Preston Strong

Overview

Preston Alton Strong, born in June 1966, is an American mass murderer and serial killer who currently resides on death row in Arizona. His heinous crimes include the murder of Dr. Satinder Gill in 2007 and the infamous La Mesa Street Murders in 2005, where he brutally killed a family of six, including four young children. Strong's life sentences and death penalty reflect the gravity of his offenses and the impact they had on the victims' families and the community.

Quick Facts

• Born: June 1966 (Age: 58–59)
• Location: Arizona, U.S.
• Convictions:
  • First-degree murder (7 counts)
  • Aggravated assault (2 counts)
  • Armed robbery
  • First-degree burglary
  • Attempted arson of an occupied structure (2 counts)
  • Forgery
  • Theft
• Criminal Penalty: Death (May 5, 2017)
• Victims: 7
• Span of Crimes: 2005–2007

Early Life and Criminal Record

Details about Strong's early life remain sparse, with little documented about his childhood. However, as he transitioned into adulthood, he found himself working at a car dealership in Yuma. Interestingly, law enforcement officials have described him as a "career con man," which hints at a checkered past beyond the horrific murders for which he would later be convicted. His criminal history includes several theft and forgery charges in addition to the shocking murders of Dr. Gill and the La Mesa family.

La Mesa Street Murders

The tragedy unfolded on June 24, 2005, when the Yuma Police Department received frantic calls reporting gunshots and a scream for help coming from a residence at 2037 La Mesa Street. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found 35-year-old Luis Rios in the backyard, still alive but suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Tragically, Rios died shortly after being transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center.

Police swiftly surrounded the house, fearing a hostage situation, especially since Rios had children inside. Upon entering the home, they were met with a grotesque scene: five more bodies lay inside. A retired police officer who was one of the first responders described the darkness of the interior as they entered through a side door, immediately stumbling upon the lifeless forms of 13-year-old Andreas Crawford and 12-year-old Enrique Bedoya, both of whom had perished from asphyxiation.

As officers continued their grim search, they uncovered the bodies of 29-year-old Adrienne Heredia, 9-year-old Inez Newman, and 6-year-old Danny Heredia III. While the adults were suffocated, Danny had also suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The horror of this crime shocked the community and led to an extensive investigation, with police conducting over 1,300 interviews and receiving thousands of tips over the years.

Despite the exhaustive efforts, it wasn't until November 28, 2007, that law enforcement named Preston Strong as a suspect in the murders, by which time he was already in custody for unrelated fraud charges. In the summer of 2014, he was officially charged with six counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors revealed that Strong had a personal motive for the killings: Rios, once a close friend, had ceased giving him financial assistance. On April 25, 2017, Strong was convicted of all counts and sentenced to death, with the case drawing national media attention, even being covered by People magazine. Surviving family members sought answers through unconventional means, including an appearance on The Montel Williams Show with psychic Sylvia Browne.

Murder of Satinder Gill

The second major crime attributed to Strong occurred on November 2, 2007, when authorities discovered the body of 62-year-old Dr. Satinder Gill inside his home. Gill was found with his head submerged in a bathtub filled with water, having been suffocated and suffering from blunt force trauma. Notably, $24,000 in cash, delivered to him just a day prior, was missing from the home.

A friend of Gill testified during the trial about the doctor’s strange behavior leading up to his death. The day before he was found, Gill had asked her to cash a check for him and seemed anxious when she delivered the money. He even opened the door to her only partly, an oddity that raised her suspicions. When a stranger called her from Gill's phone the following day, claiming to have found it by a canal, she panicked and called for a welfare check.

When firefighters finally gained entry, they discovered that the house was filled with natural gas and lit candles, further complicating the scene. Surveillance footage from a local Walmart on November 1 showed Strong attempting to purchase a $4,300 money order. When asked for identification, he claimed he didn’t have any, leading him to buy smaller money orders that didn’t require proof of identity. Strong’s girlfriend testified that he had given her $9,500 in cash on the day Gill's body was discovered, a suspicious act given their financial arrangements.

Strong was taken into custody on unrelated theft charges on the same day Gill's body was found. By November 28, 2007, he was named a suspect not only in Gill's murder but also in the La Mesa case. While awaiting trial for the Gill murder, he received a 3.5-year sentence for the theft charge.

Sentencing and Aftermath

In 2012, Strong was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Dr. Gill, along with an additional 25.5 years for related charges such as kidnapping and armed robbery. However, the saga didn’t end there. In 2014, while serving his sentence, he was re-arrested and tried for the La Mesa murders, leading to a conviction on all counts and a death sentence handed down on May 5, 2017.

Strong has since continued to appeal both convictions, claiming police misconduct during his investigations. In a conversation with a journalist from The Arizona Republic, he maintained that authorities mishandled evidence and procedures. In a significant development, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in the La Mesa case in September 2024, sealing his fate as one of the most notorious criminals in Arizona's history.

Sources

• "Preston Strong sentenced to death for La Mesa Street murders." The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
• "Death Row." Arizona Department of Corrections. April 12, 2014. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
• "Yuma Police Name Potential Suspect in Killing of Six." Yuma Daily Sun. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
• "Public Access Case Lookup." apps.supremecourt.az.gov. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
• Gilbert, James (February 11, 2017). "YPD Unit Leader Describes Murder Scene." Yuma Daily Sun. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
• "How It Began: A Timeline for the La Mesa Street Murders." Yuma Daily Sun. April 26, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
• Pelisek, Christine (April 28, 2017). "Family's Mass Murderer Convicted 12 Years After Suffocating and Shooting 2 Adults and 4 Kids." People. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
• Gilbert, James (July 25, 2012). "Woman Who Helped Slain Doctor Testifies." Yuma Daily Sun. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
• Cassidy, Megan (April 25, 2017). "Jury finds Preston Strong guilty of 2005 slayings of Yuma family." The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
• Rangel, Alexandra (September 4, 2024). "Death sentence upheld for man convicted of 2005 'La Mesa Murders' in Yuma." www.azfamily.com. Retrieved December 19, 2024.