Flowers and chalk messages covered parts of Red Square; a separate private memorial and healing event was held on campus on Saturday.
SEATTLE — The University of Washington community came together Saturday to mourn the loss of juniper blessingThe 19-year-old student was stabbed to death in a student dormitory near campus last weekend, police said.
Flowers and chalk messages covered parts of Red Square as students and community members commemorated the blessing, while separate private memorials and healing events were held elsewhere on campus.
Organizers with the UW Trans Collective and the Gender Justice Alliance held a private vigil in Sylvan Grove, calling it a space for community healing after what they said was a “devastating loss” for one of their own.
The event was closed to the media and organizers also asked attendees not to film or take photos, emphasizing privacy and creating space for grief.
“Our community remains deeply grieved,” organizers wrote in materials announcing the commemoration.
For many students, the gathering is about supporting each other as they deal with violence.
“As a community, we will continue to remain strong and support each other during times of violence that impact marginalized people in our community,” University of Washington student Isaac Olson said.
Blessing, a transgender woman and UW student studying atmospheric science, was found dead in the laundry room of Nordheim Court on Sunday night. Nordheim Court is an apartment building serving University of Wisconsin students located near campus.
Seattle police arrested 31-year-old Christopher Leahy earlier this week after releasing surveillance images related to the investigation.
Investigators believe Leahy was seen wandering around the apartment complex before the attack, according to charging documents.
Court records describe a series of events in the laundry room, including a security camera that was unplugged but continued to record. Prosecutors said Blessing suffered about 40 stab wounds.
Police have not publicly announced a motive for the killing.
Leahy remains in custody and is expected to return to court on Monday.
Saturday’s memorial will focus less on the investigation and more on commemorating Blessing’s life.
In Red Square, students left flowers and chalk messages in her memory. Across campus, private vigils brought together members of the transgender, gender-expansive and ally communities.
Olson said the purpose of the gathering is to make sure people have a place to process their grief together.
“We are gathered here today because we want to ensure that the community has the ability to come together, grieve and support each other amid this injustice,” Olson said.
University leaders also acknowledged the impact of the killing on campus, calling Blessing a promising member of the UW community.
Six days after her death, the focus of many gathered Saturday was not how Blessing died but how she lived and the community she was a part of.
Seattle police continue to ask anyone with information about the case to contact detectives.
