The mother of a Las Vegas boy beaten to death by a group of bullies last year slammed the county district attorney for “allowing her son to get away with murder” after a ruling meant her son’s suspected killer could not be prosecuted as an adult.
Melissa Reddy was horrified when she learned the Clark County District Attorney accepted a plea deal on Thursday that will ensure the four young people charged in the death of her son, Jonathan Lewis, will not be sentenced to adult prison, 8 News Now reported. reportCiting court documents.
“There is no justice for my son Jonathan Lewis. He was trampled to death and murdered by 20 people who simply stood there filming it and posting it on social media,” Reddy told the media.
Lewis’ suspected killers, Damien Hernandez, Dontral Beaver, Gianni Robinson and Trevion Randolph, were all under 18 when they were formally charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 17-year-old Lewis.
But as part of plea agreements, all four will plead guilty to manslaughter as juveniles.
“We evaluated all of the evidence comprehensively and were able to reach this mutually beneficial negotiation,” said Robert Draskovich, Gianni Robinson’s attorney. 8NewsNow.
“Obviously what happened is a tragedy, but convicting these young people of murder would be a second tragedy on the heels of the first.”
Ruiz, a student at Rancho High School, was brutally beaten by a mob of his fellow classmates in an alley near his school on November 1. Ruiz died from blunt force trauma six days later in hospital.
Lewis was allegedly attacked by several teenagers after getting into a fight over some wireless headphones he had stolen from a friend.
The tragedy was captured on multiple mobile phone videos, with police calling the viral attack “highly inhumane.”
The four young men claimed self-defense after their arrest, and LewisHe threw the first punch.
“You can’t jump into a person’s head and stomp on it and expect them to survive,” the grieving mother told the outlet.
“They knew he was going to die, that’s how I feel. And they got away with murder.”
The mother said she was surprised by the announcement and had not even been informed about Thursday’s hearing.
“They were told they would plead guilty to murder and the maximum adult sentence was two years,” Reddy told the outlet.
Lewis’ mother said that if she had been informed of the deal she “would have been totally opposed” and still firmly believes “he should take responsibility as an adult.”
“When they stepped on my child’s head, they knew that it would result in his death,” she said. “They are allowing me to kill my child and get away with it.”
Five other juveniles were also charged in the case, with four of them, including a 13-year-old, pleading guilty to manslaughter in juvenile court. One juvenile is still awaiting sentencing, according to 8 News Now.
