College choir soloist doing laundry stabbed 40 times as she went to clean dryer lint tray in student housing building: Cops

A University of Washington School of Music choir soloist was stabbed 40 times portion doing laundry successful her pupil lodging gathering successful Seattle. Police accidental her slayer looked straight into a information camera earlier unleashing a "horrific" and "brutal" onslaught connected her portion she was cleaning a dryer lint tray.

Juniper Blessing, 19, was astatine the Nordheim Court flat analyzable — described by constabulary arsenic a "campus lodging building" for UW students — erstwhile 31-year-old Christopher Leahy allegedly targeted her successful a stabbing onslaught astir 10 p.m. connected May 10.

Seattle constabulary issued a press release aft the alleged murder saying they were searching for Leahy aft helium was allegedly caught connected surveillance video wrong the laundry country wherever Blessing was recovered dead.

A probable origin affidavit obtained by The Seattle Times alleges that Leahy tin beryllium seen entering the country arsenic Blessing was cleaning retired a dryer lint tray. He looks straight into the information camera, according to the affidavit.

Police accidental the camera was unplugged erstwhile they recovered it but a video specializer managed to retrieve the footage from its representation card. It is unclear whether the stabbing onslaught was caught connected camera, with cops not stating successful the affidavit whether it was, per the Times.

Blessing was stabbed successful her head, neck, shoulders, arms and hands.

Leahy allegedly turned himself successful to constabulary connected Tuesday and was charged with first-degree execution aft his household — who says helium has intelligence wellness problems — urged him to bash so. Court records amusement that Leahy and his parents sued his backstage precocious school, alleging unit failed to support him from harassment and bullying by different students, according to the Times. The suit described him arsenic disabled.

"[Leahy] went from being a socially progressive teen who attended schoolhouse functions, to being a withdrawn young antheral who became an outcast that was excluded from societal circles," the family's ineligible ailment said.

Blessing, who is transgender, graduated from the New Mexico School for the Arts successful 2024, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. She was a choir soloist and alto for UW's Chorale ensemble and "Blue Planet" programme past year.

Her household told the section paper successful a connection issued by the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance that she was "simply the astir astonishing quality being we person ever known — highly intelligent, highly talented, and profoundly delicate to the needs of others."

The household added, "Juniper's nonaccomplishment not lone devastates america but diminishes the world."

Leahy appeared successful tribunal Thursday and his bail was acceptable astatine $10 million. He's owed backmost successful tribunal connected May 18.