Real estate agent offers $20K reward in Lord slaying

An East Valley real estate agent is offering a $20,000 reward to anyone who can provide information about the Preston Lord murder case that results in an arrest.

Sixteen-year-old Preston Lord was beaten to death Oct. 28 at a Halloween party. His battered body was left on the side of a suburban street in Queen Creek.

High school students in the Gilbert, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley areas say they believe affluent teenagers known as the “Gilbert Goons” killed Lord, and that Lord was just the latest victim in a string of blitz-style assaults.

But no arrest has been made in Lord’s case.

Adam Bailey has worked in the Chandler-area real estate market for six years. The Lord case, he said, has flooded the Living Chandler Facebook group he co-manages. For weeks, he has reviewed posts related to the case, including violent videos that show the Goons beating victims.

He said parents are anxious and afraid, advising each other to keep their kids home and away from any holiday parties this season.

Bailey said he’s concerned, given the area’s reputation for being familyfriendly and having excellent schools.

He’s offering $20,000 to the person who can provide information that leads to the arrest of who killed Preston Lord.

“Someone has videos or knows something,” Bailey said. “It’s time something gets done about it.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigations, which is partnering with Queen Creek on the case, has also offered a $10,000 reward for information.

Less than three weeks after Lord was beaten to death, the Goons filmed themselves attacking another Queen Creek student.

The video shows the group surrounding, knocking down and repeatedly striking a boy as he stumbles backward into a nighttime desertscape.

Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice said the department “continues to work towards arrests and convictions.”

The department will “investigate all leads and submit charges for those who were involved with the Oct. 28 attack, regardless of connections to businesses, wealth, religious affiliation, or political party,” Brice said.

The comment addresses concerns from area students and their families that the Goons’ connection to wealth and influence could be shielding them from accountability.

But Brice’s statement also said “some parents have actively refused to let their children participate in the investigation.”

Bailey hopes his $20,000 reward will motivate people to speak.

As of late November, Queen Creek police officials said more than 200 tips had been received and processed, including 29 through the FBI.

Brice, in a statement shared Thursday, empathized with concerned community members.

“I understand that it is incredibly frustrating for the public that there has not yet been an arrest. To secure a conviction, the County Attorney must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt — social media posts are not enough — they must be authenticated and corroborated,” Brice said.

The Republic is not naming victims. Nor is it naming individual Goons, even in cases where they were convicted of assaults and other crimes because they are underage. None has been charged or identified by authorities as suspects in Lord’s murder.

Anonymous tips, including images and video regarding the incident, can be submitted to Queen Creek Police Department at https://p3tips. com/952.