Teenager Sentenced 9 Years to Life for Murder of Barnard College Student Tessa Majors

Thursday, a judge sentenced Luchiano Lewis to serve nine years to life in prison for his involvement in the 2019 stabbing death of Barnard College student Tessa Majors.

Lewis, who was 14 at the time of the crime, was accused of holding Majors in a headlock, preventing her from getting away while another teen stabbed her in a New York City park. He was charged as an adult and just last month pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

Lewis was also sentenced to 40 months to 12 years on the robbery count. However, it’s unclear if the sentences will be served concurrently or consecutively.

Two other teens were also arrested in connection to the slaying. Then 14-year-old Rashaun Weaver, the suspected knifeman, pleaded not guilty, and a 13-year-old juvenile pleaded guilty and is serving his sentence.

“On December 11, 2019, the hopes and dreams for our daughter Tess came to a tragic end,” read Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos on behalf of Majors’ family.

“Nearly two years later, we still find words inadequate to describe the immeasurable pain, trauma, and suffering that our family has endured since her senseless murder,” the father wrote. “Tess was a brilliant student, a voracious reader, a poet and a fledgling journalist. She had big dreams.”