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Tessa Majors Killing: 14-Year-Old Is Released Without Charges Tessa Majors Killing: 14-Year-Old Is Released Without Charges
(32 minutes later)
A 14-year-old was detained on Thursday and released hours later in the killing of Tessa Majors, the Barnard College student who was stabbed in a park near campus during what the police believe was a mugging. Two weeks after an intensive manhunt for a 14-year-old linked to the killing of Tessa Majors, police officers finally located the teenager on Thursday at a family member’s home in the Bronx.
New York City police had been searching for the teenager since the day after the killing on Dec. 11, and officials had taken the unusual step of releasing a photo of a minor in an effort to locate him. The authorities believed that the teenager’s family was shielding him until a mark on his hand healed, an official briefed on the case said. The official described the mark as consistent with a bite.
Ms. Majors, 18, was attacked just after nightfall by three teenagers in Morningside Park in Manhattan, and the 14-year-old detained early Thursday is believed to have been the one who stabbed her, the police said. But just hours later, after he was questioned by the police, the 14-year-old was released on Thursday afternoon. It was unclear whether he would be charged in the murder of Ms. Majors, the Barnard College student who was found bleeding to death earlier this month just outside Morningside Park in Manhattan.
The teenager was taken to the 26th Precinct station house in Morningside Heights, near where the attack occurred, the police said. The Police Department’s chief of detectives, Rodney Harrison, announced on Twitter early Thursday that the 14-year-old had been located in the Bronx. Around 2:40 p.m., he said the teenager had been released after answering questions in front of his lawyer. The police have said that Ms. Majors bit one of her three attackers during a park mugging, and that the 14-year-old is believed to be the person who wielded the knife that killed her.
“This was a significant development in the investigation process,” Chief Harrison said. “Although he has since been released to the custody of his attorneys, the investigation remains very active.” Initial DNA tests performed in the case have been inconclusive, the official said, adding that the authorities were hoping that outstanding test results would provide crucial information. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
A police official familiar with the case said that the 14-year-old had not been charged on Thursday, but that investigators were working with prosecutors to secure evidence that might link him and two other teenagers to Ms. Majors’s killing. The interview with the 14-year-old came a week after the Police Department had taken the unusual step of releasing a photo of a minor in an effort to find him. The chief of detectives, Rodney Harrison, announced on Thursday morning that the teenager was in custody, to the relief to police officials who are under pressure to solve the first high-profile murder under the new police commissioner, Dermot F. Shea.
Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem, which is representing the 14-year-old, declined to comment. But after several hours of questioning at the 26th Precinct station house in Morningside Heights, near where the killing took place, the 14-year-old was released without being charged.
Ms. Majors’s murder jolted a city that has become accustomed to low rates of violent crime. It recalled an era three decades ago, when many parks were considered dangerous to enter after dark. “This was a significant development in the investigation process,” Chief Harrison said at around 2:40 p.m. “Although he has since been released to the custody of his attorneys, the investigation remains very active.”
Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem, which is representing the teenager, declined to comment.
Ms. Majors’s murder jolted a city now accustomed to low rates of violent crime, and it recalled an era three decades ago, when many parks were considered dangerous to enter after dark.
The case also evoked memories of the infamous attack on a jogger in Central Park in April 1989, and the police have been proceeding cautiously. In the 1989 case, the police and prosecutors obtained confessions from several teenagers through tough interrogation techniques. Those confessions turned out to be false.
Mark Levine, the City Council member who represents Morningside Heights, said the 14-year-old’s release “has confused people in the community.”
“Some wondered if the case is not strong,” Mr. Levine said. “In truth, investigators are proceeding with enormous caution.”
Ms. Majors, who had moved to New York from Virginia to attend Barnard months earlier, was walking in Morningside Park the night of Dec. 11 when, the police said, at least three teenagers, ages 13 and 14, tried to rob her.Ms. Majors, who had moved to New York from Virginia to attend Barnard months earlier, was walking in Morningside Park the night of Dec. 11 when, the police said, at least three teenagers, ages 13 and 14, tried to rob her.
She struggled, and one of her assailants stabbed her with a knife several times, the police said. A campus security guard found her bleeding to death on a sidewalk just outside the park near West 116th Street and Morningside Drive. She struggled, and one of her assailants stabbed her with a knife several times, the police said. A campus security guard found her fatally wounded on a sidewalk, just outside the park near West 116th Street and Morningside Drive.
A 13-year-old was arrested the next day and gave statements to the police implicating himself and two 14-year-old classmates in the crime. According to two detectives who have testified at hearings, the boy, whom The New York Times is not naming because he is not being charged as an adult, said his friends grabbed Ms. Majors from behind and took a plastic bag from her pocket. Then one stabbed her as she fought back, the boy told the police, recalling that the feathers from her down coat floated in the air. A 13-year-old was arrested the next day and gave statements to the police implicating himself and two 14-year-old middle school classmates in the crime. According to two detectives who have testified at hearings, the boy, whom The New York Times is not naming because he is not being charged as an adult, said his friends grabbed Ms. Majors from behind and took a plastic bag from her pocket. Then one stabbed her as she fought back, the boy told the police, recalling that the feathers from her down coat floated in the air.
The police tried to interview one of the 14-year-olds, but he requested a lawyer and declined to give a statement. He was released on Dec. 12.The police tried to interview one of the 14-year-olds, but he requested a lawyer and declined to give a statement. He was released on Dec. 12.
For weeks, detectives were unable to locate the 14-year-old whom they believe to have stabbed Ms. Majors. The department distributed photographs of him nine days after the murder and asked for the public’s help. For weeks, detectives were unable to locate the second 14-year-old. The department distributed photographs of him nine days after the murder and asked for the public’s help.
The distribution of the photos was a measure of the difficulty investigators had faced in the case, the first high-profile murder under the newly minted police commissioner, Dermot F. Shea. A police official familiar with case said investigators had spared no resources in their manhunt.
The Times generally does not publish photos of minors accused of crimes.The Times generally does not publish photos of minors accused of crimes.
At a news conference last week, Mr. Shea said he was troubled by the young ages of people tied to an uptick of robberies in pockets of the city, including the neighborhood where Ms. Majors was attacked.At a news conference last week, Mr. Shea said he was troubled by the young ages of people tied to an uptick of robberies in pockets of the city, including the neighborhood where Ms. Majors was attacked.
“Thirteen is young,” Mr. Shea said. “I mean, I think it should disturb any New Yorker when we have a child involved in something this serious.”“Thirteen is young,” Mr. Shea said. “I mean, I think it should disturb any New Yorker when we have a child involved in something this serious.”
As detectives were questioning the 14-year-old on Thursday, Columbia University officials sent an email to the university community warning that several faculty and staff members at Columbia and Barnard had received “viciously racist” robocalls from a white supremacist group. The messages were related to Ms. Majors’s death, according to the email, which was sent by three Columbia vice presidents, including the school’s head of public safety. A public defender for the 13-year-old, who took the case after the police interviewed the teenager, has laid the groundwork to challenge his confession — pointing out in court that even though the boy was accompanied by his uncle when he met with detectives, the police used some techniques that might call the reliability of his statements into question.
The email did not provide any other details about the calls themselves, other than describing them as “abhorrent.”
The Columbia officials said they were investigating the calls with the Police Department. Representatives for Columbia and Barnard did not immediately respond to requests for more information.
From the start, Ms. Majors’s case evoked memories of the infamous attack on a jogger in Central Park in April 1989, and the police have been proceeding cautiously. In the 1989 case, the police and prosecutors obtained confessions from several teenagers through tough interrogation techniques. Those confessions turned out to be false.A public defender for the 13-year-old, who took the case after the police interviewed the teenager, has laid the groundwork to challenge his confession — pointing out in court that even though the boy was accompanied by his uncle when he met with detectives, the police used some techniques that might call the reliability of his statements into question.
Specifically, the defense lawyer, Hannah Kaplan of the Legal Aid Society, has said in hearings that one of the detectives badgered and yelled at the boy. The detective also introduced the idea of the knife into the conversation even though the boy had not mentioned a knife, Ms. Kaplan said.Specifically, the defense lawyer, Hannah Kaplan of the Legal Aid Society, has said in hearings that one of the detectives badgered and yelled at the boy. The detective also introduced the idea of the knife into the conversation even though the boy had not mentioned a knife, Ms. Kaplan said.
Beyond the 13-year-old’s statements, the police have footage from security cameras of the boys leaving the park and one grainy video of the attack, according to the detectives’ testimony in two previous hearings. They have yet to locate the murder weapon.Beyond the 13-year-old’s statements, the police have footage from security cameras of the boys leaving the park and one grainy video of the attack, according to the detectives’ testimony in two previous hearings. They have yet to locate the murder weapon.
The Legal Aid Society has also sought to undermine the credibility of one of the detectives involved in the investigation, Wilfred Acevedo, pointing out that he has been sued several times over allegations of misconduct, including false arrest, making false accusations and withholding evidence helpful to a defendant.The Legal Aid Society has also sought to undermine the credibility of one of the detectives involved in the investigation, Wilfred Acevedo, pointing out that he has been sued several times over allegations of misconduct, including false arrest, making false accusations and withholding evidence helpful to a defendant.
None of the allegations were proved at trial, but the city settled some of the lawsuits out of court. The lawsuits were reported in Gothamist.None of the allegations were proved at trial, but the city settled some of the lawsuits out of court. The lawsuits were reported in Gothamist.
“These allegations of a pattern of serious misconduct cast further doubt on the case against our client, and given Acevedo’s long problematic history of violating New Yorkers’ constitutional rights, he simply cannot be regarded as credible,” the Legal Aid Society said in a statement.“These allegations of a pattern of serious misconduct cast further doubt on the case against our client, and given Acevedo’s long problematic history of violating New Yorkers’ constitutional rights, he simply cannot be regarded as credible,” the Legal Aid Society said in a statement.
In a statement on Thursday, Mr. Shea responded, saying that Detective Acevedo and other police officials were taking extra steps to safeguard the teenagers’ legal rights.
“The calculated, personal attacks against a member of the investigative team working to solve the murder of Tessa Majors is an obvious and unethical effort to make prejudicial statements outside the courtroom to affect a jury pool,” Mr. Shea said. He commended Detective Acevedo’s 237 arrests — 93 of those for felony cases — and 24 department medals.
“Trying to undermine the case by singling out one investigator, and producing dated and unproven allegations and leaking those to the press, rather than in written form to the court, is the opposite of responsible,” Mr. Shea added.
As detectives were interviewing the 14-year-old on Thursday, officials at nearby Columbia University sent an email to the school community warning that several faculty and staff members at both Columbia and Barnard had received “viciously racist” robocalls from a white supremacist group. The messages were related to Ms. Majors’s death, according to the email, which was sent by three Columbia vice presidents, including the school’s head of public safety.
In a separate email to Barnard staff members on Wednesday night, Barnard officials described the calls as a “racist voice mail” left that afternoon. Neither email provided more details about the messages, other than describing them as “abhorrent.”
The Police Department was investigating the calls, school officials said. Representatives for Barnard and Columbia declined to comment further.
Michael Gold, Jan Ransom and Andrea Salcedo contributed reporting.Michael Gold, Jan Ransom and Andrea Salcedo contributed reporting.