Police Hunt Suspect in UW Student Stabbing

Seattle police said a 31-year-old man was arrested on May 13 in the fatal stabbing of a University of Washington student at Nordheim Court, an off-campus university housing complex near the Seattle campus. Officers found 19-year-old Juniper Blessing dead with stab wounds in a laundry room after UW police responded at about 10:10 p.m. on May 10, according to the Seattle Police Department. The suspect surrendered to the Bellevue Police Department and was transferred to Seattle homicide detectives, police said. King County prosecutors later charged Christopher Leahy with first-degree murder, according to court documents cited by local media. ### Where did the stabbing happen, and when did police respond? Nordheim Court, at 5000 25th Avenue Northeast, was the site of the killing, according to Seattle police and UW officials. UW police responded to a stabbing report there on Sunday, May 10, at about 10:10 p.m., and officers found the victim in a first-floor laundry room, according to police and King 5. Seattle Fire Department crews attempted lifesaving treatment, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. (spdblotter.seattle.gov) Seattle police said the case was transferred from UW police to the department’s homicide and crime scene investigation units. Shortly after the attack, UW officials told Nordheim Court residents to shelter in place, and that order was lifted just before 1 a.m., King 5 reported. ### Who was the victim? The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Juniper Blessing, a 19-year-old University of Washington student, KUOW reported. (spdblotter.seattle.gov) UW President Ana Mari Cauce’s successor, President Robert J. Jones, told the campus in a May 14 message that the killing had taken the life of “one of our students” and called Blessing “a beloved, promising and talented member of our university.” (king5.com) The University of Washington said support resources remained available through the Counseling Center, SafeCampus, Husky Assist and the Q Center. Jones said the university would keep “looking closely at the circumstances in which this event occurred” as part of campus safety efforts. ### How did investigators identify and arrest a suspect? Seattle police released surveillance images on May 13 and asked the public to help identify a man they described as light-skinned Black, about 5-foot-7, with a thin build, glasses, short black hair and a goatee. (kuow.org) Police said anyone who saw him should call 911, and asked people with information to contact the violent crimes tip line at 206-233-5000. (washington.edu) Police said the man later surrendered to the Bellevue Police Department, where custody was transferred to Seattle homicide detectives. Local media reports said tips generated by the released images included one from the suspect’s brother, who identified him to investigators. ### What do the charging documents say? King County court documents cited by KOMO said Christopher Leahy, 31, was charged on May 18 with first-degree murder. (spdblotter.seattle.gov) Prosecutors alleged Leahy acted with “premeditated intent” and used “a knife or similarly shaped instrument,” according to KOMO’s report on the filing. Court documents cited by KOMO said Blessing suffered more than 40 stab wounds to the head, neck, shoulders, arms and hands. The same report said investigators linked Leahy to the scene through fingerprints allegedly recovered from what appeared to be blood smears on the exterior side of the laundry room door. (komonews.com) ### What have police and the university asked the public to do now? Seattle police said anyone with additional information should call the violent crimes tip line at 206-233-5000, and said anonymous tips are accepted. The department’s May 14 update said the suspect had already been booked into King County Jail for investigation of murder. (komonews.com) UW’s May 14 campus message said counseling and safety resources remained available for students, faculty and staff, including the 24/7 Husky HelpLine and SafeCampus. King County prosecutors filed the murder charge on May 18, according to local media, and the next public step in the case is through the county court process. (washington.edu) (spdblotter.seattle.gov)