Teenager pleads guilty to robbery in mugging and murder of NYC college student Tessa Majors
Khrysgiana Pineda USA TODAYA 14-year-old pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery Wednesday in a brazen daylight mugging attempt in a New York City park that left a promising Barnard College student dead.
The stabbing death of Tessa Majors, 18, last December in Morningside Park sparked outrage in New York City and prompted Mayor Bill de Blasio to increase patrols near Barnard, an independent women's college affiliated with Columbia University.
“It's unbelievable that could happen here next to one of our great college campuses — it’s an unacceptable reality,” de Blasio said immediately after the murder.
The teen who pleaded guilty on Wednesday, who was 13 at the time of the attack, was charged as a juvenile. He was described by his attorneys as having a "limited role" in the killing. Authorities have said previously that he was not the suspect who stabbed majors; two other teenagers are in custody and are awaiting trial on murder charges.
Rashaun Weaver and Luchiano Lewis, both 14, were charged as adults in criminal court for second degree murder and armed robbery.
"Tessa Majors's death was tragic," the Legal Aid Society, which represented the teen who pleaded guilty, said in a statement, according to ABC News. "It caused incalculable pain to her loved ones and affected our entire city . . . This plea to Robbery in the First Degree is consistent with our client's limited role in this tragic event. He did not touch Ms. Majors or take any of her property. Furthermore, no DNA evidence exists linking him to the events."
Rachel Glantz, an attorney for the city, said Wednesday the prosecution had considered the teenager’s age and his willingness to cooperate with investigators before agreeing to the lesser charges, the New York Times reported. “He was not the main actor,” Ms. Glantz said.
On Wednesday Judge Carol Goldstein agreed to drop the murder charge against the younger teenager as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, the Times reported. The judge said she expects to give the teenager a sentence of six to 18 months when he returns to court on June 15.
More: Tessa Majors murder: Judge orders 13-year-old suspect to remain in custody after court hearing
The three middle school classmates entered the park on December 11 with the intent of robbery, as testified by Detective Vincent Signoretti. An unidentified man, followed by a woman were their first prospective victims, until Majors entered the park.
When Majors refused to give them her cellphone, biting one of the teens on the hand, Weaver is reported to have stabbed Majors while Lewis held her in a headlock, according to prosecutors. Feathers erupted from her coat, which was ripped open from the force of the stabbing, police said. She was found dying on the outskirts of the park with multiple stab wounds.
The teen described the attack in court as a crime of opportunity. The youths saw Majors walking up some steps and approached her.
“Rashaun went up to her and said something to her and Tessa yelled for help,” he said, according to the Times. “Rashaun used the knife that I had handed to him to stab Tessa and I saw feathers coming out of her coat. Then I saw Rashaun take a plastic bag out of her pocket.”
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