4 Las Vegas teens plead guilty in juvenile court in beating death of classmate: Reports

Four Las Vegas teenagers pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in juvenile court for beating their classmate to death, according to news reports.

Jonathan Lewis Jr., 17, died days after he was kicked, punched and stomped on in an alley near Rancho High School on Nov. 1, police said at the time. Video of the beating was posted online and widely shared. Police said 10 teens were involved and arrested at least eight teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 last year.

Students, including Jonathan, met in the alley to fight over "stolen wireless headphones and, possibly, a stolen marijuana vape pen," Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Jason Johansson said at the time. A homicide detective who testified in a grand jury hearing said that video of the attack showed that Jonathan threw a punch at one of the students before being swarmed by the group, the Associated Press reported.

The teens, whom USA TODAY has not named because they were all minors at the time they were charged, were previously charged with murder as adults.

"The matter was rightfully returned to Juvenile court where sentencing matters are confidential," defense attorney Karen Connolly said in an emailed statement.

Connolly represents one of the teens who "deeply regrets his involvement in the fight that led to Jonathan’s tragic death." The teen was was "not a major participant" in the killing, according to the statement.

They pleaded guilty in juvenile court on Tuesday as part of a deal to keep them from being tried as adults, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The deal required all four to plead guilty, or they would all again face charges as adults, the outlet reported. They all face an undetermined length of time in juvenile detention. Minors in juvenile detention to not receive specific sentences but are released after they complete rehabilitation programs, said Brigid Duffy, the director of the Clark County district attorney’s office’s juvenile division.

Mellisa Ready, Jonathan's mother, told the Review-Journal that she opposed the plea deal and wanted stronger penalties for the teenagers.

"There’s literally no one being held accountable with true punishment for my son’s murder,” she said. "It's disgusting."

The district attorney's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. USA TODAY has also reached out to Jonathan's father.

Police said at the time that it was Jonathan's friend who had the items stolen, but Jonathan fought on behalf of his friend.

"That's just the kind of person he was," his father, Jonathan Lewis Sr., told USA TODAY in November. He said his son was an avid hip-hop fan who also liked to make digital art.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY