Seattle Police Hunt UW Student Stabber

Seattle police said a 31-year-old man surrendered on May 13 in the fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old University of Washington student at Nordheim Court, an off-campus student housing complex near campus. Officers had been searching for the suspect since May 10, when University of Washington police responded around 10:10 p.m. to a stabbing in a laundry room at 5000 25th Ave. N.E. and found the victim dead at the scene. The King County Medical Examiner later identified the student as Juniper Blessing. On May 18, prosecutors charged Christopher M. Leahy with first-degree murder with a deadly weapon enhancement. ### Where did the killing happen, and when did police find the victim? Nordheim Court, a University of Washington off-campus housing property, was the site of the stabbing on the night of May 10, according to Seattle police and University of Washington officials. University of Washington police officers responded at about 10:10 p.m. and found Blessing in a first-floor laundry room. Seattle Fire Department crews and campus police attempted lifesaving treatment, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. (spdblotter.seattle.gov) Seattle police said the homicide investigation shifted from campus police to city detectives that night. Detectives with the Homicide and Crime Scene Investigation units processed the scene, while university officials briefly told Nordheim Court residents to shelter in place before lifting the order just before 1 a.m. (spdblotter.seattle.gov) ### Who was the victim? The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Juniper Blessing, 19. Court proceedings cited by local media said Blessing suffered more than 40 stab wounds. Her family said in a statement released May 18 that they remained focused on “our Juniper” and thanked the Seattle community, police, victim advocates and LGBTQIA2S+ supporters for their response. (spdblotter.seattle.gov) KING 5 reported the family described Blessing as “a beautiful human being” with “love, tolerance, talent, determination and intellectual curiosity.” The statement was released the same day prosecutors filed the murder charge. ### How did detectives identify the suspect? Seattle police released surveillance images on May 13 and asked the public to help identify a man seen in connection with the killing. (king5.com) The department described the suspect as a light-skinned Black male, about 5-foot-7 with a thin build, wearing glasses, blue jeans and a dark blue zip shirt over a white collared shirt. Police told the public to call 911 if they saw him and to contact the homicide tip line with information. Court details reported by KING 5 and KOMO said the public release of those images generated multiple tips, including one from the suspect’s brother, who identified him. Investigators also cited a security camera that had been unplugged but still captured the suspect’s face, and KOMO reported charging documents said fingerprints were recovered from what appeared to be blood smears on the exterior side of the laundry-room door. (spdblotter.seattle.gov) ### What do prosecutors say happened before the arrest? Christopher M. Leahy turned himself in to Bellevue police on May 13, and Bellevue officers coordinated with Seattle homicide detectives to transfer custody, according to Seattle police and KING 5. Prosecutors then sought and obtained a first-degree murder charge with a deadly weapon enhancement. Leahy remains in King County Jail on $10 million bail. (king5.com) KOMO reported the charging documents accuse Leahy of acting with premeditated intent and say he used “a knife or similarly shaped instrument.” KOMO also reported prosecutors said investigators were examining whether Leahy may have been connected to prowling or attempted entries in the Ravenna neighborhood and other campus-area buildings before the killing. (spdblotter.seattle.gov) ### What happens next in the case? King County prosecutors filed the murder charge on May 18, moving the case into the county court process. Leahy was being held in King County Jail on $10 million bail as of that filing, according to KING 5. Seattle police had said anyone with additional information should continue to contact the violent crimes tip line at 206-233-5000, where anonymous tips are accepted. (king5.com) (komonews.com)