14-Year-Old Boy Arrested in Stabbing Death of College Student

Police Detain 14-Year-Old Suspect In Stabbing Death Of Barnard College Student Tessa Majors

Police and prosecutors in New York City announced Saturday that a 14-year-old boy has been arrested for the stabbing death of Barnard College student Tessa Majors.

The teenager was arrested without incident at a Harlem housing project at around 10:30 p.m. Friday night, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance told reporters at a press conference Saturday morning. He faces two counts of murder in the second degree - one for intentional murder and the other felony murder committed during a robbery.

The boy is also facing four counts of robbery.

"Sadly, it cannot bring back this young woman, this student, this victim," NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said of the arrest at the press conference. "That is something even the best most impartial investigation simply cannot do. What we can do is say that we are confident we have the person in custody who stabbed her."

Majors, who was a freshman student at Barnard College, was fatally stabbed on December 11 while she was walking in Manhattan's Morningside Park, the NYPD said. The criminal complaint also revealed extensive evidence, including smart phone and video evidence as well as a recorded statement from the defendant. Majors had moved to New York from Virginia to attend the college, when at least three teenagers tried to rob her.

"It paints a gruesome picture of what this young woman endured in her final moments," Vance said. "As alleged, some of the last words she was known to have said were, 'Help me. I'm being robbed.'"

The 14-year-old will be charged as an adult, prosecutors say. An arraignment has been set for Wednesday.

Photo: Getty Images


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