• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Eight teens face murder charges for allegedly beating classmate to death after he stood up for 'smaller friend'

Home> News> US News> Police

Published 10:13 18 Nov 2023 GMT

Eight teens face murder charges for allegedly beating classmate to death after he stood up for 'smaller friend'

Las Vegas teen Jonathan Lewis died following an attack earlier this month

Rhianna Benson

Rhianna Benson

Four of the eight Las Vegas teenagers who are accused of taking part in the fatal beating of their classmate Jonathan Lewis have now made their first appearance in adult court.

This comes just days after the police branded the viral attack 'very void of humanity'.

Two 16-year-olds and two 17-year-olds now face murder charges in connection to Lewis' death on 7 November, and will face their judgement together.

Advert

In separate hearings, the four teens were ordered to remain held without bail pending a formal hearing to address their custody status.

None of the students who were arrested have been formally charged. UNILAD is not naming them as they are juveniles.

According to a GoFundMe page, Lewis had been in the area near his school on November 1 when one of his 'smaller friends' had something stolen by a group of 15 people.

Jonathan has been described as 'kind' and 'loving'.
GoFundMe

He fought with one of the alleged killers over a set of wireless headphones, according to Las Vegas Homicide Lt. Jason Johansson, who made a statement on Tuesday 14 November.

Following the first punch being thrown, disturbing footage from the attack showed Lewis confronting one member of the group, before he was surrounded and beaten by them.

The younger friend was also allegedly thrown into a trash can by the bullies.

Jonathan was discovered by police at about 2.05pm local time, with blood coming from a wound on his head.

Paramedics performed chest compressions on the teen before rushing him University Medical Center, where he was put on life support.

He tragically died a week later, according to police.

On the GoFundMe page, Jonathan's family describe the teen as a 'kind, loving, gentle young man' with 'the brightest loving energy'.

An 'aspiring artist' and 'devoted big brother', Jonathan has also been remembered as someone who 'loved community and caring for others'.

The teen's dad, also called Jonathan Lewis, told KLAS his son kept to himself and had been planning to move to Austin, Texas to live with him before the attack.

The elder Lewis is hopeful that the tragedy involving his son will spark a conversation about youth violence, claiming children 'don’t even know what they’re doing half the time'.

Lewis died a week later.
GoFundMe

Las Vegas Metro Police Department - with the help of the FBI - identified 10 of the suspects from the video of the attack, and eight were arrested on Tuesday.

The other four suspects - whose ages range from 13 to 17 - are currently in the juvenile court system, waiting to be certified to enter the adult court to face murder charges.

In the state of Nevada, a case is automatically transfered from a juvenile court to an adult court if someone over 16 years old is accused of murder - something referred to in the court as a certification.

The public have been asked by the LVMPD for assistance in identifying the other two suspects in the video, who are yet to be arrested.

Clark County Deputy District Attorney Shanon Clowers-Sanborn

told press on Friday: "I know there’s still two outstanding juveniles, we have four down still within the juvenile system that were not able to be direct file."

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal earlier this week: "At the end of the day, a young man was brutally murdered, and I believe that some of these juveniles will be held responsible."

Wolfson is the prosecutor seeking to charge the teens suspected of beating Lewis to death as adults.

Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe

Topics: Crime, Police, US News

Rhianna Benson
Rhianna Benson

Rhianna is an Entertainment Journalist at LADbible Group, working across LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla. She has a Masters in News Journalism from the University of Salford and a Masters in Ancient History from the University of Edinburgh. She previously worked as a Celebrity Reporter for OK! and New Magazines, and as a TV Writer for Reach PLC.

X

@rhiannaBjourno

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
3 hours ago
7 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Sky News
    2 hours ago

    Danish MP says Trump's claims of a Greenland deal 'not real'

    She said there's 'no deal without having Greenland as part of the negotiations.'

    News
  • Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
    3 hours ago

    Donald Trump backs down on tariff threat after 'securing beginnings' of a Greenland deal

    It is believed the deal could potentially see the US take ownership of small pockets of land in the arctic nation.

    News
  • Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
    7 hours ago

    Donald Trump boldly declares 'sometimes you need a dictator' in second Davos speech

    Trump addressed the World Economic Forum in a second speech on Wednesday where he once again made reference to himself as a 'dictator'

    News
  • Getty Images/Luis Alvarez
    10 hours ago

    Neurologists warn that you should never ignore these eight symptoms

    Multiple neurologists have highlighted simple things you should not ignore

    News
  • Legal expert reveals if ICE officer who shot woman in Minneapolis will face charges as FBI launch investigation
  • Lawyer for Rob and Michele Reiner’s son speaks out on decision to remove himself from their murder case
  • Friend who found Idaho murder victims’ bodies speaks out for the first time
  • Police Chief hints at motive behind Ohio dentist and wife's murder after her surgeon ex was charged