13-year-old boy faces murder charges in death of Barnard College student

A 13-year-old boy will be charged in the murder of Tessa Majors, a freshman at Barnard College in Manhattan, who died after being stabbed in Morningside Park on Wednesday night, CBS News has learned. The 13-year-old was caught trespassing in a building on Thursday wearing clothes that matched the description of the suspect.

Police found a knife on him after conducting a search. He later confessed that he and two others murdered Majors, CBS New York reports.

He told investigators that he and two friends attempted to rob Majors and stabbed her. Police are now looking for the two other suspects.

Majors was stabbed several times in Morningside Park, near West 116th Street, shortly before 7 p.m. local time. She staggered up the park’s steps onto the street where a school security guard eventually found her and called 911.

Police called to the scene found her unconscious and EMS transported her to Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the NYPD.

The park is a popular thoroughfare for many college students who live near or around Columbia University and Barnard College. According to NYPD statistics, crime is up in the park, and the city’s murder rate is also up, some 8 percent.

First published on December 13, 2019 / 9:06 AM

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