Laundry Room Att@ck: A University of Washington choir singer was found st@bbed d0zens of times, with a familiar face now accused in the case
Juniper Blessing, 19, was stabbed by a suspect that other students allege was stalking them at the campus-owned apartment
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Juniper Blessing (left); and Christopher Leahy.Credit : Santa Fe Pride and Human Rights Alliance; Seattle Police Department
The victim of a fatal stabbing at an off-campus home near the University of Washington has been identified.
Online records for the King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as a 19-year-old. The victim identified as Juniper Blessing.
Their death was ruled a homicide caused by multiple stab wounds.
On Wednesday, May 13, a man turned himself in at the Bellevue Police Department just hours after police released surveillance footage of a suspect, the department announced.
Christopher Leahy, 31, was arrested on a murder charge, the Seattle Police Department confirms to PEOPLE.
According to court records obtained by KATV, the investigation revealed Blessing had about 40 stab wounds to the head, neck, shoulders, arms and hands.
Witness accounts and surveillance footage cited in court records allege Leahy stalked others at the apartment complex, the outlet reported. Seattle police declined to comment on this allegation when asked by PEOPLE.
Two students alleged to investigators they saw the suspect in the vicinity of the laundry room, according to the court documents, which state one of them allegedly saw Leahy inside the laundry room staring out the window on Sunday, May 10, around the time of the killing.
The witness who found Blessing’s body told police they crossed paths with Leahy as they were entering the laundry room and opened the door for Leahy as he left the room. The witness went in and came upon the bloodied crime scene.
Police say the killing was captured in security footage, which they recovered even though the footage from the timeframe of the murder had allegedly been deleted, KATV reported.
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Blessing was formerly a student at the New Mexico School for the Arts and a “gifted singer in their college choir with a with a transcendent voice,” their family said in a statement shared by the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance and reposted by the Santa Fe New Mexican and KING 5.
In December 2024, the school announced Blessing’s feature in a solo at a mixed-choir performance.
“Juniper’s loss not only devastates us but diminishes the world,” their family’s statement added.
It’s not immediately clear if Leahy has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
The investigation continues. Seattle police are urging anyone with information, including anyone who may wish to remain anonymous, to contact detectives at the Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
