Tessa Majors Killing: Accused 13-Year-Old In Barnard College Student's Death Faces Judge
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The 13-year-old boy charged in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Barnard College student faced a judge in family court on Monday.
The teen, who police said confessed his involvement in the murder, told detectives a 14-year-old boy stabbed Tessa Majors during an attempted robbery in Morningside Park nearly two weeks ago.
The search continues for that 14-year-old, who is considered a person of interest.
Cops identified a second suspect, but said he was questioned and released and is no longer cooperating with authorities.
So far, the 13-year-old is the only one charged in connection with the Dec. 11 killing, CBS2's Alice Gainer reported.
Last week in court, the officer who conducted the interview with the 13-year-old said the boy told him he went to the park with two other people with the intention of robbing someone.
However, the Legal Aid Society, which represents the 13-year-old, said the officer who interviewed the young teen isn't credible.
"Detective Wilfredo Acevedo's troubled past, which includes lawsuits alleging that he planted and falsified evidence, lied in court documents, and used excessive force, coupled with three substantiated disciplinary findings from the Civilian Complaint Review Board, is of great concern," the organization said in a statement.
Court documents show five lawsuits naming Acevedo dating to 2018.
However, Michael Palladino, the president of the detectives' union, fired back, calling Acevedo an excellent investigator with 15 years of service.
"Active officers like Det. Acevedo collect complaints and lawsuits. Unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast and a commonly used strategy employed by defense attorneys," Palladino said.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Acevedo has made 237 arrests and has never been found to have made a single false statement or falsely arrested anyone.
On Monday in court, there was an agreement made between the Legal Aid Society and the New York City Law Department over a protective order regarding the alleged confession tape of the teen and who sees it.
Any expert the Legal Aid Society hires must sign a non-disclosure agreement.
The teen's next court date is scheduled for Jan. 2.
The 13-year-old is facing charges of murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.
Majors was honored at a private memorial service in her home state of Virginia on Saturday. A talented musician and aspiring journalist, the 18-year-old was set to play with her band in her hometown during winter break next month.
One of the venues now plans to turn the event into a memorial concert.
Anyone with information about the 14-year-old suspect is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website, by tweeting @NYPDTips or by texting 274637.
