report.

In addition to the cases he is charged in, Meisner appears in other attack videos but is not seen hitting or kicking anyone.

One other defendant in the Lord case, Hines, has also been charged in connection with assaults in Gilbert.

Police detail Meisner's alleged role in Lord attack

The murder case is still moving through Maricopa County Superior Court.

Meisner, according to witnesses at the Oct. 28 Halloween party, was one of the people who kicked off the events that led to the group attack on Lord.

The other six charged in connection with the fatal beating are Treston Billey, 18, Hines, Meisner, Talan Renner, Taylor Sherman, 19, Dominic Turner, 20, and Talyn Vigil, 17.

Billey, Meisner and Turner are charged with aggravated robbery in connection with a $10 necklace that authorities say was yanked off the neck of Lord's friend. When the friend tried to walk away from them, witnesses told police, Meisner punched the boy in the head. Prosecutors say that strike was a catalyst for the chaos and beating on Lord that followed.

The gang-style attack on Lord lasted seconds, and witnesses told police Meisner leaned over Lord's body and hit him multiple times like some of the other attackers, who also kicked Lord. He was left lying in the street and died two days later, on Oct. 30.

In a May hearing, attorneys on both sides said the case was complex, with multiple defendants and an overwhelming amount of evidence to assess. Judge Bruce Cohen then set a trial date in July 2025.

Both sides agreed to periodic hearings to discuss the case's progress, and the next hearing at which all defendants were to appear together was scheduled for Aug. 8, 2024.

Exiting the courthouse on Friday, Meisner's lawyer would not talk about the Lord case.

"We are pleased with the outcome today," Marcantel said.

Elena Santa Cruz is a justice reporter for The Republic. Reach her atelena.santacruz@gannett.com. Follow her on X@ecsantacruz3.

Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him atrobert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X@robertanglen.