MANHATTAN – The third teen charged in the 2019 killing of Barnard College student Tessa Majors was sentenced to 14 years to life in prison on Wednesday.
Rashaun Weaver, who was 14 at the time of Majors’ death, was accused of stabbing Majors during a robbery in Manhattan’s Morningside Park in December 2019. Weaver pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last month. He also pleaded guilty to first- and second-degree robbery charges in connection to previous robberies at the park.
Another teen, Luchiano Lewis, was sentenced last October to nine years to life in prison in connection to Majors’ death. Lewis, who was 14 at the time, was accused of holding Majors in a headlock and preventing her from escaping. A third suspect, who was 13 at the time, was previously sentenced to 18 months after he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of first-degree robbery.
A victim impact statement was read out in court during on Wednesday during Weaver's sentencing. Majors' parents were in the courtroom.
"The family of Tess Majors believes that human life is sacred. The family of Tess Majors believes that murder - one human being extinguishing another human being--should never be normalized or rationalized," they said in the impact statement. "The family of Tess Majors misses her every second of every day and will continue to do so as long as they are living and sentient. Their pain is immeasurable and does not go away."
After Majors was stabbed, the college freshman stumbled up a flight of stairs to street level seeking help and collapsed near a campus security booth.
Majors’ family members said they’ve suffered immeasurable pain and trauma since her death.
“With every legal proceeding, we are forced to re-live the events of Dec. 11, 2019,” they said in a victim impact statement read in court. “We have not been able to grieve our daughter properly or in peace. Nearly two years after her murder, we still have very little closure.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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