He was part of a gang of feral youths who had been terrorizing the neighborhood for quite some time.
The ‘Little Kids’ Suspected in Tessa Majors’ Murder
He was arraigned as a juvenile rather than as an adult because he was not believed to have actually inflicted the wounds that resulted in the death of Tessa Majors.
“I’m 13,” he replied when asked to state his age.
Detective Vincent Signoretti testified that the 13-year-old had confessed to robbing Majors along with two other teens: a 14-year-old who had also been arrested and a third teen who remained at large.
By the 13-year-old’s account as told by the detective, the three teens had considered robbing a man before targeting Majors. The 13-year-old had cast himself as almost
a spectator while one of his pals rifled her pockets and the other pal applied a chokehold such as been popular with New York muggers since the “bad old days” of the 1980s. One of the pals dropped a knife and the 13-year-old said he had picked it up and given it to them. The teen still at large began stabbing Majors,
slicing through her down jacket and causing feathers to fly in the air. She had struggled up the steps leading to Columbia University and Barnard. The teens fled in the direction of
their middle school and the deli and their homes.
The 13-year-old was remanded without bail.
