Teens From Vegas Charged as Adults in Deadly Classmate Beating

Four of the eight Las Vegas high school students involved in a fatal beating have been charged as adult with second-degree murder, along with conspiracy to commit battery. The incident resulted in the death of 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis Jr. The students were seen on video kicking and punching Jonathan in a brawl on Nov. 1. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Jonathan was attacked by approximately 15 individuals near Rancho High School, where they all attended. He had been defending a smaller student who was being picked on, and had intervened when the group allegedly stole items from the smaller student and dumped him in a trash bin. The attack on Jonathan was captured on video, showing him being swarmed by 10 students before being severely beaten. He did not defend himself during the attack and later died from severe head trauma. The District Attorney’s office has decided against first-degree murder charges, stating that the beating was not premeditated. One of the attorneys for the accused students claimed that the fight videos are incomplete and vowed to go through all the videos with an investigator to determine what really happened.