Tessa Majors Killing: Focus Turns to DNA Evidence

Sandoval, Edgar, and Jan Ransom. “Tessa Majors Killing: Focus Turns to DNA Evidence.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/nyregion/tessa-majors-barnard-dna.html.

This article titled, “Tessa Majors Killing: Focus Turns to DNA Evidence” published by the New York Times discusses the stabbing of Barnard student Tessa Majors in a NYC Park in early December 2019. Majors’ body was found lying in the streets bleeding out late on December 11 and it took a while for investigators to piece together what had happened and who harmed the young college student. Ultimately, it was concluded that Tessa Majors had been stabbed by three teenagers who were attempting to rob her. The day after the attack a thirteen-year-old was brought in for questioning and charged with a felony second-degree murder charge but that meant the person holding the knife was still on the loose. Police took DNA from Majors hoping that some of her DNA might show up on the suspects which could provide conclusive evidence as to who attacked her. Additionally, they believed that when Majors was fighting the teenagers off she bit one of them leaving behind a mark on one of the attacker’s hand. Weeks later when a fourteen-year-old suspect was brought in for questioning the police also took DNA from them and are hoping the tests return positive matches to DNA found on Majors’ body or a match that her DNA is present on his body. Police believe the suspect’s family kept the boy in hiding until the bite mark disappeared from his hand. Currently, charges have not yet been brought to the additional suspects as police as still waiting for more evidence but they assure the public that this case was treated in a much more professional manner as lots remember how the police handled a similar New York park stabbing in 1989 in what led to be the famous Central Park Five case. 

This article is important to the study of forensic science because, at this point in the investigation into the death of Tessa Majors, the police still need to find their primary suspect. There appears to be no video evidence or anything of that sort to help their case but they do know Majors had bitten one of the attackers and police are hoping some of her DNA may show up on the fourteen-year-old suspect. If any of her DNA is found on him or they can conclude that he did have a bite mark that matched her mouth shape and structure it would be fairly conclusive evidence that he was present at the time of the murder. This case could also have implications on further use of DNA in cases because police were relying so heavily on this bite mark and they fear that since it now may have faded from his hand they can’t prove he was at the scene; this may lead to further innovation to help ensure this can’t happen as easily in the future. 

Overall, I thought this was a very informative article that outlined the events in the death of Tessa Majors and where the investigation currently stands. I also thought the authors did a good job of including how this new DNA testing could help investigators tie the new, fourteen-year-old suspect to the crime scene. However, I think the article could have benefited from more analysis on the authors’ part. The article was very much an informative piece and offered little beyond the facts. I think stating their opinion and maybe something about the police response and how Majors’ body wasn’t identified until too late while in a public park could have possibly made for interesting commentary.