Four of the nine Las Vegas teenagers arrested for beating 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis Jr. to death appeared in court this morning on second degree murder charges.
Dontral Beaver, 16, Damien Hernandez, 17, Gianni Robinson, 17, and Treavion Randolph, 16, are all accused of beating Lewis to death outside Rancho High School on November 1. He died six days later in the hospital after suffering brain injuries.
Today, the four were formally charged as adults despite all being underage. They were sent back to custody to await their next court appearance.
Another five teens have been arrested but have not yet been charged.
The vicious beating was caught on camera and went viral on TikTok. Police relied on the video to identify many of the suspects.
Treavion's family however tell DailyMail.com he is nowhere to be seen in the footage.
Eight teenagers were arrested in connection with the deadly beating of Las Vegas high schooler Jonathan Lewis, 17
Chilling video posted to social media showed a group of youths standing over Jonathan's body, kicking him as he lay on the pavement. '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,' Treavion's uncle said
Chilling video posted to social media showed a group of youths standing over Jonathan's body, kicking him as he lay on the pavement. '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,' Treavion's uncle said
Lewis Jr., 17, had agreed to fight outside the school to settle an argument about a stolen vape and wireless headphones.
The footage showed him being fatally ganged up on and cowering on the ground for his life. His family started a GoFundMe page that has now raised over $130,000.
In court today, prosecutors said they were charging the teens with second degree murder instead of first degree murder because they could not prove premeditation, but that they continue to go through the evidence.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said of Lewis' family: 'That family was shattered, and all the other families and their lives have been shattered as well.
'So it’s a sad day that all this happened. But at the end of the day, I believe there have to be consequences.'
Treavion's step-grandmother Andrea Corsey, 55, said his family have been left devastated by Lewis' death and by the 16-year-old's arrest.
Treavion Randolph (left), 16, Damien Hernandez, 17, Gianni Robinson, 17, and Dontral Beaver (right), 16, made their first appearance as adults in court Friday morning
Dontral Beaver, 16 (left), and Gianni Robinson, 17, were arrested alongside six others accused of attacking Lewis
Damien Hernandez, 17 (left), and Treavion Randolph, 16 (right), have both been charged with murder as adults
Andrea, who is married to Treavion's grandfather Lovell Randolph Sr, 54, said: 'Everybody is devastated by what they say he's done.
'I can't understand it. He's never been any trouble. He comes here for birthdays and holidays. It's a very sad situation.'
Treavion's uncle, who asked not to be named, added: 'I've seen that video. I've watched it all. You can't see Treavion on there.
'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.'
Andrea added: 'We all looked for him [in the video] because, as you see, he has an enormous amount of hair.
'So, when you don't see that, it's like, how did they specifically identify him? It's very difficult to say.'