Barnard College Student Tessa Majors’ Suspected Killer Flees On Way To Interrogation
Dec. 17 2019, Updated 6:36 p.m. ET
The 14-year-old suspected killer of Barnard College student Tessa Majors is on the run after jumping out of his lawyer's car on the way to the police station, RadarOnline.com has learned.
A manhunt is now underway to locate the teenager who is being accused of fatally stabbing Majors, 18, in the torso.
On Monday, December 16, the suspect was being driven to an interview with detectives when the car he was in came to a stop at an intersection in Harlem. At that point, he fled.
His lawyer called police around 4:00p.m. to inform them of the situation.
NYPD refused to comment on Tuesday, December 17 on why the suspect was allowed to drive to the station on his own instead of being picked up by officials.
Another unnamed teenager, 13, has already been arrested and charged in Major's death.
The New York medical examiner ruled that Majors died due to injuries sustained from her stab wounds.
Following Majors' murder, Barnard College & Columbia University have taken measures to tighten their security.
"The two Public Safety guard booths on Morningside Drive, located at 116th Street and 122nd Street, are now staffed with Public Safety officers 24 hours per day, seven days per week," James McShane, Vice President for Public Safety at the university wrote to students in an email. "Starting tomorrow (12/17/19), the Public Safety Evening Shuttle will extend its hours of operation to begin at 4:00 p.m. every day on its two routes. Consult the website for the route maps and schedule, including an app that provides real-time, GPS tracking of the shuttles."
In a statement to Radar, police said the incident took place on December 11 at around 5:30 p.m.
"Police responded to a 911 call for a female assaulted in the vicinity of West 116th Street and Morningside Drive within the confines of the 26th Precinct,” NYPD Detective Sophia Mason told Radar. “Upon arrival, officers discovered an unconscious and unresponsive 18-year old female with multiple stab wounds to her body. EMS responded and transported the victim to Mount Sinai/St. Luke’s Hospital where she was pronounced deceased.”
After Majors' death, NYPD head Ed Mullins released a statement saying she was in the park at the time to buy weed. He has since been criticized for his insensitive comment.
“The remarks by Sergeants Benevolent Association president Ed Mullins we find deeply inappropriate, as they intentionally or unintentionally direct blame onto Tess, a young woman, for her own murder,” the family of Majors, 18, said in a statement. “We would ask Mr. Mullins not to engage in such irresponsible public speculation, just as the NYPD asked our family not to comment as it conducts the investigation.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also slammed Mullins for his remark, accusing him of “victim-shaming” Majors.