The second suspect in the murder of 18-year-old Barnard College freshman Tessa Majors has been released for lack of evidence, the New York Post reported Saturday.
The 14-year-old remains a suspect, a source told the paper, “but they want more evidence. They want a stronger case.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, a 13-year-old boy has been charged in the brutal murder on Wednesday in New York’s Morningside Park. He allegedly told police he and two friends went to the park to commit a robbery, and ultimately picked Majors.
The suspect reportedly told detectives that Majors fought her attackers, and “saw the victim get stabbed. He saw feathers come out of her jacket, and all three of them ran out of they park … and they went home,” NYPD Detective Vincent Signoretti testified in Manhattan Family Court on Friday. The 13-year-old was ordered held without bail.
Majors reportedly managed to climb a staircase after she had been stabbed multiple times, and a security officer who worked for Columbia University found her injured on the landing. She was transported to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead.
Police saw the juvenile in an apartment building near the murder scene in Morningside Park, and apprehended the juvenile because his clothing matched witness descriptions of a possible assailant. He was originally charged with criminal trespass.
The suspect reportedly told police he picked up a dropped knife during the assault on Majors and handed it to the boy who stabbed her.
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