A 13-year-old suspect in the killing of Tessa Majors appeared in family court on Thursday, where the court room heard audio of his uncle berating him for ‘hanging with the wrong people.’
The teen – who is the only minor not being tried as an adult in the case – told authorities exactly what had transpired on the Dec. 11 killing when interrogated by police.
He claimed that 14-year-old Rashaun Weaver was the one who stabbed Tessa Majors in Morninside Park, noting that he only saw feathers fly from her coat.
The boy also explained to authorities that the knife police found in his backpack was not the same weapon used in the killing, adding that he was holding the item for a friend.
Majors, a freshman student at Barnard College, was stabbed to death in Morningside Park in Upper Manhattan near her school campus on December 11
It was then that his uncle lambasted him for having the knife and making bad decisions, the New York Daily News reports.
‘You don’t see what you f–king got yourself into?’ the uncle could be heard shouting. ‘Because you hanging out with the wrong f–king people, instead of bringing your a– home like you’re supposed to. What do you have a f–king knife in your book bag for? Like I say, you shouldn’t be letting anyone put anything in your bag. What did I tell you about being a follower? I told you about being a f–king follower. ‘
The uncle then tries to make his nephew realize just how serious the incident is.
‘This ain’t like school where you get a f–king suspension and you go somewhere else for like five days,’ the uncle stated. ‘This ain’t like that. All you need to do is go to f–king school and bring your a– home. F–king police record and every f–king thing.
Luchiano Lewis, 14, who surrendered to police on Wednesday morning, is accused of stopping Majors from fleeing as she screamed for help while Rashaun Weaver, also 14, is accused of stabbing her to death on December 11 in 2019.
Luchiano Lewis, 14, being led into court after he surrendered to police on Wednesday over the murder of Tessa Majors
Rashaun Weaver, the 14-year-old boy who was arrested on February 14, was charged with two counts of murder
The 13-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree murder in a family court over the killing during an alleged robbery in Upper Manhattan, but his name has not been released because he is being tried as a juvenile. Weaver and Lewis are being charged as adults.
Lewis was charged and arrested on Wednesday with second-degree murder and robbery, appearing in court alongside Weaver in an arraignment in Manhattan.
Majors, an aspiring journalist, was attacked as she walked Morningside Park near the Barnard campus in the early evening.
Lewis handed himself in to police on Wednesday morning after previously being interviewed and let go in December.
The middle school student kept the college freshman from escaping by putting her in ‘some sort of headlock or bearhug,’ Matthew Bogdanos, a prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office, said.
The unnamed 13-year-old boy was the first suspect detained by police a day after the murder.
Katima Minton (center) Weaver’s mother leaves court in New York after his court appearance
Police say he quickly implicated himself in statements to detectives, as well as identifying the Lewis and Weaver, who was arrested on February 14.
Investigators said they were not expecting to charge any further suspects in the killing.
In a hearing in December investigators said that Majors, who played in a rock band, bit one of the suspect’s fingers as she fought for her life.
She was stabbed in her face and body in the struggle but managed to stagger up a flight of stairs before collapsing. Majors was pronounced dead in hospital.
Lewis’ parents, Weaver’s mother and Majors’ father attended court for the arraignment.
District Attorney Vance said: ‘While a criminal process will never fully heal the unimaginable pain suffered by Tessa Majors´ family and friends, this indictment is a significant step forward on the path to justice.
Inman Majors (center) the father of Majors, attended the arraignment of her two accused killers on Wednesday
Prosecutors said the college student fought for her life but was stopped from fleeing when she was put her in ‘some sort of headlock or bearhug’
The murder of student Tessa Majors last December sent shock waves through Manhattan, with many saying the violent incident was reminiscent of 1970s and 1980s crime in New York
‘We are committed to holding these young people accountable, and equally committed to a fair process which safeguards their rights. This is how we will achieve true justice for Tessa and her loved ones.’
He said the investigators had accumulated substantial evidence proving Weaver stabbed Majors.
He stated that there was ‘video evidence, blood evidence, smartphone evidence, iCloud evidence, witness identification, and the defendant’s owned statements that were rigorously collected and examined’.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said: ‘Detectives, investigators and prosecutors, as well as a grand jury, worked deliberately to ensure that the evidence amassed supported the charges brought, and that now those who allegedly murdered Tessa Majors will be held to account.
‘Nothing can bring her back. That is the tragedy we all must live with.’
Weaver and Lewis were ordered to be held without bail at a juvenile detention facility. They will be kept separate in jail.
Weaver has also been charged with robbing another person.
According to the complaint provided to DailyMail.com, Weaver is accused of conducting the separate mugging in Morningside Park four days prior to Majors’ murder.
According to that mugging victim, Weaver and two other boys confronted him on the night of December 7 and stole his iPhone. Just hours later, the iPhone was connected to an iCloud account in Weaver’s name.
The mugging victim later identified Weaver from a photo line up. Additionally, the 14-year-old was seen on surveillance camera wearing the exact same outfit during both his alleged December 7 mugging and his alleged December 11 stabbing of Majors.
The complaint declares that, on December 11, the three suspects initially followed a man through the park, before they turned their attention to Majors.
At 6.47 pm, a witness ‘heard a male voice from the area [believed to be Weaver] say [to Majors]: ‘Run your s**t. Gimme your phone. You got some weed, gimme that too.’
The witness then heard a female scream, ‘Help me! I’m being robbed!’
Surveillance footage shows Majors later stagger up the Morningside Park steps to reach a security gate. She lay conscious and bleeding before she was rushed to a nearby hospital.
She was pronounced dead at 7.23 pm – meaning there was more than half an hour between the time of the attack and her death.
The murder sent shock waves through Manhattan, with many saying the violent incident was reminiscent of 1970s and 1980s crime in New York.
Police union chiefs blamed Bill de Blasio for it, saying he is making it difficult for regular cops to crack down on street crime.
The NYPD also faced accusations of ‘victim blaming’, after the police union chief claimed Majors may have been in the park seeking to buy marijuana.