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Girl Gets Stabbed and Refuses Treatment Cause Doctor Is Black

Murder of a college student in New York City

Murder of Tessa Majors
A photograph of a young woman
Date December 11, 2019
Time About 5:30 p.m.
Location Morningside Park, New York City, New York, U.S.
Coordinates 40°48′21″N 73°57′34″W  /  40.8057°N 73.9594°W  / 40.8057; -73.9594 Coordinates: 40°48′21″N 73°57′34″W  /  40.8057°N 73.9594°W  / 40.8057; -73.9594
Cause Stabbing
Motive Robbery
Deaths Tessa Majors
Accused Luchiano Lewis
Rashaun Weaver
Unnamed 13-year-old
Convicted 13-year-old male: first degree robbery
(other 2 cases pending)
Charges Second degree murder, felony murder, felony robbery, first degree robbery, second degree robbery

The murder of Tessa Majors occurred near Morningside Park in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York, on December 11, 2019. Majors, an eighteen-year-old student at Barnard College, was attacked by three teenagers as part of a robbery. An assailant then stabbed her multiple times, killing her. One of the suspects, a thirteen-year-old, was arrested the following day and charged with felony murder. Two months later, two fourteen-year-old suspects, Luchiano Lewis and Rashaun Weaver,[1] were also charged with murder.[2] [3] On June 3, 2020, the 13-year-old (since turned 14) pleaded guilty in family court to robbery in the first degree. On September 21, 2021, Lewis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Trial dates, in adult court, have not yet been set for Weaver.[4] [5] The 13-year-old has been sentenced to 18 months of detention.[6]

Background [edit]

Morningside Park experienced seventeen robberies in the spring of 2019 compared to seven robberies the year before. The suspects in these robberies were mostly younger juveniles between the ages of twelve and fourteen. The robberies usually involved "the same kids over and over."[7] According to a report, Barnard College was absent from the local crime briefings in the months leading up to Majors's killing[8] though Barnard did receive regular briefings from the NYPD and a safety briefing was part of freshman orientation.[7]

Attack [edit]

The staircase at 116th Street, near where Majors was found[9]

On December 11, 2019, Majors was walking in Morningside Park, several blocks from Barnard College. Shortly before 7:00 p.m., three people attacked her on a staircase[10] near 116th Street and Morningside Drive.[9] Police speculated that the attack was a "robbery gone wrong".[11]

According to the thirteen-year-old offender's confession, around dinnertime, the three suspects went to the park to rob people. They considered several potential victims but finally settled on attacking Majors.[7] The offender told police that his two accomplices had grabbed Majors, and used a choke-hold as a restraint while searching for items to take.[4] Majors struggled and refused to hand over a mobile phone.[7] The offender also told police that one of the robbers stabbed Majors with a knife.[4] According to a witness, a male yelled at Majors to give him her phone while she screamed for help and that she was being robbed.[2]

According to the thirteen-year-old offender, Majors bit one of the attacker's fingers hard, causing it to bleed.[7] The suspect admitted in his confession that the alleged attacker stabbed her after being bitten.[7] The attacker stabbed Majors several times in the chest, with one stab wound piercing the heart.[2]

In a statement read in court during Lewis' guilty plea, Lewis said it was Weaver's idea to commit park robberies but that they did not plan on using a knife. He further stated that Majors was staring down at her phone as he and his co-defendants passed her and that Weaver was the first to attack from behind. According to Lewis, Weaver went on to threaten Majors and tried to force her to give him her money.[12]

After the altercation, the attackers went through Majors' pockets and fled.[7] According to Lewis, after the trio fled, Weaver told him that Majors had hit him.[12] She then attempted to climb up the steep stairs found at the park's entrance nearest to the university.[13] Majors staggered up the stairs and collapsed at the corner of Morningside Drive and 116th Street,[14] [2] before being found by a security guard at the top of the staircase.[10] While still conscious, Majors told a witness of the events at the park.[15] Police responded to the attack after a 911 call, finding Majors with multiple stab wounds. Majors was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital.[4]

Investigation and suspects [edit]

The day after the incident, the police arrested a thirteen-year-old male and charged him with felony murder and felony robbery.[4] The suspect was arrested after being caught trespassing while wearing clothes[16] [17] and sneakers[7] that matched the description given of the suspects.[16] [17]

Judge Carol Goldstein set the suspect's trial date for March 16. She also denied requests by his lawyers for him to be released into his aunt and uncle's custody, due to the seriousness of the charges against him.[18] In order to avoid the missteps that occurred during the Central Park Five case 30 years prior, police called in prosecutors early on in the case. Additionally, all questioning of the thirteen-year-old was video recorded.[10]

A second suspect, who was fourteen, was arrested and released on December 12.[19] Police were unable to locate the third suspect, a fourteen-year-old, for two weeks, but apprehended him on December 26 after publicly releasing his photograph.[20] [19] According to The New York Times, detectives believe that some members of the fourteen-year-old's family were hiding him until the bite mark on his hand had time to heal.[21] [19] After being questioned, the boy was released into the custody of his attorneys pending further investigation.[20]

In January 2020, it was announced that the case against the two fourteen-year-old suspects would go before a grand jury.[22] On February 14, 2020, one of the fourteen-year-olds who had been arrested on December 26, was indicted by a grand jury.[23] The New York City Police Department re-arrested him and charged him as an adult with two counts of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree robbery and three counts of second-degree robbery.[24] According to a criminal complaint, DNA belonging to this suspect was found under Majors' fingernails.[25] The suspect allegedly confessed to his incarcerated father during a recorded phone conversation. According to court papers, the suspect stated that he tried to get Majors' phone from her against her will.[26] [ better source needed ]

In February, another suspect, aged fourteen, was arrested.[27] [25] He was charged as an adult with a count of second degree murder,[28] two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree robbery. Both fourteen-year-old suspects were arraigned on February 19 and pleaded not guilty.[29]

On June 3, 2020, the 13-year-old male arrested the day after the incident, and who had since turned 14, pleaded guilty in family court to robbery in the first degree.[30] Police investigation of surveillance footage had shown that this juvenile, the youngest of the three in the group, had not touched Majors during the crime, which the prosecutor said had contributed, along with his young age and clean record, to their decision to drop the murder charge if the boy pleaded guilty to the robbery.[31] On June 15 he was sentenced to eighteen months in detention. Though Majors's parents were not present at the sentencing, they submitted a victim impact statement which was read in court. In the statement, they criticized the deal that led to the offender's guilty plea and argued that he "has shown a complete lack of remorse or contrition for his role in the killing of Tess Majors." They also criticized the offender's choice to pick up the knife and handing it to the person who stabbed Majors with it.[32] [33]

On September 21, 2021, Lewis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery. The news was welcomed by Majors' family who thanked the authorities for their work in this case.[5]

On October 14, 2021, Lewis was sentenced to the maximum of nine years to life in prison[34]

Victim [edit]

Tessa Rane Majors (May 11, 2001 – December 11, 2019), also known as Tess,[35] was from Charlottesville, Virginia. She graduated from St. Anne's-Belfield School in May 2019, and was a first-semester freshman at Barnard College, a private all-women's school in Manhattan.[4] She sang and played bass in a band, Patient 0,[36] which had recently released an album.[4] The band had played its first gig in New York City that fall[14] and was scheduled to play two more shows in Charlottesville during winter break.[37] Majors also led the creative writing club in high school, ran cross-country, and volunteered on political campaigns.[38] An intern at the Augusta Free Press during the spring of 2019,[39] she had an interest in journalism[4] and planned to study journalism in college.[40] Majors' father is an English professor at James Madison University, and the author of six books.[4]

Aftermath [edit]

Memorial along a park fence on Morningside Drive in May 2021

The attack prompted new security measures at Morningside Park, including 24-hour guard booths outside the park. The operation hours of the evening safety shuttle bus have also been extended.[41] Additional funding was promised for security measures at Morningside Park, as well as fixing the outdoor lighting. NYPD committed additional officers for patrolling the park, and Columbia University pledged more security guards.[42] New York City Council member Mark D. Levine announced he was attempting to get funds to add security cameras that could be monitored in real time by police officers.[43]

Reaction [edit]

The incident garnered considerable news coverage and was referred to as a political football,[44] in part because violent crime had fallen significantly in New York City in preceding years.[45]

The case was particularly notable due to the young ages of the suspects;[14] juveniles under the age of fifteen account for only a small fraction (significantly less than 1%) of those arrested for murder each year.[46] In addition, the suspects are black and the killing is reported to have "resurfaced the longstanding racial and class tensions between Columbia University and the fast-gentrifying neighborhood of Harlem".[47] [48]

The New York Times has compared the case to the 1989 Central Park jogger case, which occurred nearby in the North Woods of Central Park; both cases involved a young female victim and alleged young male perpetrators, although in the suspects of the 1989 were later cleared of all charges.[10] This comparison to the jogger case was echoed by Time [4] and the Star Tribune.[49] Gale Brewer, the borough president of Manhattan, urged detectives to proceed with caution to avoid an outcome similar to the jogger case.[50] In an effort to avoid the mistakes made by police 30 years prior, all questioning of the suspects in the Tessa Majors case has been video recorded.[10] New York magazine called it a defining, once-in-a-generation crime for New Yorkers.[7]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "3rd teen suspect in killing of Barnard student Tessa Majors turns himself in".
  2. ^ a b c d Sandoval, Edgar (February 15, 2020). "Tessa Majors Killing: 14-Year-Old Boy Charged With Murder". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  3. ^ Waller, Derick (19 February 2020). "Tessa Majors murder: Third teenage suspect charged in New York City". ABC7. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Carlisle, Madeleine; Gajanan, Mahita (December 14, 2019). "A Barnard Student's Stabbing Death Has Rattled NYC and a 13-Year-Old Is in Custody. Here's What to Know". Time.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Gingras, Brynn; Vitagliano, Brian (September 22, 2021). "Teen pleads guilty in 2019 killing of Barnard College student Tessa Majors". cnn.com.
  6. ^ "One of Tessa Majors' alleged killers pleads guilty in Barnard student's murder". 21 September 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Miller, Lisa (March 16, 2020). "The Stabbing in Morningside Park Every generation, a crime tells a new story about New York. The murder of Tessa Majors is ours". nymag.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  8. ^ Dorn, Sara (March 15, 2020). "Barnard missed months of crime briefings before Tessa Majors' murder". nypost.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Paybarah, Azi; Traub, Alex (2019-12-12). "Killing of Barnard Student Unnerves Campus and City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-01-08. Retrieved 2020-01-07 .
  10. ^ a b c d e Southall, Ashley; Dwyer, Jim (December 20, 2019). "How the Central Park 5 Case Looms Over the Tessa Majors Murder". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  11. ^ Santia, Marc (December 20, 2019). "Teen Wanted in Tessa Majors' Death Didn't Run Away but Search Continues". NBC New York. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Rosenberg, Rebecca; Vago, Steven (September 21, 2021). "One of Tessa Majors' alleged killers pleads guilty in Barnard student's murder". nypost.com.
  13. ^ Gioino, Catherina; Parascandola, Rocco; Burke, Kerry; Annese, John; Burke, Kathy (December 11, 2019). "Barnard freshman stabbed to death in mugging in Morningside Park near Columbia, college mourns student 'just beginning her journey'". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  14. ^ a b c Gold, Michael; Ransom, Jan; Sandoval, Edgar (13 December 2019). "Tessa Majors Killing: Boy, 13, Is Arrested". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020. But also shocking have been revelations about ages of two of the suspects: They are 13 and 14 years old.
  15. ^ Sanchez, Ray; Joseph, Elizabeth (February 15, 2020). "14-year-old boy arrested in stabbing death of Barnard College student Tessa Majors". Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  16. ^ a b DeGregory, Priscilla (December 13, 2019). "Barnard stabbing suspect held without bail after Tessa Majors' murder". Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Nicole Chavez, Laura Ly and Madeline Holcombe (17 December 2019). "13-year-old suspect in death of Tessa Majors remains in custody after testimony about knife". Cnn.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-21. Retrieved 2019-12-24 .
  18. ^ Bacon, John; Ortiz, Jorge L. (December 17, 2019). "Tessa Majors murder: Judge orders 13-year-old suspect to remain in custody after court hearing". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2020-06-16 .
  19. ^ a b c Sandoval, Edgar (2 January 2020). "Tessa Majors Murder: 13-Year-Old Suspect Must Remain in Custody". New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  20. ^ a b Sandoval, Edgar (27 December 2019). "14-Year-Old Is Released Without Charges in Tessa Majors Case". New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  21. ^ Sandoval, Edgar; Ransom, Jan (December 27, 2019). "Tessa Majors Killing: Focus Turns to DNA Evidence". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  22. ^ Danst, Jonathan (January 29, 2019). "Tessa Majors Case to Soon Go Before Grand Jury in Manhattan". nbcnewyork.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  23. ^ "14-year-old arrested in fatal stabbing of Tessa Majors near Columbia University". usatoday.com. February 15, 2020. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  24. ^ Burke, Minyvonne (2020-02-15). "14-year-old boy charged with murder in stabbing death of Barnard College student Tessa Majors". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2020-02-16 .
  25. ^ a b Jones, Griffin (February 15, 2020). "Following two month investigation, 14-year-old suspect charged in death of Tessa Majors". columbiaspectator.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  26. ^ Rosenberg, Rebecca (September 22, 2020). "Teen accused of Tessa Majors' murder confessed to dad on recorded line". nypost.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  27. ^ "New York Post, Rebecca Rosenberg, Larry Celona and Natalie Musumeci". February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  28. ^ "D.A. Vance, Police Commissioner Shea Announce Indictment of Two for Murder of Tessa Majors". 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2020-03-01 . ,
  29. ^ Croft, Jay; Morales, Mark (February 19, 2020). "Teens plead not guilty in stabbing death of Barnard College student Tessa Majors". cnn.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  30. ^ Gauthier, Cassandra; Albert, Victoria (2020-06-03). "14-year-old pleads guilty in Tessa Majors case". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2020-06-03 .
  31. ^ Katersky, Aaron; Carrega, Christina (2020-06-03). "Young teenager pleads guilty in connection to Barnard student Tessa Majors' murder Tessa Majors was fatally stabbed in Morningside Park in December". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2020-06-03 .
  32. ^ Stelloh, Tim (June 15, 2020). "13-year-old sentenced to 18 months for role in robbery, murder of Barnard freshman Tessa Majors". nbcnews.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  33. ^ Piccoli, Sean (2020-06-15). "Family of Slain Barnard Student Criticizes Sentence for 14-Year-Old". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2020-06-16 .
  34. ^ "Luchiano Lewis Sentenced To 9 Years To Life In Deadly Stabbing Of Tessa Majors". 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2021-10-27 .
  35. ^ Beilock, Sian (December 13, 2019). "Mourning Tess Majors". barnard.edu. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  36. ^ Kilgannon, Corey (December 13, 2019). "How the Tessa Majors Killing Rattled a Campus". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  37. ^ Rosner, Elizabeth; Feuerherd, Ben (December 13, 2019). "Barnard student Tessa Majors had two hometown music gigs lined up for winter break". Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  38. ^ Svrluga, Susan; Jacobs, Shayna (December 13, 2019). "13-year-old arrested in connection with stabbing of Barnard College freshman". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  39. ^ "St. Anne's-Belfield alum, former AFP intern, dead following stabbing in NYC". December 12, 2019. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  40. ^ "Heartache, Anger as Friends Mourn Killed Barnard Student Tessa Majors". Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  41. ^ Santia, Marc; Dienst, Jonathan; Miller, Myles (December 17, 2019). "'Terrible Tragedy:' Lawyers for Boy Accused in Tessa Majors Murder Release Statement". NBC New York. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  42. ^ Lai, Stephanie (30 January 2020). "Community members see long-awaited safety improvements to Morningside Park in aftermath of Majors' death". Columbia Spectator. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  43. ^ Grench, Eileen (30 January 2020). "COP-MONITORED SECURITY CAMERAS PROMISED FOR MORNINGSIDE PARK". The City. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  44. ^ Gioino, Catherina; Parascandola, Rocco; Crane-Newman, Molly; Annese, John (December 13, 2019). "Barnard student Tessa Majors' murder becomes a political football as police union chief claims she was murdered while trying to buy weed". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  45. ^ de Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko (16 February 2020). "The Tessa Majors Case: What We Know About the 14-Year-Old Charged With Murder". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  46. ^ "FBI — Table 20". Archived from the original on 2020-02-21. Retrieved 2020-02-21 .
  47. ^ Kim, Elizabeth (12 February 2020). "Murder Of Tessa Majors Reignites Racial Tensions Surrounding Morningside Park". Gothamist. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  48. ^ Kilgannon, Corey (14 December 2019). "A Park Shed Its Reputation. Then Came the Tessa Majors Murder". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  49. ^ Sisak, M. (26 December 2019). "Police release teen suspect in Barnard student's killing". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, MN. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  50. ^ Gioino, Catherina; Greene, Leonard (December 13, 2019). "NYPD should not repeat Central Park 5 mistakes while investigating murder of Barnard College student, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer cautions". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.

Girl Gets Stabbed and Refuses Treatment Cause Doctor Is Black

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Tessa_Majors