The mom of a Las Vegas teenager who died after being beaten has claimed his accused bullies are 'getting away with murder' after accepting plea deals.
Jonathan Lewis was just 17 years old when he died of his injuries after being beaten on 1 November, 2023.
Footage of the incident showed Lewis being punched and kicked by a group of up to 10 teenagers in an alleyway near Rancho High School in Vegas.
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Three months after the attack, four teens - Damien Hernandez, Dontral Beaver, Gianni Robinson and Treavion Randolph - were formally charged with murder.
Lewis' mother, Mellisa Ready, told 8NewsNow she'd recently heard from the Clark County district attorney’s office that the teens were going to plead guilty to murder in the adult court system.
However, in a hearing in Clark County District Court on Thursday (1 August), it was revealed that all four teens had agreed to a plea deal which will allow them to plead guilty as juveniles to manslaughter.
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Commenting on the deal, Robert Draskovich, attorney for defendant Gianni Robinson, said: “We were able to evaluate all the evidence as a whole and reach this mutually beneficial negotiation. Obviously, what occurred is a tragedy, but convincing these young men of murder would be a second tragedy, following the first."
In the wake of the deal, Ready described herself as 'dumbfounded' and 'in shock' as she expressed her frustrations to 8NewsNow.
She said: “You cannot jump in a human being’s head, stomp on him, and think that they’re going to remain alive after.
"They knew he was going to die, and that’s how I feel – and they’re letting them get away with murder.”
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“There is no justice for my son Jonathan Lewis, that was stomped to death and murdered while 20 people stood there and did nothing more than film it and broadcast it to social media.
“I was told that they were going to plea guilty to murder and that the most they would get in the adult system is two years."
“I would’ve disagreed with the deal entirely. They should be accountable as adults – they made an adult choice,” she continued. “They knew that when they were stomping on my child’s head. That he was going to die as a result.
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“They are letting them get away with murdering my child."
The Clark County District Attorney’s Office responded to Ready's claims in a statement to UNILAD in which it said the mother had been informed of the plea deal prior to the court hearting.
"The District Attorney’s Office stands by the negotiation, which was reached after thoughtful consideration of the egregious facts and circumstances as well as the potential legal challenges the State faced," it said.
"Ultimately, the State determined the juvenile court was best equipped to punish the defendants for their heinous conduct while also attempting to rehabilitate them. While the District Attorney’s Office acknowledges the pain the victim’s mother is going through as she mourns the loss of her son, the negotiation was accurately conveyed to her last week, prior to the court proceeding.
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"The conversation was witnessed by multiple DA personnel."
Judge Tierra Jones has said the plea agreement is contingent on all four teens pleading guilty to the manslaughter charge.
Of the nine people arrested in relation to Lewis' death, four, including a 13-year-old boy, have pleaded guilty in juvenile court to voluntary manslaughter.
If you’ve been affected by bullying and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Stop Bullying Now Hotline on 1-800-273-8255, where help is available 24/7.
Emily Brown