Christopher Leahy is accused of stabbing Juniper Blessing to death as the college student did laundry at an off-campus apartment on May 10
Credit: Santa Fe Pride and Human Rights Alliance; Seattle Police Department
NEED TO KNOW
- Christopher Leahy has been charged with murder in the first degree with a deadly weapon enhancement in connection to the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Juniper Blessing
- Prosecutors allege Leahy stalked others at the off-campus apartment complex before attacking Blessing in a laundry room
- Authorities say there is no evidence the murder was motivated by hate, but additional charges could be considered if more evidence is found
After being arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of University of Washington student Juniper Blessing, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has formally charged Christopher Leahy with murder.
Leahy, 31, was charged with murder in the first degree with a deadly weapon enhancement on Monday, May 18, the prosecuting attorney's office tells PEOPLE.
The suspected killer faces 264 to 344 months (22-28.6 years overall) if convicted.
The sentence would be divided into 240 to 320 months (20-26.6 years) for the potential murder conviction and an additional 24 months (2 years) for the potential deadly weapon enhancement conviction.
Credit: Seattle Police Department
According to charging documents reviewed by PEOPLE, Leahy "viciously" murdered Blessing when he inflicted over 40 stab wounds on the 19-year-old, who was "innocently" doing their laundry at an off-campus housing complex on Sunday, May 10.
"Although not a student at the university and not a resident of Seattle, tracking apps and video recordings have placed the defendant in campus buildings and attempting to enter private homes in Ravenna prior to the murder and back near the murder scene two days after the murder," alleged the documents.
As previously reported by PEOPLE, witness accounts and surveillance footage cited in court records allege Leahy stalked others at the apartment complex.
Leahy allegedly stalked one UW student across the apartment complex until ending up in the same room as Blessing, the charging documents claim.
Credit: Santa Fe Pride and Human Rights Alliance
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office says there is no evidence to show Blessing's murder was "motivated by hate."
"That's the determination by both police investigators and multiple senior deputy prosecutors after an independent review," says the attorney's office, noting that if additional evidence is found, it may be referred to prosecutors to consider more charges.
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Leahy is scheduled to be arraigned at the King County Courthouse on Thursday, May 21.
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