Teen gets 9 years in murder of Barnard College student
NEW YORK — A teenage boy was sentenced Thursday to nine years to life in prison for his role in the botched robbery that ended in the deadly stabbing of Barnard College freshman Tessa Majors.
Luchiano Lewis, 16, pleaded guilty to murder and robbery on Sept. 21 for the December 2019 stabbing inside Morningside Park.
During his guilty plea, Lewis told Judge Robert Mandelbaum that he and two school friends had planned to mug someone inside the upper Manhattan park that night. When their first attempt failed, Lewis said the group targeted Majors, 18, as she was jogging down a set of steps on W. 116th St. near Morningside Drive.
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance charged Lewis as an adult. Rashaun Weaver, who allegedly stabbed Majors, has pleaded not guilty and is also charged as an adult. The third boy present for Majors’ killing pleaded guilty to robbery in June 2020 and got the max for a minor —18 months behind bars.
Lewis has said he didn’t know Majors had “been stabbed let alone killed” until reading it online the day after the stabbing. During his guilty plea he said Weaver stabbed the young student.
Majors’ parents, Inman and Christy Majors, are expected to read victim impact statements at the sentencing. They have traveled from Charlottesville, Va., to attend the majority of hearings in the case.
Lewis said earlier in court Majors “just walked up the long set of stairs and was walking toward us, but she was looking down at her phone. We were walking on the right side with the rails. When she passed us on our left, I saw Rashaun whisper something to (the 13-yearold), but I couldn’t hear what he said.”
He added: “Rashaun turned around, ran up behind Tessa Majors and kicked her hard in the back. I watched her stumble. Rashaun started screaming, ‘Give me your money, run your pockets, I’m not playing.'”
The teen said Weaver, who has pleaded not guilty to murder, “tussled” on the steps with Majors for some time before Lewis became spooked by an onlooker. They all fled the scene.