Four Las Vegas teens charged in fatal beating escape harsh sentencing after plea deal
Four teenagers involved in the brutal beating death of Las Vegas high school student Jonathan Lewis Jr. have struck a plea deal, resulting in a lesser sentence for their actions. The defendants, who were aged 16 and 17 at the time of the incident last November, originally faced second-degree murder charges but pleaded guilty to manslaughter instead. They will serve an undisclosed amount of time in juvenile detention.
Jonathan Lewis Jr. succumbed to his injuries in a hospital days after the attack, which involved multiple assailants who stomped, kicked, and punched him unconscious in an alleyway. His mother, Melissa Ready, expressed her outrage over the plea agreement, stating, “There’s literally no one being held accountable with true punishment for my son’s murder. It’s disgusting.”
In a statement, she revealed she was not informed of the plea negotiations and strongly opposed the deal. “They knew when they were stomping on my child’s head that he was going to die. They should be accountable as adults,” she asserted.
The attackers—Treavion Randolph, Dontral Beaver, Gianni Robinson, and Damien Hernandez—were arrested in January. Under Nevada law, children as young as 13 can be prosecuted for murder. However, juvenile offenders in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, can remain in custody until the age of 21, with the possibility of parole if they successfully complete rehabilitation programs.
District Attorney Steve Wolfson defended the plea deal, emphasizing the need to balance the serious nature of the crime with potential legal challenges in a trial. He noted that the juvenile system can provide better rehabilitation resources for the young offenders.
The attack on Lewis occurred on November 1 near Rancho High School, allegedly over a dispute involving stolen headphones and a vape pen. Witnesses reported that he was outnumbered and beaten before a bystander transported him back to the school, where staff attempted CPR.
Following the melee, nine students aged 13 to 17 were arrested in connection to the incident. Hernandez’s attorney mentioned that he deeply regrets his involvement and is willing to accept any punishment imposed.
