The King County prosecutor’s office charged Bellevue man Christopher Leahy with premeditated murder on Monday afternoon in the killing of transgender University of Washington student Juniper Blessing on May 10 in off-campus student housing. The premeditated murder charge, together with a sente ncing enhancement for using a deadly weapon, means that, if convicted, Leahy faces between 22 to 29 years in prison. Leahy has yet to be formally arraigned in court on the charges, and has not yet entered a plea. The county prosecutor did not provide a specific motive for Leahy’s alleged crime, referencing only “the uncontrolled rage evidenced by horrific injuries he inflicted on Juniper Blessing.” According to the prosecutor, Leahy allegedly stabbed Blessing over 40 times. According to the charging document, Leahy, 31, “stalked another UW student across a multi-building apartment complex eventually following this second student into the same building and same room where he would viciously murder Juniper Blessing.” The document continues: “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.” According to the Seattle Police Department’s investigation, a surveillance camera captured Leahy in the laundry room, still images of which were publicly distributed on May 13. That led to Leahy’s brother turning him in to police. Leahy surrendered to police in Bellevue later that evening with the assistance of a lawyer. Police say they also recovered Leahy’s fingerprints at the murder scene. Prosecutors requested bail be set at $10 million because they say Leahy poses both a flight risk and a danger to the community. The post Suspect in Juniper Blessing Killing Charged with Murder appeared first on The Stranger. ...read more read less