Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
16-Year-Old Pleads Guilty To 2019 Murder Of Barnard College Student
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 21, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
J.B. Nicholas / Gothamist
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 21, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A 16-year-old has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2019 death of an 18-year-old woman in Morningside Park.
On December 11th, 2019, Majors, an 18-year-old who just started her first year at Barnard College, was fatally stabbed in Morningside Park, near 116th Street and Morningside Drive. Police said she was killed in an attempted mugging just before 5:30 p.m.—and the three suspects were all juveniles, ages 13 and 14.
The murder raised questions about whether Barnard or Columbia University sufficiently warned students about crime off-campus in the park and resurfaced racial and class tensions in Morningside Heights. Majors was white, and the three teens accused in the incident are Black.
In June 2020, one of the teens pleaded guilty to robbery in Manhattan Family Court, admitting to picking up the knife that had been dropped while they confronted Majors and saying he had handed it back to a friend, Rashaun Weaver, who then used it to stab Majors. The teen, whose name is being withheld by Gothamist/WNYC because he was tried as a juvenile, was sentenced to 18 months detention.
On Tuesday, Luchiano Lewis, 16, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery in Manhattan Criminal Court. Lewis said that Weaver had suggested the three boys "do robberies together" in the park and claimed that Weaver was the one who stabbed Majors. According to his prepared statement, Lewis said he was not nearby but "did see feathers coming out of her jacket when we were at the bottom of the big stairs that go back and forth" and that he knew "that Rashaun had a knife that night." He said when the trio fled the park, "I did not know that Tessa Majors had been stabbed, let alone killed." (According to the NY Times, prosecutors had said Lewis restrained Majors during the stabbing.)
"The next morning, I heard there was a murder in the park," Lewis said in his prepared allocution. "I looked up the story on a phone and saw a photo of the dead girl and I realized it was the girl we had robbed."
Lewis will be sentenced October 14th. Attorney Alexis Padilla, who is representing Lewis, declined to comment.
Weaver has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, told reporters outside the court, "This was not a premeditated murder as we heard inside. These were 14- and a 13-year-old boys and we should remember that."
ABC News reports that Majors' family thanked the Manhattan District Attorney's office and the NYPD, and added in their statement, "We remain resolute in our belief that all parties who bear responsibility for Tess's senseless death will be held accountable, and we are deeply grateful to the many people who continue to pursue that goal."
Tagged
manhattan
murder
morningside heights
tessa majors
barnard college
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Bronx homeowners facing foreclosure are in the market for assistance
Some are looking for information and legal guidance, but also help clearing worrisome balances.
By
Willow Higgins
Published Oct 9, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
Cornell students warned of fraternity 'rape culture' years before Jane Doe case
Former students say Jane Doe’s rape allegations could have been avoided had the university heeded their calls for action.
By
Walter Wuthmann
News
Cornell students warned of fraternity 'rape culture' years before Jane Doe case
Former students say Jane Doe’s rape allegations could have been avoided had the university heeded their calls for action.
By
Walter Wuthmann
ICE agent fires 7 rounds, shoots man in neck in NYC's Marble Hill, NYPD says
By
Giulia Heyward
and
Arya Sundaram
Lazy drivers in Prospect Heights lose chance for 1 less day of alternate-side parking
By
Liam Quigley
Jersey City mayor shakes up staff amid $255M budget gap
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .