Police locate 14-year-old sought in slaying of Barnard student Tessa Majors
The New York City Police Department says it has located a teen they were seeking in connection with the stabbing death of Barnard College student Tessa Majors. The 14-year-old boy was taken in for questioning Thursday but was released hours later, the NYPD announced on Twitter.
New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison called it "a significant development in the investigative process." In a series of tweets, Harrison said the teen was taken into custody and later released. "His attorneys were present at the 26 precinct for the entire investigative process," he said.
"Although he has since been released to the custody of his attorneys, the investigation remains very active," Harrison added.
The 14-year-old boy is considered a suspect in Majors' murder December 11 in Morningside Park. He bolted from a car in Harlem on the way to meet police last week, a law enforcement source told CBS News' Pat Milton. Police posted photos of the teen and asked for the public's help in finding him.
Police say another boy, just 13, has already confessed to being a part of a group who tried to rob Majors in the park near the school's Manhattan campus. CBS New York reported the boy said he watched as his two friends stabbed and choked Majors. The younger boy is in custody, charged as a juvenile.
Majors, an 18-year-old college freshman from Virginia, is being remembered as a talented musician and aspiring journalist.