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Murder Charges Dropped Against Teen Accused of Killing Classmate

 Noel Estevez was charged with stabbing his alleged bully to death.
Noel Estevez was charged with stabbing his alleged bully to death.
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THE BRONX — The 14-year-old Bronx student accused of fatally stabbing a classmate who friends and family said had been mercilessly bullying him will be tried as a juvenile to a reduced charge of manslaughter, Bronx prosecutors said Monday.

Noel Estevez had originally been charged with murder as an adult after fatally stabbing Timothy Crump, 14, with a kitchen knife in front of the Joseph H. Wade middle school at 1865 Morris Ave. on June 18. A grand jury voted to indict on a reduced charge and the case will be moved to Family Court, according to The Bronx District Attorney's office.

Estevez was expected to be arraigned in Family Court Monday night, where hye will be tried as a minor. His case will be handled by the New York City Law Department, the Bronx DA’s office said.

Estevez’s lawyer, Eric Poulos, said during a June 24 hearing that he planned to interview “hundreds” of fellow classmates and friends about the alleged bullying.

Poulos and Estevez's family said Crump, along with a group of teens, had been bullying Estevez for months, threatening him at his home and urinating on his apartment door nearly a half dozen times.

The harassment drove Estevez to suffer mental health issues, and he spent about two weeks in Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in late May after trying to commit suicide, according to family and sources.

Estevez had just gotten out of the hospital eight days before the fight, and his family had attempted to get him a safety transfer but was rejected, according to lawyers and reports.

The incident with Crump happened on Estevez's first day back at school, his lawyer said.

“We can see now why he stayed away,” Poulos said on June 19. “They didn’t even give him a chance to breathe. They went after him right away like a pack of wolves.”

Poulos did not return an immediate request for comment on Monday's indictment.