SEATTLE — KIRO 7 News has learned the identity of a University of Washington student who was stabbed to death inside a laundry room at the Nordheim Court apartment complex.
According to the documents, Juniper Blessing was stabbed over 40 times on May 10.
Thursday morning, KIRO 7 News learned that a man named Christopher Leahy turned himself in to the police, less than six hours after suspect photos were released.
The Seattle Police Department said the 31-year-old man turned himself in to Bellevue police on Wednesday night at around 10:40 p.m.
According to the court documents, police received a tip from Leahy’s brother, who said he recognized him in the photos.
A second tip came in from someone who knows Leahy from school. According to the documents, the friend shared a video she’d received from Leahy about two months ago to prove it was him.
He was booked into the King County Jail for murder.
Statement from the family
The Human Rights Alliance has issued the following statement on behalf of Blessing’s family:
“Our family has been shattered by the loss of our child, Juniper Blessing, to an act of unspeakable violence near the University of Washington campus in Seattle. Juniper was simply the most amazing human being we have ever known – highly intelligent, extremely talented, and deeply sensitive to the needs of others. Juniper’s loss not only devastates us but diminishes the world.
Juniper was born Michael Carneiro da Cunha Blessing in Princeton, New Jersey where they attended Littlebrook School and Princeton Middle School until they moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2018. A gifted singer with a transcendent voice, Juniper was admitted to New Mexico School for the Arts, where they studied from 2020 until 2024.
Weather was a love of Juniper’s since early childhood, and at the University of Washington they intended to study Atmospheric Science while continuing to study voice and pursuing minors in Music and Philosophy. They loved Seattle and Santa Fe, where they worked as an usher during summers at the Santa Fe Opera.
Perhaps most importantly, Juniper was courageously living their life as who they were until it was cut tragically short. Blessed with many loving friends, family members and mentors, Juniper will be deeply missed.
In this time of loss, we ask that you respect us and Juniper’s memory by mourning with us but respecting our privacy."
The stabbing
On the night of the attack, a 911 call came in around 10:10 p.m. According to court documents, the caller said she’d walked into her laundry room and saw blood everywhere and someone on the floor. She also noted that she’d just held the door open for a man, who thanked her on his way out. According to the documents, she provided a description of the man in case he was responsible for the murder.
Property management from Nordheim Court and surrounding businesses provided video from around the time the stabbing happened to detectives. According to the court documents, Blessing was seen bringing their laundry to the laundry room around 8:54 p.m. and coming back about an hour later. A camera was mounted in the corner of the laundry room, but according to law enforcement, it wasn’t plugged in. A video specialist recovered video from May 10 on the SD card of the camera that shows a man who allegedly matched the description of the suspect.
Charges have been sent to the prosecutor’s office for review.
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