Four of the eight Las Vegas high school students arrested in the fatal beating of a classmate have been formally charged as adults with second-degree murder, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The two 16-year-olds and two 17-year-olds were also charged with conspiracy to commit battery in the death of Jonathan Lewis Jr., 17, earlier this month. Eight students between ages 13 and 17 were arrested, and two more were sought, after all were seen on video kicking and punching Jonathan in a brawl on Nov. 1.
Anyone older than 16 who is accused of murder can be charged as an adult under Nevada law without a court proceeding to examine their history along with the evidence.
Jonathan was beset by “approximately 15 individuals” near Rancho High School, which all of them attended, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said at the time. His father said his son had been sticking up for a smaller student who they were picking on. They allegedly stole wireless headphones and a vape pen, then dumped the smaller teen into a trash bin. Jonathan intervened.
What happened next was “very void of humanity,” police Lt. Jason Johansson said of what could be seen on the video, which shows Jonathan taking off his shirt to prepare for the fight before 10 students “immediately swarm him, pull him to the ground and begin kicking, punching and stomping on him.”
Jonathan did not defend himself during the attack, Johansson said. He was hospitalized with severe head trauma and died on Nov. 7. His father said he died a hero.
District Attorney Steve Wolfson said his office had deemed first-degree murder charges unwarranted because the beating was not premeditated. The attorney for one of the 17-year-olds charged said Tuesday that the fight videos are “incomplete” and that he’d be “going through all the videos with my investigator to see what really happened.”
With News Wire Services
