Hearings delayed for juveniles accused in Rancho High beating

Nine teenagers have been arrested in connection with the death of 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis, who police said was attacked by a group of up to 10 teenagers on Nov. 1 near Rancho High School.

Five of the teenagers remain in the juvenile court system, and four were set to appear in court on Wednesday for part of a certification hearing, when attorneys were expected to argue if there is prosecutorial merit to charge the group with murder so that a judge can decide if they will be tried as adults.

Attorneys instead asked for a delay in the hearing, as they continue to review evidence in the case. Family Court Judge Amy Mastin ordered the teens to appear in court again on Jan. 31. Another teen whose case remains in the juvenile court system did not appear with the other four teenagers on Wednesday.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal is not identifying the teenagers whose cases remain in Family Court because they have not been certified to be charged as adults.

Meanwhile, Justice of the Peace Nadia Wood has set bail for three of the teenagers who were automatically certified as adults due to their ages. Damien Hernandez, 18, Gianni Robinson, 17, Treavion Randolph, 16 and Dontral Beaver, 16, have all been charged in Las Vegas Justice Court with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit battery resulting in substantial bodily harm.

Wood has set bail at $100,000 for Hernandez, Robinson and Randolph, court records show. Hernandez posted a surety bond after the bail was set on Dec. 27, according to online court records.

Attorneys for Hernandez and Randolph did not immediately respond to request for comment on Wednesday. Attorney Robert Draskovich, who represents Robinson, said that while he appreciates the judge setting bail in a murder case, his client is unable to afford bail due to his “limited means.”

The judge did not set a bail amount for Beaver because his attorney, Gabriel Grasso, has reserved the right to argue for bail at a later date.

In the hearings on Wednesday morning in juvenile court, the judge granted a competency hearing for one of the juveniles, for a mental health professional to determine if he understands the court proceedings. Another attorney argued for his client to be released on electronic monitoring, but the judge denied the request after prosecutors argued the teenager had been cited for participating in a fight two weeks before Lewis was attacked.

Mastin noted that the juvenile court system does not have bail, and said the teen is “going to remain detained as a danger to the community.”

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.