A ninth teenager has been arrested over the fatal beating of 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis Jr. in Las Vegas as authorities hunt for a tenth remaining suspect.
The unnamed juvenile was taken into custody and booked into Clark County Juvenile Hall on Tuesday for open murder, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Dontral Beaver, 16, Damien Hernandez, 17, Gianni Robinson, 17, and Treavion Randolph, 16, are among nine schoolmates accused of beating Lewis to death outside Rancho High School on November 1. They appeared in court on murder charges on November 21 and will be tried as adults.
The vicious beating was caught on camera and Lewis died six days later in the hospital after suffering brain injuries. Police relied on the video to identify many of the suspects.
Officers are still searching for an additional ‘person of interest’ who they say was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and khaki pants.
A ninth teenager has been arrested over the fatal beating of 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis Jr. in Las Vegas as authorities hunt for a 10th remaining suspect
Damien Hernandez, 17 (left), and Treavion Randolph, 16 (right), have both been charged with murder as adults
Dontral Beaver, 16 (left), and Gianni Robinson, 17, were arrested alongside six others accused of attacking Lewis
Four of the teenagers accused of taking part in the beating of Lewis appeared in court on murder charges on Tuesday.
Cowed, cuffed, and being tried as adults, they mumbled their replies as they stood before Judge Nadia Wood at the start of a trial which could see them jailed for life.
Lewis died in hospital from brain injuries six days after he was leapt on by up to 15 attackers after reportedly standing up for a smaller classmate who had his headphones stolen and was dumped in a trash can.
Robinson appeared to be shaking and glanced nervously at a camera as he realized he was being filmed, while Hernandez nodded respectfully when asked if he understood the charges against him.
‘Yes ma’am, yes your honor’, muttered Randolph as he was asked the same question.
Video of the vicious beating, which was posted to TikTok and went viral, shows a large group of boys attacking Lewis who is seen curled up on the ground attempting to shield himself.
Lt. Jason Johansson of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said all the people involved were students of Rancho High School and described the footage as ‘void of humanity’.
He said that a citizen found Lewis unresponsive after the beating, which occurred in an alleyway near the school.
Lewis was then taken to UMC where doctors determined he had suffered ‘non-survivable head trauma’.
Johansson said that the fight was over a pair of stolen wireless headphones and possibly a vape pen, which were taken from friends of the victim. All parties involved agreed to meet in the alley to fight, according to police.
‘As soon as a punch is thrown, ten subjects immediately swarm him,’ he said.
Randolph was arrested and booked into the Clark County Jail on November 16 and, along with Dontral Beaver, 16, Gianni Robinson, 17, and Damien Hernandez, 18, transferred into the adult justice system.
In court 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.
Five more students aged between 13 and 17 have been arrested over the murder.
Apart from Hernandez, who received a citation in 2021 for smoking marijuana in public, none of the older four has any sort of criminal record.
Randolph is one of three siblings and has a brother named Lovell Randolph III, and a sister named Abigail.
His mother Oliva Lopez-Aranda filed for divorce from his father Lovell Randolph Jr, 36, in May citing irreconcilable differences.
Lewis was lost beneath the pack of youths who carried out a vicious assault on the teen
All out chaos ensues as Lewis is beaten until he is unconscious
The attack happened near Rancho High School on the afternoon of November 1. Police found Jonathan bleeding from his head
Four of the nine youngsters charged with beating Lewis Jr. to death appeared in court on Tuesday with their attorneys and parents
Randolph Jr is currently in jail and has a lengthy criminal past. Records seen by DailyMail.com show he is serving a five-year sentence at Three Lakes Valley Conservation Camp in Elko, Nevada, and was sent down in May for use of a deadly weapon – a week before his wife filed for divorce.
Previous felonies include a 2020 conviction for battery, 2018 convictions for conspiracy to commit a violent crime and robbery, and two convictions in 2015 for pandering and assault with a deadly weapon.
Despite Randolph Jr’s lengthy rap sheet, his son Treavion was described as a good boy and a dedicated student by his family.
Photos of the 16-year-old, obtained by DailyMail.com, show a sweet-faced teenager looking delighted on his elementary school graduation day in 2014, pulling a shirtless pose in a selfie and showing off a pair of new earbuds.
Like his co-defendants, Randolph attended Rancho High School – just a few meters from the desolate alleyway where Lewis, also a student at the school, died.
Treavion’s family however tell DailyMail.com he is nowhere to be seen in the footage.
His step-grandmother Andrea Corsey, 55, said his family have been left devastated by Lewis’ death and by the 16-year-old’s arrest.
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.’
Treavion Randolph, 16, and Gianni Robinson, 17, are two of the teens charged
Damien Hernandez, 17, was also joined by an attorney
Lewis’ father, also named Jonathan Lewis, said his son confronted the group after they stole something from his friend
Lewis’ father, Jonathan Lewis Sr, who lives in Austin, Texas, said his son was targeted in the melee after rushing to help another student being picked on by the bullies.
He said Jonathan was initially attacked by a few students who the 17-year-old shook off ‘because he was so strong.’
‘But then all the other kids joined in and beat him to death after that,’ he added to NewsNation.
The family has launched an anti-bullying foundation named ‘Team Jonathan’ in his memory and it appears set to partner with other anti-bullying campaigns including Choose Love and Dads in Schools, to combat a recent surge in bullying across America.
Lewis Sr, has claimed the mob that attacked his son have were involved in similar incidents previously – and locals claim the school district has a widespread bullying problem.
A GoFundMe page describes Jonathan as ‘a kind, loving, gentle young man who has the heart of a champion and the brightest loving energy that attracts people to him with love.’
‘We are so grateful for all the love and community support that has poured in for our son and hope that the world will focus on all that love and compassion as a beacon of hope for human relations and place recognition upon how much stronger the love and the spirit of community is than the dark moments of violence.’