A man surrendered to police this week in connection with the death of a transgender University of Washington student who was found dead in a laundry room on campus Sunday with more than 40 stab wounds, officials said.
Christopher Leahy, 31, turned himself in to police at 10:42 p.m. local time on Wednesday in nearby Bellevue, about 8 miles from where the slaying took place in Seattle, authorities said.
He was booked into King County Jail for “investigation of Murder,” the Seattle Police Department said in a statement.
The victim was identified as 19-year-old Juniper Blessing, according to a family statement released by the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance.
“Juniper was simply the most amazing human being we have ever known — highly intelligent, extremely talented, and deeply sensitive to the needs of others,” the family said. “Juniper’s loss not only devastates us but diminishes the world.”
Blessing was found in their apartment laundry room on Sunday, dead from dozens of stab wounds, officials said.
Blessing “had suffered over 40 stab wounds to the head, neck, shoulder, arms and hands and had died from the blood loss therefrom,” a probable cause document said.
Blessing was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and later lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to their family.
Loved ones said “weather was a love of Juniper’s” and that the teenager had intended to study atmospheric science at the University of Washington.
Phone messages left for several of Leahy’s relatives seeking comment did not immediately receive a response on Thursday.
“I hope the arrest brings some sense of relief to our community,” university President Robert Jones said in a statement Thursday. “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.”
Jones thanked Seattle police for arresting the suspect in a matter of days.
“Much is still unknown about what caused this tragedy, and while this development is important, we will be looking closely at the circumstances in which this event occurred as part of our continued efforts to keep our campus community safe,” Jones said.
“I thank everyone who has stepped up this week to offer support, compassion and care,” Jones added. “The University remains committed to offering resources for those who need support, including our LGBTQIA+ community, during this difficult time.”
Campus police were called at 10:10 p.m. Sunday to the Nordheim Court student housing complex, where responding officers found the slain student in a laundry room, officials said.
Several students said they saw a man around the laundry room of Nordheim Court’s Building 7 that night, according to the probable cause statement.
A Nordheim resident, whom authorities identified only as E.H., told police she discovered Blessing’s body in the laundry room moments after passing the suspect.
As E.H. entered the building, she “held the exterior door for the man who thanked E.H. for doing so,” according to the statement.
“E.H. said she entered the laundry room and saw the victim on the floor covered in blood,” it said. “She called 911.”
Seattle police late Wednesday afternoon posted pictures of the man they were seeking. The images were taken in the laundry room, where a security camera was disconnected Sunday night, the statement said.
The suspect’s brother and a school friend of Leahy’s both called police to identify him as the man in the pictures, according to the statement.
Bellevue police were called at 10:27 p.m. Wednesday by an attorney for Leahy telling them he would surrender, the affidavit said. He arrived at the police station with his parents, officials said.
A lawyer who had represented Leahy and his family in a previous civil matter could not be reached for comment on Friday.
The Seattle campus of the University of Washington has about 36,000 undergraduates, who study under a quarter system that wraps up its spring classes relatively late in the academic year.
While many colleges and universities are in finals now, Washington will not have its end-of-term exams until early June. Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for June 13.
