UW students mourned Juniper Blessings as they were relieved by the arrest, but residents said ongoing security concerns at Nordheim Courthouse left them feeling vulnerable.
Seattle — Arrested for killing UW student Some relief has been brought to the campus community, but fear and frustration remain for many who live where the crimes occurred.
At Nordheim Court Apartments in Seattle’s University District, flowers lined the main entrance as students and neighbors mourned 19-year-old Juniper Blessing. The memorial grew throughout the day, a sign of grief after deadly violence inside the memorial on Sunday night.
Students living at Nordheim Court said the tragedy had shaken their sense of security.
“It’s horrible,” said Maximus Starr, a UW sophomore who has lived in the building since September. “It’s especially scary because it feels like no one cares about us.”
Starr said concerns about the safety of the building did not start with this incident. He described ongoing problems with access to the property by people other than those who live there.
“It’s really scary because this isn’t even the first time we’ve encountered weird people,” Starr said. “We have weird people coming in all the time who don’t even live in the building.”
He pointed to safety issues, including poor lighting and what he said were limited security measures.
“Lighting is a big issue,” Starr said. “There’s nothing restricting access to the main complex area. There’s no security.”
The murder occurred in a laundry room near Starr’s unit – an area he said had been problematic before.
“It wouldn’t lock properly,” he said. “And it’s easy to get to the garage because someone has to scan it, and then they raise the bar and you can slip through pretty quickly.”
Starr, who identifies as transgender, said he now lives with his parents out of concern for his safety. He’s also thinking about the loss being felt across campus.
“From what I know from talking to her friends, she’s an amazing person,” Starr said. “This is a huge loss to the university community … especially one so violent.”
Nearby, students continued to stop and leave flowers for Blessing.
“This is a really scary time for a lot of our students,” Starr said. “So we thought it would be a good move.”
“I can’t even imagine what they’re going through,” Starr added. “I just hope they can get through this together and come together as a community.”
Despite the growing support, some residents say more needs to be done to prevent another tragedy.
“Who has to die for anyone to care about us?” Starr said. “Who has to die for people to want us to be safe?”
KING 5 contacted Greystar, the company that owns Nordheim Court, but had not heard back as of 5 p.m. Thursday.
However, one tenant shared an email sent by management on Thursday afternoon outlining steps to improve safety. According to the release, the complex plans to:
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Works with UW Police to assess property
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Replace old locks with new system starting next week
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Increased 24/7 patrols by police and private security
