A 13-year-old middle school student arrested on felony murder charges in the death of a Barnard College freshman will remain in custody after a New York family court judge ruled there was reasonable cause to believe the teen participated in the crime.
The suspect has admitted his involvement in the robbery that resulted in the stabbing death of Tessa Majors, 18. But he said he did not wield the knife.
At a probable cause hearing Tuesday, Judge Carol Goldstein said his presence at the scene of the crime and his knowledge of the events were enough reason for the case against him to continue.
A lawyer for the teen said he was “merely present” when Majors was fatally stabbed Wednesday evening in Manhattan’s Morningside Park, near Columbia University.
The Daily News reported the teenager was handcuffed when he appeared in court with an aunt and uncle, who said they are his legal guardians. Goldstein declined to release him to them, saying “there is a serious risk for re-offending.”
At a hearing last week, Detective Vincent Signoretti testified the suspect said he and two friends followed a man into the park planning to rob him but decided to rob Majors instead. When the teens grabbed her and tried to empty her pockets, she fought back, the teen told Signoretti.
The teen said he watched as another teen stabbed Majors, Signoretti said.
Majors staggered out of the park, where a security guard found her and called 911. She was rushed to a hospital where she died. The city medical examiner announced Monday that Majors was killed by stab wounds to the torso.
A 14-year-old was released Saturday after being questioned by police in Harlem.
Police are searching for a third teenage boy who was on the way to appearing for questioning by investigators Monday but fled from a relative’s car.
The case became politically charged this week when Sergeants Benevolent Association president Ed Mullins accused Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration of adopting a “hands off” policing policy involving relatively minor crimes that Mullins suggested was crippling police efforts to combat crime.
“An 18-year-old college student at one of the most prestigious universities is murdered in a park, and what I’m understanding, she was in the park to buy marijuana,” Mullins said on John Catsimatidis’ Sunday morning radio show. “We have a common denominator of marijuana.”
That drew a sharp response from the victim’s family and from de Blasio.
“The remarks by … Ed Mullins we find deeply inappropriate, as they intentionally or unintentionally direct blame onto Tess, a young woman, for her own murder,” the statement said.
De Blasio called Mullins’ comments “heartless” and infuriating.” He added: “We don’t shame victims in this city.”
Mullins later tweeted that his comments were directed at de Blasio’s policies and not Majors or her family: “The girl is a victim plain and simple, NYC is becoming a cesspool thanks to the Mayor. Shame on DeBlasio.”
Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/17/tessa-majors-13-year-old-suspect-due-in-court/2673249001/
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