Judge Sets Christopher Leahy's Bail at $10 Million in Juniper Blessing Killing as Charges Loom Monday
Updated
Updated · KOMO News · May 17
Judge Sets Christopher Leahy's Bail at $10 Million in Juniper Blessing Killing as Charges Loom Monday
14 articles · Updated · KOMO News · May 17
$10 million bail kept Christopher Leahy in custody after a judge found probable cause for first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the killing of 19-year-old UW student Juniper Blessing.
Monday evening is the next key deadline, when King County prosecutors expect to decide formal charges after receiving Seattle police investigators' case file.
Court documents say surveillance video showed Leahy and Blessing entering a Nordheim Court laundry room shortly before the attack, with Leahy later leaving alone; prosecutors said Blessing suffered more than 40 stab wounds.
Leahy surrendered after police released surveillance images, while his lawyer argued for second-degree murder and lower bail, saying premeditation was in dispute.
Police still have not identified a motive or said whether the stabbing was random or targeted, as memorials and a campus healing event continue for Blessing.
Will the brutal stabbing of a gifted LGBTQ+ student be prosecuted as a premeditated murder or a targeted hate crime?
Can prosecutors prove premeditation, or will psychological profiling suggest an impulsive act, challenging the first-degree murder charge?