Preston Lord

High School Football Player Brags About ‘Closed Casket,’ Hides Out in Cabin After Beating Death of 16-Year-Old Preston Lord

After allegedly beating 16-year-old Preston Lord to death at a party last year, an Arizona high school football player reportedly hid out with the help of his family and bragged about the incident.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Jacob Meisner, 17; Talan Renner, 17; Taylor Sherman, 19; Dominic Turner, 20; William Owen Hines, 18; and Talyn Vigil, 17, have been charged with murder, robbery, and kidnapping. An additional suspect, Treston Billey, 18, is also facing the same charges.

Lord passed away two days after the brutal attack, which happened in Queen Creek, Arizona, last year, outside of a Halloween party. None of the seven defendants knew him before the attack.

Recently released court documents indicate that the Queen Creek Police stated that Renner’s father, Travis Renner, sent his son to their family cabin in Show Low just days after Lord’s death. The cabin was described as a $850,000 family vacation home.

Police claim that Renner’s father’s ex-girlfriend, Lauri, who ended the relationship before the murder, claimed Talan Renner shared a Snapchat with her while hiding in the cabin, while he was “walking the family dog, Gucci.”

She also claimed the teen appeared to have a swollen jaw in the photo. She told police that the Renner family attorney advised them to allow the defendant’s hands to heal before returning to his hometown in Gilbert.

She filed a report with police after she said she noticed Talan Renner showed no remorse after the attack. Video surveillance allegedly showed Renner bragging about getting away with murder, and referencing a “closed casket” funeral, due to the brutality of the beating.

Laurie added that she remained close to the family after breaking up with the defendant’s father and had access to Travis Renner’s credit card history.

“Since the incident, Laurie noticed a large amount of money being spent that was unusual,” court documents state.

“She said Kyler went shopping at the Scottsdale Fashion Center and bought a $20,000 gold and diamond bracelet and additional items from Gucci and Louie Vuitton – totaling approximately $30,000. Laurie felt this was to get rid of cash. She described Travis and Kyler’s residence as a ‘drug house.'”

Preston Lord Report Waterma… by Leigh Egan

It took investigators several months to identify the suspects, prompting anger among residents. Some of them claimed that the influential families of the boys were obstructing the course of justice.

All seven suspects are due back in court on April 30. Check back for updates.

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[Feature Photo: Preston Lord/Dignity Memorial]