Two guilty pleas in North Miami High gang rape case

Two of the four teenagers accused of raping a mentally disabled girl inside a janitor’s closet at North Miami High have now pleaded guilty on lesser charges.

The latest: Kenoldo Alexis, 17, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated assault. He will serve one year of house arrest, plus three years of probation. A felony conviction will not show on his record.

He and David Lombard were believed to be less culpable in the January 2015 attack on the girl. Police said the two joined Derek D’Angelo Bynum and Steve Akeem Joseph inside the closet for the attack, only to be caught afterward by a security guard.

Lombard, 18, accepted a similar plea deal in November. Bynum and Joseph are still facing trial for the more serious charges of sexual battery on a mentally incapacitated victim above the age of 12.

Alexis’ lawyer, Fred Moldovan, said that he believed his client was the “least culpable,” but that the “risk [of prison time] was too great” if he lost at trial.

“A guilty verdict would have ruined the rest of his life,” Moldovan said.

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Two guilty pleas in North Miami High gang rape case."