GUILTY NY - Tessa Majors, 18, Barnard College student, fatally stabbed, Manhattan, 11 Dec 2019 *13yo arrest

[Kristin Esq.]

I'm VERY new to this case. I hadn't heard about it at all. I tried to read through the thread, but honestly, I'm very tired.

I understand that three plead guilty, but do we know why they decided to plead out? Any hint as to whether they were getting a lesser sentence?

Thanks!

 

[borndem]

Tessa Majors: Final suspect in Barnard freshman's murder case pleads guilty - CNN

"Prosecutors said that in determining what sentence to recommend for Weaver, they took into account his behavior at a juvenile detention facility called Crossroads where he's been held for nearly two years.

Bogdanos listed about a dozen incidents where Weaver allegedly assaulted counselors, or youth development specialists, who were tasked with working with Weaver at the facility.

Lichtman pushed back on the allegations of assaults on counselors by Weaver, emphasizing that the teen entered custody as Covid-19 lockdowns began to go into effect, making him unable to see his family and rarely able to speak to them, as he struggles to go through puberty in custody.

"It's not surprising that his adjustment at Crossroads wasn't as exemplary as we'd all hoped for," Lichtman said.

Let's not forget Weaver's family, well aware of the brainless, violent crime he committed against an innocent person, actively shielded him from arrest while the bite wounds inflicted by Tessa Majors healed. The "system" didn't fail Rashaun Weaver. His family did. In my opinion, they should be held accountable too. From where I sit, it is all but guaranteed that Weaver will commit further violent acts after his release, no matter how long that is.

Agree, @QPRfan.
Who knoze what kind of neighborhood surrounded Weaver, and who knoze how he was treated at home...
No excuses, no excuses, but some kids choose to grow up rough and to hang out with others who are the same. Each & every one of those kids who ambushed, scared, hurt and killed Tessa, could have just walked right by her without a 2nd thought. But they didn't... and now she is gone, just gone.
Hoping all of those who hurt or scared her in any way will be charged and convicted and given tuff sentences. She was a bright, happy, and excited freshman who had been accepted at a fine school in NYC.
We'll never see what a difference she might have made to things in the world. Never. And her parents, family and friends will always have that hole in their hearts.

 

[realanastasia]

Teenager Sentenced to 14 Years to Life in Tessa Majors Murder

A little more than two years after the brutal murder of Tessa Majors, an 18-year-old Barnard College student, the last teenager to be sentenced in her killing received 14 years to life in prison on Wednesday.

The teenager, Rashaun Weaver, 16, had initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea last month, pleading guilty to second-degree murder and first- and second-degree robbery. Prosecutors have said Mr. Weaver wielded the knife that killed Ms. Majors in the December 2019 attack, stabbing her four times in the chest.

[...]

In a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday, the families of Ms. Majors and Mr. Weaver sat on opposite sides of an aisle and listened as a prosecutor, Matthew Bogdanos, read a statement from Ms. Majors’s family that detailed her attack.
“They have no idea what it is like to stumble up a long flight of stairs after being stabbed multiple times in the chest, her phone still in her hand,” Mr. Bogdanos said. “They have no idea what it’s like to try and hail an Uber ride while sitting on a city bench after being stabbed. No idea what it is like to bleed to death on a New York City street in the presence of strangers next to a security booth.”

He added: “Fourteen years to life is a long time, but at the end of his sentence Rashaun Weaver goes home. Tess never will.”

 

[borndem]

Hoping he will be there for his lifetime -- I feel sure he could do this again. He may have had a tuff life, no breaks, possibly a poor student -- I dunno how he lived -- but many other people have overcome very difficult circumstances and turned out to be good citizens. Weaver will have opportunities in prison to change his life -- and if he does, then the parole board might consider it -- but it's not likely, IMO.
I think he will blend in nicely with a group of other prisoners like him and do just fine there. But he will have chances to improve himself.
That's many, many more chances than Tessa got that awful night.

 

[LietKynes]

14 years in exchange for taking an innocent life ?
Not enough of a punishment; imo.
Maybe he'll misbehave and wind up with more time ?
I agree with some others here and believe that these perps will continue to be a danger after they're released.
MOO.

 

[borndem]

Not just 14 years -- it's 14 years to life. I can't see a parole board letting him out after 14 years. Plus he pleaded -- he admitted it. He killed her. I just don't see 14 years and out. No way. (I hope).

 

[QPRfan]

If nothing else, I hope Tessa’s family are able gain a measure of peace in the knowledge that those responsible for ending her life have been held accountable. Nothing will ever fill the hole that’s been created in their lives by the stupidity and selfishness of those three.