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One of the suspects accused in the fatal beating death of a teenager at a Halloween party last year reportedly boasted about being “too strong” in Snapchat messages following the deadly fight.
Talan Renner, 17, and six other suspects were arrested in the death of Preston Lord, 16, who died of a brain injury two days after the beating in Gilbert, Arizona, in October 2023.
Now, newly-released documents reveal disturbing messages between Renner and his friends, which police say were among the Snapchats that helped lead to the arrests, AZFamily reported.
The 1,100-page police report that was released on 28 March included a digital trail of evidence, which contained Snapchats, videos, pictures, phone calls and texts from the time.
In one of the messages, Renner wrote: “I got in a fight, a big group fight and I accidentally killed a kid. I guess I’m just too strong.”
Police have said the messages and Snapchats lay out a timeline that show what each person did in the fight and what happened in the days that followed before they were caught.
Aside from Renner, Treston Billey, Talyn Vigil, Jacob Meisner, William Owen Hines, Taylor Sherman and Dominic Turner, were also arrested. They have all pleaded not guilty.
According to the documents, Renner allegedly bragged to Sherman after Lord was killed, texting him to say: I might have hospitalized that kid. I hit him pretty hard.”
Another message read: “Tresty or Talan might be getting charged with murder,” which referenced Treston Billey.
Seven suspects have been accused of murder in the fatal beating Preston Lord
One unnamed teenager danced on the Lord’s body shortly after the beating, while others performed “humping” and simulated rape acts, according to the documents.
The report also revealed that Renner has videos of the attack on his cellphone and that he showed that video to his football team and bragged about it.
Investigators believe that the fight broke out over a gold chain after “D Money,” who was later identified as Dominic Turner, ripped the chain off.
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell told the Arizona Republic that one of Lord’s friends “had a chain with a medallion on it that was taken from him.”
Lord and his unidentified friend tried to get the necklace back and a chase and confrontation ensued, according to Ms Mitchell. The teen was left lying on the side of a street.
The arrests follow a string of violent attacks on young people outside fast-food restaurants and at parties, parks and parking garages by a group said to call itself the “Gilbert Goons.”
Local residents have held vigils and demonstrations to protest what they described as the growing violence in Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler and other Phoenix suburbs.
Source: independent.co.uk
