Jonathan Lewis's bullying case: Four accused charged with second-degree murder

Four high school teenagers from Las Vegas have been charged with second-degree murder after they allegedly beat their classmate to death on November 1.

Jonathan Lewis Jr, a 17-year-old student from Rancho High School, died after his fight with as many as ten students from the same school.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said they have arrested nine individuals in total and all of them are aged between 13 and 17. However, they are being tried as adults under Nevada law.

Dontral Beaver, 16, Damien Hernandez, 17, Treavion Randolph, 16, and Gianni Robinson, 17, appeared in court on Tuesday (Nov 21) where the charges were read.

The other five, also aged 13-17, will remain in juvenile court as they await their transfer to adult court.

The fight erupted after Lewis tried to stand up for a younger friend who had been allegedly robbed by the gang.

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The fight was filmed and widely shared on social media, including TikTok.

Randolph’s family maintains innocence

Randolph’s family was quoted by Daily Mail as saying that the viral video of the beating doesn’t show him.

“I've seen that video. I've watched it all. You can't see Treavion on there,” Randolph’s uncle said.

“They say they identified him from that video, but we don't know for sure. We haven't been told much. We don't know a lot about the whole thing,” he added.

Except for Damien Hernandez, none of the eight accused has any past criminal record. In 2021, Hernandez received a citation for smoking marijuana in public.

Lt. Jason Johansson of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said all the people involved — believed to be 10 — were students of Rancho High School.

Victim’s family sets up anti-bullying fund

Meanwhile, Jonathan Lewis’s family has set up an anti-bullying foundation in his memory.

The foundation, Team Jonathan, has reportedly partnered with other anti-bullying campaigns, including Choose Love and Dads in Schools.

(With inputs from agencies)