Teen pleads guilty in 2019 killing of Barnard College student Tessa Majors
By Brynn Gingras and Brian Vitagliano, CNN
A teenager has pleaded guilty in connection with the 2019 killing of Tessa Majors, a New York City college student who was stabbed several times while walking through a Manhattan park.
Luchiano Lewis, who was 14 at the time of the killing, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery in a New York court on Tuesday.
Majors, a Barnard College student, was stabbed in Morningside Park on December 11, 2019, and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
In a statement delivered in court, Lewis said he was with two associates at the park with the intent to rob someone, and when they encountered Majors, the other two kicked Majors to the ground and tussled with her.
Lewis said although he knew one of them had a knife that night, he did not know Majors had been stabbed, let alone killed, until he saw a news story the next morning.
Lewis’ case has been adjourned until October 14 for sentencing.
Other defendant awaits trial
One of the other defendants in the case, Rashaun Weaver, was charged with two counts of murder in the second degree and has pleaded not guilty.
Weaver, who was 14 years old at the time of the killing, has yet to stand trial.
The last of the three defendants, a teen who CNN is not naming because he was not charged as an adult, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and was sentenced in June 2020 to 18 months in the custody of the Administration for Children’s Services.
Majors’ family wants all responsible held accountable
Majors’ family said it was aware of Tuesday’s plea from Lewis.
“We remain resolute in our belief that all parties who bear responsibility for Tess’ senseless death will be held accountable, and we are deeply grateful to the many people who continue to pursue that goal,” the family said in a prepared statement.
“In particular, we would like to thank the members of the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the New York City Police Department for their tireless and thorough efforts. We have maintained confidence in their work from the beginning and appreciate their diligence and the compassion they have shown us,” the statement reads.
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CNN’s Jason Hanna contributed to this story.
