Suspect in murder of University of Washington student surrenders to police

Seattle police say a 31-year-old man who turned himself in for killing a University of Washington student inside an off-campus apartment laundry room has now been accused of first-degree murder.

Juniper Blessing, a 19-year-old transgender woman, was found dead Sunday night inside a laundry room at the Nordheim Court Apartments near the UW campus. According to court documents, the King County Medical Examiner determined Blessing suffered more than 40 stab wounds to her head, neck, shoulders, arms and hands.

The suspect, identified in court documents as Christopher Leahy, turned himself in to Bellevue police Tuesday night before being transferred to Seattle police detectives.

The arrest came hours after the Seattle Police Department (SPD) publicly released surveillance images of a suspect described as armed and dangerous. SPD later confirmed the man in those images was Leahy.

According to Bellevue police, Leahy was arrested at 10:42 p.m.

Court documents state surveillance video captured Leahy and Blessing entering the laundry room shortly before the killing. Detectives said Leahy appeared to remain inside the room for several minutes before later exiting alone.

Another resident later discovered Blessing lying on the floor covered in blood, according to investigators. Police said detectives also found blood smears on the outside of the laundry room door.

Investigators said surveillance footage showed Blessing arriving at the laundry room carrying bags over her shoulders and a jug of laundry detergent. Detectives later traced the suspect after Seattle police publicly distributed surveillance photos from the building.

According to court documents, multiple people contacted detectives after the images were released, including Leahy’s brother and a former school friend, both of whom identified him as the man seen in the surveillance footage.

On Thursday afternoon, a judge found probable cause for first-degree murder with a deadly weapon and set Leahy’s bail at $10 million during his first court appearance.

During the hearing, defense attorneys argued Leahy should instead face a second-degree murder allegation, disputing whether the killing was premeditated. Prosecutors argued the severity of Blessing’s injuries supported the first-degree murder allegation.

The defense also asked for a lower bail, arguing Leahy was not a flight risk because he voluntarily surrendered to police and had no prior criminal history. However, the judge ruled the severity of the crime justified keeping bail at $10 million.

In a statement, the University of Washington said:

We are relieved to know that the suspect in the deeply tragic killing of a student at Nordheim Court has been arrested. We want to thank the Seattle Police Department for its diligent work to find this individual. The investigation remains ongoing and any questions related to the case and this individual, including any reported previous interactions with this individual at Nordheim Court, should be directed to Seattle PD.

In a separate statement, University of Washington President Robert Jones said, “I hope the arrest brings some sense of relief to our community. But this arrest does not lessen the profound shock and grief that the victim’s loved ones and our campus are still experiencing or bring back a beloved, promising, and talented member of our university.”

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The suspect’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 18 at 2 p.m.

Anyone with more information is asked to call the SPD violent crimes tip line at 206-233-5000. Anonymous tips are welcome.

This story is developing.