PHOENIX — From the first suspect in the Preston Lord murder case being sentenced to Arizona DPS troopers urging for workspace reform, here are some of the Valley’s top news stories from May 2-4.
Teen who pleaded guilty in death of Preston Lord sentenced to 17 years in prison
The first of seven suspects accused of killing Preston Lord in a group assault in 2023 was sentenced on Friday.
William Owen Hines, 19, was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison for his involvement in Lord’s death as well as three other assault cases.
Hines and the other suspects were accused of fatally beating the 16-year-old Lord at a Halloween party in October in Queen Creek. Lord died two days after the attack on Oct. 28, 2023.
Initially, Hines pleaded not guilty.
However, he later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in March of this year.
He is the first and only suspect in the high-profile case to make a plea agreement.
Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course in Scottsdale closing for restoration project this summer
Scottsdale private golf course Desert Highlands was closed on Monday due to a major restoration project, according to a Buffalo Groupe press release.
The Jack Nicklaus design, which first opened in 1983, will be closed for play until reopening in November.
Pieces of the $10 million project include the following: enhancing hole design, reworking surrounding desert landscaping, reconstructing tee boxes, redoing turf, bunkers and greens and updating the club’s putting course.
The par-41 putting course designed by Gary Panks will be re-laid with grass in July.
Paradise Valley property to be razed for $30M compound with 20-car garage
MDF Development plans to build a 15,000-square-foot private gated compound in Paradise Valley and sell it for $30 million, making it one of the most expensive home sales in the metro.
The Scottsdale-based luxury developer closed April 30 on an existing property for $5.75 million, with plans to raze that structure and build the new home on the 2.82-acre lot.
Frank DiMaggio, co-founder of MDF Development, said he hopes to break ground in a year and complete construction during the first or second quarter of 2028.
Suspect arrested in connection with Mesa shooting that left 1 dead
A suspect was arrested Saturday morning in connection with a Mesa shooting in April that left one man dead, authorities said.
On April 9 around 7 p.m., police responded to a shooting near Power Road and Main Street, according to the Mesa Police Department. Upon arrival, police found Tyler Davis, 35, with gunshot wounds.
Davis was taken to the hospital where he later died due to his injuries.
Upon investigation, authorities said Antolino Ballejos Jr., 25, was identified as the suspect in the shooting from witness accounts and video surveillance footage. Ballejos Jr. had agreed to turn himself into police on April 11, but never showed.
DPS troopers union urges lawmakers to do something about decrepit, unsafe workspaces
Arizona state troopers are urging lawmakers to do something about the woefully rundown and inadequate facilities they work from on a daily basis.
“We are so far behind that it’s almost difficult for people to even grasp,” Jeff Hawkins, president of the Arizona State Troopers Association, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Monday.
The conditions are creating safety hazards for troopers and people in custody and making it harder for the Arizona Department of Publics Safety to hire and retain enough troopers to properly patrol the state’s highways, according to the union leader.
“You have an office in Kingman where there’s no septic system or actual sewer system. They go to the bathroom through a pipe right into the ground. I mean, stuff that’s absolutely unheard of,” Hawkins said.
The post Weekend wrap: Here are the biggest Arizona news stories from May 2-4 appeared first on KTAR.
