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Boy, 13, arrested in killing of Barnard College freshman

By MICHAEL R. SISAK

Associated Press

NEW YORK — A 13-year-old boy was arrested Friday in the stabbing death of a Barnard College freshman who was approached in a park by as many as three youths as she ventured from her New York City campus on the eve of final exams.

The arrest of such a young suspect added another tragic element to the slaying of 18-year-old Tessa Majors, a case that has troubled city and campus leaders.

The boy, whose name has not been made public, is among just a handful of people in their early teens to be charged with murder in the city in recent years.

He is expected to be tried as a juvenile delinquent in family court on a murder charge, according to two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation. They were not authorized to speak publicly about the case and did so on condition of anonymity.

As many as three attackers were involved, police have said. They are all believed to attend a middle school near the park.

The president of Barnard College said Majors was stabbed during an armed robbery. Authorities on Thursday questioned two people who were later released, police said.

New York police spokesman Andrew Lava declined comment on the arrest of the boy but Police Commissioner Dermot Shea tweeted later that detectives “are making significant progress, and we will have major updates to announce very soon.”

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