One of seven East Valley teens and young adults charged in the beating death of 16-year-old Preston Lord has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for manslaughter.
William Hines, 19, is the first of Lord’s attackers to be sentenced. The teens were attending a Halloween party in Queen Creek in 2023 when Lord was severely beaten. He was treated at a local hospital, but died two days later.
Addressing the court Friday, Hines said he was sorry and that he wants to do better in the future.
“I should’ve learned from many past mistakes, but I was blinded and still am blinded by addiction and stubbornness," Hines said. "I should’ve asked for help, but the past is the past and there is no way to change it.”
Preston’s father, Nick Lord, also addressed the court.
“I have no words of forgiveness to offer William Owen Hines for the role he played in my son’s death," Nick Lord said. "The severity of the crime demands accountability.”
Prosecutors had sought the maximum 21 years for Hines' conviction in Preston Lord’s killing.
Hines will first serve five years for a crash he caused while drunk driving a few months before the attack on Lord. The person he crashed into suffered a traumatic brain injury.
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