Eight teenagers were arrested in connection with the deadly beating of Las Vegas high schooler Jonathan Lewis, 17
The family of one of eight teens arrested over the savage beating murder of ‘hero’ teenager Jonathan Lewis has told DailyMail.com he does not appear in the viral video showing the attack and is a good boy ‘who has never been in any trouble’.
Treavion Randolph celebrated his 16th birthday days before the November 7 attack in Las Vegas but is now facing life in jail after being charged with first degree murder over the beating that left Lewis, 17, with unsurvivable brain injuries.
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.
Now, in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, 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.
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 Randolph, 16, is one of the eight suspects who was arrested for the beating. He appeared in court last week
Treavion’s step-grandmother Andrea Corsey, 55, said his family have been left devastated by Lewis’s death and by the 16-year-old’s arrest. Andrea is is married to Treavion’s grandfather Lovell Randolph Sr, 54 (left)
The family claim Treavion, 16, is a good boy ‘who has never been in any trouble’. Treavion was arrested and booked into the Clark County Jail on November 16 and transferred into the adult justice system
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
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.
Photos show a sweet-faced teenager looking delighted on his elementary school graduation day in 2014
‘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 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.
All four made an initial appearance in court on November 17 and are due to face the judge again on Tuesday for a plea hearing.
According to Daniel Martinez, the public defender representing Treavion, all are expected to plead not guilty.
Las Vegas police have also arrested four younger suspects aged between 13 and 15 who are currently being held in the juvenile system ahead of a hearing on December 6 that will decide if they too can be named and transferred to the adult justice system.
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.
In one photo obtained by DailyMail.com, Treavion is seen showing off a pair of new earbuds
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
Police are still searching for another two suspects but all eight of the teens currently in custody are facing life in prison if they are found guilty of the brutal murder.
Lewis, 17, was allegedly beaten to death on November 1 by a gang of bullies
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.
Lewis is said to have been targeted after standing-up for a smaller friend who’d just been robbed by the mob, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family.
Police officers found him at about 2:05 pm that day, bleeding from the head.
The teen was put on life support at University Medical Center, where he died Tuesday after doctors made several attempts to save his life.
Treavion 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.
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, Treavion attended Rancho High School – just a few meters from the desolate alleyway where Lewis, also a student at the school, died.
Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show the spot where the fight took place, which sits behind a sober living home run by Las Vegas charity Sober Homiez
Flowers have now been left at the scene with a poignant message on one bouquet reading: ‘You are a hero!!!’
Rodney Gillies, the property manager in charge of the Sober Homiez apartment block, told DailyMail.com he had not heard the fight but previously had had issues with teenagers from the school using his garden as a cut through
Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show the bleak spot which sits behind a sober living home run by Las Vegas charity Sober Homiez while the alley is dotted with large dumpsters.
Flowers have now been left at the scene with a poignant message on one bouquet reading: ‘You are a hero!!!’
‘I’m sorry these humans acted so savage… Thank you for standing up for your beliefs… I would of [sic] loved to fight beside you…’
Rodney Gillies, the property manager in charge of the Sober Homiez apartment block, told DailyMail.com he had not heard the fight but previously had had issues with teenagers from the school using his garden as a cut through.
He said: ‘The first thing I knew about it was when I came home and a load of patrol cars were parked over there [at the end of the alley].
‘We get a lot of teens coming through here and I’ve had to tell them not to use it – although I did let one boy sit in the garden because he was just waiting to be picked up by his mother.’
He added: ‘I heard later that a boy had been hospitalized and then died. It’s a real tragedy. All these lives ruined over a pair of earbuds. It doesn’t make sense.’