Third Teen Detained For Questioning In Fatal Stabbing Of Barnard Student Tessa Majors
A third teenager wanted for questioning in the fatal stabbing of Barnard student Tessa Majors in Manhattan earlier this month was arrested, interrogated and released, officials said Thursday.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison called the 14-year-old boy’s apprehension a “significant development in the investigative process.” The unidentified juvenile was the third teen questioned in the Dec. 11 attack in Morningside Park, just blocks from Barnard and Columbia University.
Majors was stabbed during an apparent mugging and bled to death a short time later. A witness saw a group of people fleeing the scene of the attack.
It’s not clear if any charges will be filed against the latest detained teen:
Earlier today, we announced that we located the 3rd subject in the Tessa Majors Investigation. This was a significant development in the investigative process. After being taken into custody, his attorneys were present at the 26 precinct for the entire investigative process.
— Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDDetectives) December 26, 2019
Although he has since been released to the custody of his attorneys, the investigation remains very active.
Our detectives are the best at what they do and are committed to finding justice for all parties involved.— Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDDetectives) December 26, 2019
Police had issued a photo of the teen during their manhunt but did not release his name. The teen was arrested at the home of a family member, where he was allegedly hiding out until a wound on his hand healed, The New York Times reported.
Majors bit one of her attacker’s hands, according to a teen questioned by police, per the Times.
According to The Associated Press, a 13-year-old boy is already in custody and has been charged as a juvenile with felony murder in the case. While he told police he was in the park with the others at the time, he claims he wasn’t the one who stabbed Majors. Another 14-year-old was also questioned and released.
In a statement released earlier this month, Majors’ family said they want to know “what exactly happened to Tess and who committed her murder.”
“We lost a very special, very talented and very well-loved young woman,” the family stated. “Tess shone bright in this world, and our hearts will never be the same.”
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
