LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: The family of Treavion Randolph, a 16-year-old teen accused of killing Jonathan Lewis, has claimed that he does not appear in the viral video that captured the brutal attack.
Randolph was booked into the Clark County Jail on November 16 before being transferred into the adult justice system with Dontral Beaver, 16, Gianni Robinson, 17, and Damien Hernandez, 18.
The four teenagers have now been charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of 17-year-old Lewis.
Four other students who were also arrested for the death of Lewis on November 7 were all under 16 and are to remain in the juvenile court system.
The four named teenagers, according to District Attorney Steve Wolfson, were also charged with criminal conspiracy to commit violence resulting in significant bodily damage.
What claims are made by Treavion Randolph’s family?
Lewis’ tragic death came after he got into a fight with an unnamed peer over a set of wireless headphones and possibly a vape pen that was stolen from his younger friends.
All parties involved in the altercation then agreed to meet in the alley to fight where Lewis was reportedly pummelled by the bullies on November 1.
The teen was taken to the University Medical Center after police officers found him bleeding from the head at around 2.05 pm that day.
He was placed on life support at the Centre but tragically succumbed to his injuries on November 7, following many attempts by medical professionals to save his life.
Lt Jason Johansson of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department previously revealed that the department was able to identify ten suspects, who were involved in the murder after a video of the fight went viral.
The video allegedly showed Lewis being kicked by a group of about fifteen bullies as he was lying curled up on the pavement. At least two teens stood nearby, filming the attack on their cellphones.
While police claim suspects were identified from the video, Randolph’s family states that he didn’t appear in the altercation. “I've seen that video. I've watched it all. You can't see Treavion on there,” his uncle told Daily Mail.
“They say they identified him from that video, but we don't know for sure. We haven't been told much. We don't know a lot about the whole thing.”
His step-grandmother Andrea Corsey, 55, echoed similar remarks, stating “We all looked for him [in the video] because, as you see, he has an enormous amount of hair.”
“So, when you don't see that, it's like, how did they specifically identify him? It's very difficult to say,” she told the outlet.
Andrea also revealed that their family has been left devastated by Lewis' death and by the 16-year-old's arrest.
“Everybody is devastated by what they say he's done. I can't understand it. He's never been in any trouble. He comes here for birthdays and holidays. It's a very sad situation,” she expressed.
Who are Treavion Randolph’s parents?
Treavion has two siblings: Lovell Randolph III, his brother, and Abigail, his sister. In May, his mother Oliva Lopez-Aranda filed for divorce from his father Lovell Randolph Jr, 36, alleging irreconcilable differences.
Randolph Jr, who allegedly has a long criminal history, is currently serving a five-year sentence at Three Lakes Valley Conservation Camp in Elko, Nevada.
He was sent down in May for using a lethal weapon, one week before his wife filed for divorce. His previous felonies include a conviction for violence from 2020, two convictions for pandering and assault with a dangerous weapon from 2015, and convictions for conspiring to conduct a violent crime and robbery from 2018, according to Daily Mail.
Despite Randolph Jr's lengthy rap sheet, his son Treavion was described as a good boy and a dedicated student by his family.
Like his co-defendants, Treavion attended Rancho High School – just a few meters from the desolate alleyway where Lewis, also a student at the school, died.
