Second Teen Charged as Adult in Alarming School Rape Case Involving Bullied Victim

A Las Vegas teenager has been charged as an adult in connection with an alleged gang rape during a school trip to Costa Rica, becoming the second student from a prestigious private school to face such charges.

Prosecutors revealed that 15-year-old Dominic Kim was among at least four students from the Alexander Dawson School implicated in the sexual assault of a fellow student during their class trip last year.

Kim allegedly displayed a graphic video of the assault to other students at an event hosted by the Meadows School, according to legal statements.

Furthermore, Kim is accused of threatening to harm those who viewed the video if they reported the incident, a claim made in a civil lawsuit filed by the victim’s family.

Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Stacy Kollins informed the court that Kim continued to torment the victim with the videos long after the initial incident occurred.

Kim was indicted on Friday for possession of child sexual abuse material and child abuse, neglect or endangerment, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  

Defense Attorney Josh Tomsheck argued against charging his client as an adult in court on Friday. 

‘I’m not disputing he did dumb stuff by showing videos, but his intent behind it wasn’t what the state is trying to proclaim,’ he said. 

Kim was a student at The Alexander Dawson School (pictured) in Summerlin, Nevada when the alleged incident occurred

Vaughn Griffith (pictured) was the first student accused of filming three classmates hold down another student and rape him with a flute on a class trip to Costa Rica

Vaughn Griffith, 15, was also certified as an adult in January in connection with the incident. 

He was charged with possessing a visual presentation depicting the sexual conduct of a child, a category B felony punishable by one to six years in prison.

It is unclear which of the group of teens is believed to have performed the sexual assaults.  

The teens cannot be charged in the US for any sexual assault allegations because the alleged incident occurred out of the country, officials say.  

According to police, Griffith, Kim and at least two other eighth graders mercilessly bullied an anonymous classmate on the trip in April 2025. 

They allegedly stripped the victim naked and threw his clothes on the balcony at Hotel Manuel Antonio.

Two days later, the boys ‘pinned him down and pulled his pants and underwear [down]’ on a bed and sexually assaulted him, police said. 

According to charging documents, the boys threatened to cut off the victim’s penis if he resisted.

The victim told police that he had been bullied by the group in the past and did not consent to the interaction, reported KTNV. 

Griffith’s indictment painfully detailed the ‘graphic and violent sexual assault’ as seen in a two-minute and 16-second video he allegedly posted on Snapchat and saved in his ‘Memories’ section.

Kim allegedly showed other children videos of the assault while at an event at the Meadows School (pictured)

The horrific assault is said to have taken place during a private school trip to Costa Rica (pictured)

The teen was shown being held down on the bed and clearly under stress as the boys held him in place. 

He was then allegedly sexually assaulted with a flute, a Chapstick tube and toothpaste as he cried and screamed in pain and his attackers laughed.

The victim eventually told his stepmother about the alleged rape, who reported it to school principal Roxanne Stansbury.

The Alexander Dawson School’s lawyers said in January that they were aware of the ‘serious allegations involving male middle school students’ during the Costa Rica trip.

‘We take any such allegations incredibly seriously and promptly reported them to law enforcement once brought to our attention,’ they said.

‘Because the alleged misconduct occurred among middle school students, we cannot comment any further at this time.’ 

The elite preschool through eighth grade private school charges $32,500 per year. It advertises itself as a community that ‘exhibits empathy, integrity, humility and kindness,’ per their website.

Griffith (left), 15, was the first teen involved in the case to be charged as an adult

The boys were staying at the Hotel Manuel Antonio (pictured) in Costa Rica last April when their bullying allegedly escalated to sexual assault

Police have said that at least two others have not been charged for their alleged involvement in the incident due to jurisdictional issues. 

As of April 4, Delegación Policial Quepos in Costa Rica was unaware of any sexual assault accusations.

Evidence in the case has been sealed. The FBI confirmed that its Las Vegas Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was involved in the investigation, reported NewsNation.

Kim posted a $30,000 bail before being transferred to District Court. The conditions of his release included high-level monitoring, the surrender of his passport and no contact with the victim or minors. 

Both Kim and Griffith are due back in court for arraignment on April 14. Griffith has pleaded not guilty and Kim has yet to enter a plea.

The Daily Mail contacted Kim’s attorney, the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, the Meadows School and the Alexander Dawson School for comment