Tessa Majors Killing: NYPD Locates 14-Year-Old Suspect
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- After searching for nearly a week, the NYPD said it finally caught up with a teenager wanted in connection to the killing of 18-year-old college student Tessa Majors.
Investigators told CBS2's Dave Carlin on Thursday it was a significant development in the case. However, though that 14-year-old was questioned, he was also released.
The memorial for Majors grows on a spot of the sidewalk alongside Morningside Park, where she was stabbed to death on Dec. 11, and detectives briefly added another teenager to their round up of suspects. They reported making progress in the case at the 26th Precinct station house, where after nearly a week of searching for the 14-year-old, he was located and brought in.
After he was questioned, he was released to his attorneys with no charges.
He is one in a group of young suspects wanted by police in connection with the killing of Majors, a student at Barnard College and a musician.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison took to Twitter to explain where the case stands and why the 14-year-old left the Harlem precinct.
"Earlier today, we announced that we located the 3rd subject in the Tessa Majors investigation. This was a significant development in the investigative process. After being taken into custody, his attorneys were present at the 26 Precinct for the entire investigative process," Harrison wrote.
"Although he has since been released to the custody of his attorneys, the investigation remains very active," he added.
Detectives were given information about him by a 13-year-old who was the first to be arrested in connection with the stabbing death of Majors.
Police sources told Carlin the 14-year-old suspect did not make any initial incriminating statements and that getting needed personal DNA evidence from him to match up with a potential bite or scratch from the struggle is made more complicated by the fact he is a juvenile.
It may require a court order based on the video, witness statements and the words of the alleged 13-year-old accomplice, Carlin reported.
So the teenager released Thursday could be re-arrested if evidence is established.
MORE: Hundreds Pack Morningside Park To Remember Slain Barnard College Student Tessa Majors
After the Majors killing and a reported surge in robberies in the area, police put extra patrols in the park.
"It is good to see. I mean, I use the park every Sunday," one woman said.
The woman, who did not want to be identified, is the mother of a college-aged student and said she hopes police continue to patrol and crack down on all violent young lawbreakers.
"All the children that are maybe thinking about making the wrong choice are having to think about it," the woman said.
