LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It was a packed courtroom Thursday morning for a hearing with four of the teens accused of beating and killing their Rancho High School classmate 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis.
While family members of several of the suspects filled the benches, many, including Jill Hough, came in support of justice for Lewis, wearing a T-shirt with his name and face.
"Everybody needs to know this young man suffered at the hands of many," Hough said.
Hough is a friend of Lewis' mother and a member of the group "Justice for Jonathan."
"It's extremely upsetting to see what [Lewis' mother] is going through and having to relive this on a daily basis," Hough said.
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Gianni Robinson, Damien Hernandez, Dontral Beaver and Treavion Randolph are four of the ten teens accused of brutally beating and killing Lewis in an alley way near Rancho High School last November.
According to an autopsy report from the Clark County Coroner's Office, Lewis' cause of death was "complications of multiple blunt force injuries." The manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The four teens were indicted by a Clark County grand jury in January on charges of murder and conspiracy.
But attorneys for all four, Robert Draskovich, Karen Ann Connolly, Gabriel Grasso and Daniel Martinez, have filed petitions of writ of habeus corpus to dismiss the indictment.
They argue the indictment should be dismissed because their clients acted in self-defense, in response to Lewis throwing the first punch.
"This was not a coordinated or planned attack upon a young man," said Connolly in court.
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But Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly asserted videos from the scene show a group of people targeting Lewis which she says support the charges in the indictment.
"The attack on this victim wasn't quick," Weckerly told Judge Tierra Jones. "It is a circle of people around a single individual with the object of inflicting injuries on a single individual. Everybody's kicking the same person. Everybody's punching the same person. There's nothing going on except for inflicting harm on the victim in this case."
Hough told Channel 13 she will continue to wear a T-shirt of Lewis at every hearing and hopes there is justice.
"If there wasn't a conspiracy, why so many people in that one particular alley," Hough questioned. "I want everybody to see his face and know his name, Jonathan Lewis Jr."
Supporters of Lewis also expressed disappointment because one of the attorneys repeatedly said "Jonathan Smith" instead of "Jonathan Lewis" in court.
Judge Jones said she will issue a written decision on the writ but did not specify a date.
The four teens' trial date is scheduled in August.
As of Thursday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said it is still looking for a tenth suspect in connection to the case.
