The investigation into the brutal killing of 19-year-old University of Washington student Juniper Blessing is revealing disturbing new details, with Seattle police now alleging the suspect had also stalked a second woman before the fatal attack.
According to charging documents and investigators, 31-year-old Christopher Leahy has been charged with first-degree murder after prosecutors say he stabbed Blessing more than 40 times inside a laundry room at the Nordheim Court Apartments near the UW campus on May 10. Authorities say the attack happened in less than 10 minutes.
Police now believe the suspect had been exhibiting alarming behavior in the area leading up to the killing. Investigators allege Leahy stalked another woman living at the apartment complex and had also been seen attempting to enter private homes and campus buildings in the days before the homicide.
Court documents state surveillance footage showed Leahy repeatedly entering and exiting the apartment complex before the attack. Prosecutors say he was seen tampering with security cameras shortly before Blessing entered the laundry room. Although investigators initially believed footage had been erased, police technicians reportedly recovered video directly from the camera’s SD card.
Blessing, a transgender student from Santa Fe, New Mexico, had recently graduated from the New Mexico School for the Arts and was studying atmospheric science at the University of Washington while also pursuing music and philosophy. Friends and family described her as compassionate, intelligent, and deeply gifted.
The killing has shaken both the University of Washington community and LGBTQ+ communities nationwide. Vigils and memorials have continued to grow on campus and near the apartment complex where the attack occurred.
Leahy turned himself in to Bellevue police after surveillance images were publicly released. Prosecutors requested — and received — a $10 million bail, arguing the severity of the crime and evidence of premeditation justified the high amount. Defense attorneys have reportedly pushed for a lesser second-degree murder charge, arguing prosecutors have not proven the killing was planned in advance.
At this time, investigators say they have not officially classified the killing as a hate crime, though the investigation remains ongoing.
