40 new york | march 16–29, 2020

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MANH AT TA

N AVE.

FREDERICK

DOUGLASS

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ST 110TH

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At the Two-Six, on December 12, the boy and his uncle sat on one
side of the table, the boy hunched against a wall at the far end with
his winter coat on. Acevedo and his partner, Detective Christopher
French, sat on the other. “You’re not a bad kid,” Acevedo said, at
about 6:35 p.m. “I can see it in you.” A lot of the time, he added, you
can be in big trouble if you’re somewhere with someone who’s
doing something they shouldn’t do—as big as the person doing it.
Acevedo told the boy there were video cameras throughout the
park. He said he already knew what the boy had done and would
be able to tell if he was lying. None of this was true, but in court the
detective testified that bluffing during an interrogation is legal.
The detective asked the boy if his uncle—a diabetic who, in the
videotape, called himself “a very sick man” and had looked after
the boy since 2016, when the boy’s mother died—had taught him
right from wrong. The boy answered yes. He was in the park with
his friends, he said.
What happened next? Acevedo asked. “You have to be honest
with me,” he said, “because this is very serious.”
The friends were a little older, both 14. They approached Tess and
asked for her stuff, the boy said. “She gave it to them. Or, they got
mad. And then ... and then ... She was probably refusing to give it to
them and they got mad and then they probably took it from her.”
“No, no, no,” Acevedo said. “Not ‘probably’ again. I’m asking
questions I already know the
answers to. If you lie, you’re
going to get in serious trouble.”
He mentioned the stabbing.
“I don’t know about stabbing.
I don’t know about stabbing,” the boy said.
“Be honest,” Acevedo insisted.
“I’m being honest. I don’t know about
stabbing.”
Little by little, over about two hours, a
story came out. It was around dinnertime.
The three boys were in the park to rob peo-
ple. They considered and discarded several
targets before settling, finally, on Tess, a small
18-year-old with blue-green hair.
Everything happened very quickly, within
two or three minutes. Tess refused to hand
over her phone. There was a struggle. One of
the older boys held her while the other tried
to grab her belongings, including her phone.
Tess yelled, loudly, “Help me! I’m being
robbed,” and she bit the second boy’s finger, hard, so it bled. This
same boy, the one who was bitten (and who police say robbed
another man at knifepoint that same week), then stabbed Tess with
enough force that the youngest boy, who was standing apart, could
see feathers shooting out of Tess’s down jacket—“I think it was pur-
ple,” he said. After that, the older ones went through her pockets and
then they all ran. At home, the boy walked the dog and watched
videos on YouTube.
The uncle responded with disbelief and something like fury.
This is not like school, where you get suspended for a few days.
“This is your life,” he pointed out. “Do you see what you fucking
got yourself into, ’cause you’re hanging out with the wrong fucking
people instead of bringing your ass home?” And: “I told you about
being a follower! You think I need this shit?” Roosevelt Davis was
47 years old, he said, and for his whole life he had never been in a
police precinct house. “I didn’t raise you to be like this.”
When it was all over, Davis had to explain to his nephew that he
was being taken into custody until the trial. The boy seemed not to
completely understand. Davis, who is a tall man, hugged the boy
hard and long and sobbed with a deep voice. He would come back
when he could, he promised: “A s soon as they call me, I’ll be here.”
morningside park, where Tessa Majors allegedly encountered
three 13- and 14-year-old boys and was fatally stabbed in the heart
on the evening of December 11, 20 19, has long had a reputation as
a no-man’s-land. It belongs, jurisdictionally, to the City of New
York, but in reality no one cares for it. Thirty skinny, overgrown,
vertical acres, it forms a split-level
boundary between the promonto-
ry where Columbia University and
Barnard College stand, fortress-
like, and the flats of Harlem, its
elegant brownstones mixed with
storefronts and public housing.
Students regard the latitudinal
footpath across 116th Street as the
most expedient way to travel from
the classrooms and dorms behind
the high gates on campus to their
friends and professors living in
Harlem and the booming, fun res-
taurants and bars on Frederick
Douglass Boulevard. (There’s a
shuttle bus, but they say waiting for it is an annoyance.) At 6:43,
Tess had entered the park from the eastern Harlem side; at around
the same time, the boys entered too, by a different entrance. The
wide, tiered, wedding-cake staircase where Tess met the boys
t the 26th precinct, the baby-faced boy had to empty his pockets and hand over his
backpack. He was holding $6 in cash. In the backpack, he had a small collection of school
notebooks, all blank—“You don’t take notes, man?” Officer Randys Ramos-Luna asked him—
and a sheathed knife with a blue handle that he said he was holding for a friend. The boy had
been brought in for trespassing, but Ramos-Luna upgraded the charge to possession of a
weapon. He called the boy’s uncle to come to the station, and Roosevelt Davis said he would
be there when he got off work. ¶ The interrogation took place in a small, windowless room,
large enough for one table and four chairs, and it was conducted by Wilfredo Acevedo, a de-
tective sent from the homicide division of Manhattan North. No one called a lawyer. By the time he appeared in family
court months later, the boy, who is 13 years old, did have a lawyer, from the Legal Aid Society, who kept pointing out
that her client was a child. Repeatedly, she asked Acevedo about a long list of civilian complaints alleged against him:
entering homes without probable cause or a warrant, aggressive language and profanity, withholding evidence, exces-
sive use of force. Acevedo mostly didn’t remember those, he responded coolly. He also saw the child somewhat differ-
ently, as a juvenile charged with felony murder in the stabbing of Barnard student Tessa Majors.
Echoes of the Central Park Five were obvious to e

A

MAP: JASON LEEPHOTOGRAPH, PREVIOUS SPREAD: JEENAH MOON. THIS PAGE: TESSMAJORS.COM

P.S. 180, where

the alleged

attackers went to

school

The vestibule

where the

youngest was

arrested

The steps where

Majors was murdered

Barnard College,

where Tessa Majors

lived

Columbia University

Home of Columbia

president

Lee Bollinger

TRANSMITTED

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0620FEA_Majors_lay [Print]_36890197.indd 40 3/13/20 9:09 PM

40 newyork| march16–29, 2020

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MANH AT TA

REDERICK

DOUGLASS

BLVD.

T 110TH

ST

WEST (^1) 14 TH
ST
HST
WEST121ST
ST
T
WEST116TH
ST
WEST118TH
ST
MORNINGSIDE
MOR AVE.
NIN
GSI
DE
DR.
AttheTwo-Six,onDecember12,theboyandhisunclesat onone
sideofthetable,theboyhunchedagainsta wallat thefarendwith
hiswintercoaton.Acevedoandhispartner,DetectiveChristopher
French,sat ontheother. “You’renota badkid,” Acevedosaid,at
about6:35p.m.“I canseeit inyou.”A lotofthetime,headded,you
canbeinbigtroubleif you’resomewherewithsomeonewho’s
doingsomethingthey shouldn’t do—asbigasthepersondoingit.
Acevedotoldtheboytherewerevideocamerasthroughoutthe
park.Hesaidhealreadyknew what theboyhaddoneandwould
beabletotellif hewaslying.Noneofthiswastrue,butincourt the
detectivetestifiedthat bluffingduringaninterrogationis legal.
Thedetectiveaskedtheboyif hisuncle—adiabeticwho,inthe
videotape,calledhimself“averysickman” andhadlookedafter
theboysince2016,whentheboy’s motherdied—hadtaughthim
rightfromwrong.Theboyansweredyes.He wasintheparkwith
hisfriends,hesaid.
Whathappenednext?Acevedoasked.“Youhavetobehonest
withme,”hesaid,“becausethisis very serious.”
Thefriendswerea littleolder, both14. TheyapproachedTessand
askedforherstuff,theboysaid.“Shegaveit tothem.Or, they got
mad.Andthen... andthen... Shewasprobablyrefusingtogiveit to
themandtheygotmadandthenthey probablytookit fromher.”
“No,no,no,” Acevedosaid.“Not‘probably’ again.I’masking
questionsI alreadyknowthe
answersto.If youlie,you’re
goingto getinserioustrouble.”
Hementionedthestabbing.
“I don’t knowaboutstabbing.
I don’t knowaboutstabbing,”theboysaid.
“Behonest,” Acevedoinsisted.
“I’mbeinghonest. I don’t knowabout
stabbing.”
Littlebylittle,overabouttwohours,a
story cameout.It wasarounddinnertime.
Thethreeboyswereintheparktorobpeo-
ple.They consideredanddiscardedseveral
targets beforesettling,finally,onTess,a small
18-year-oldwithblue-greenhair.
Everythinghappenedvery quickly, within
twoorthreeminutes.Tessrefusedtohand
overherphone.Therewasa struggle.Oneof
theolderboysheldherwhiletheothertried
to grab her belongings, including herphone.
Tess yelled, loudly, “Help me! I’mbeing
r she finger, his
s e on andw bed
another man at knifepoint that same week),thenstabbedTesswith
enough force that the youngest boy, whowasstandingapart, could
seefeathersshootingoutofTess’sdownjacket—“Ithinkit waspur-
ple,” hesaid.Afterthat, theolderoneswentthroughherpocketsand
thentheyallran.Athome,theboywalkedthedogandwatched
videosonYouTube.
Theunclerespondedwithdisbelief andsomethinglike fury.
Thisis notlike school,whereyougetsuspendedfora fewdays.
“Thisis yourlife,” hepointedout.“Doyouseewhat youfucking
gotyourselfinto,’causeyou’rehangingoutwiththewrongfucking
peopleinsteadofbringingyourasshome?”And:“I toldyouabout
beinga follower!YouthinkI needthisshit?”RooseveltDaviswas
47 yearsold,hesaid,andforhiswholelifehehadneverbeenina
policeprecincthouse.“I didn’t raiseyoutobelike this.”
Whenit wasallover,Davishadtoexplaintohisnephew that he
wasbeingtakenintocustodyuntilthetrial.Theboyseemednotto
completelyunderstand.Davis,whois a tallman,huggedtheboy
hardandlongandsobbedwitha deepvoice.Hewouldcomeback
whenhecould,hepromised:“A s soonasthey callme,I’ll behere.”
morningsidepark,whereTessaMajorsallegedlyencountered
three13-and14-year-oldboysandwasfatallystabbedintheheart
ontheeveningofDecember11, 20 19,haslonghada reputationas
a no-man’s-land.It belongs,jurisdictionally,totheCity ofNew
York,butinreality noonecaresforit.Thirtyskinny, overgrown,
verticalacres,it formsa split-level
boundarybetweenthepromonto-
ry whereColumbiaUniversityand
BarnardCollegestand,fortress-
like,andtheflatsofHarlem,its
elegantbrownstonesmixedwith
storefrontsandpublichousing.
Studentsregardthe latitudinal
footpathacross116thStreet asthe
mostexpedientway totravelfrom
theclassroomsanddormsbehind
thehighgatesoncampustotheir
friendsandprofessorslivingin
Harlemandthebooming,funres-
taurants and bars on Frederick
Douglass Boulevard. (There’sa
shuttlebus,butthey say waiting for it is an annoyance.) At6:43,
Tesshadenteredtheparkfromthe eastern Harlem side; ataround
thesametime,theboysentered too, by a different entrance.The
wide,tiered,wedding-cake staircase where Tess mettheboys
t the26thprecinct,thebaby-facedboyhadtoempty hispocketsandhandoverhis
backpack.Hewasholding$6incash.In thebackpack,hehada smallcollectionofschool
notebooks,allblank—“Youdon’t take notes,man?”OfficerRandysRamos-Lunaaskedhim—
anda sheathedknifewitha bluehandlethat hesaidhewasholdingfora friend.Theboyhad
beenbroughtinfortrespassing,butRamos-Lunaupgradedthecharge topossessionofa
weapon.Hecalledtheboy’s uncletocometothestation,andRooseveltDavissaidhewould
betherewhenhegotoff work. ¶ Theinterrogationtookplaceina small,windowlessroom,
largeenoughforonetableandfourchairs,andit wasconductedbyWilfredoAcevedo,a de-
tectivesentfromthehomicidedivisionofManhattanNorth.No onecalleda lawyer.Bythetimeheappearedinfamily
courtmonthslater,theboy, whois 13yearsold,didhavea lawyer,fromtheLegalAidSociety,whokeptpointingout
thatherclientwasa child.Repeatedly,sheaskedAcevedoabouta longlist ofciviliancomplaintsallegedagainst him:
enteringhomeswithoutprobablecauseora warrant,aggressivelanguage andprofanity, withholdingevidence,exces-
siveuseofforce.Acevedomostlydidn’t rememberthose,herespondedcoolly. He alsosaw thechildsomewhatdiffer-
ently,asa juvenilechargedwithfelony murderinthestabbingofBarnardstudentTessaMajors.
Echoes of the Central Park Five were obvious to e
MAP: JASON LEE
P.S. 180, where
the alleged
attackers went to
school
The vestibule
where the
youngest was
arrested
Thestepswhere
Majorswasmurdered
Barnard College,
where Tessa Majors
lived
ColumbiaUniversity
Home of Columbia
president
Lee Bollinger