Charging documents say the recovered camera footage became key evidence in the killing of a 19-year-old University of Washington student.
SEATTLE — The King County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday released new video that prosecutors say shows murder suspect Christopher Leahy entering the laundry room of a 19-year-old University of Washington student. juniper blessing He was later found dead.
Leahy, 31, Charged May 18 with enhanced first-degree murder with a deadly weapon. He remains in the King County Jail on $10 million bail.
The newly released videos include video from inside the laundry room of Nordheim Court Apartments on May 10.
The video, time stamped at 9:45 p.m., shows three dryers running when no one else was in the room. Seconds later, another person opened the door and Leahy walked in, commenting on where his clothes were.
Another video around 10 p.m. shows Blessing sitting on the floor near a dryer while another man stands nearby looking at his phone. Both appeared to be texting.
Moments later, Leahy walked into the laundry room, looked directly into the camera, and dropped an item. Then he turned and left. The other man left shortly after, while Blessing stayed in the room to check the dryer’s lint trap.
Charging documents say the laundry room camera had been unplugged when detectives checked it, but video experts later recovered the footage from an SD card inside the camera.
The recovered video showed a clear, close-up image of a man who matched witness descriptions, documents show.
Prosecutors also released video from May 5 showing Leahy outside a home in the 2100 block of Northeast Ravenna Avenue, about a third of a mile from the Nordheim courthouse.
Charging documents say the man in the video tried the front door handle, pushed the door but it wouldn’t open, and then walked away.
On the evening of May 10, University of Wisconsin police rushed to Nordheim Court, an off-campus student dormitory building, and found Blessing dead in the laundry room on the first floor. She had more than 40 stab wounds on her body.
Investigators said witnesses placed a man matching Leahy’s description at the apartment complex that night.
One resident told police that a man followed her into the same laundry room earlier that night, saying he was waiting to do laundry and left after she had a chance to return to the apartment, charging documents state.
After Seattle police released a photo of the suspect on May 13, they received a tip from Leahy’s brother, who told detectives he recognized the person in the photo “without a doubt,” according to charging documents.
Leahy turned himself in to Bellevue police later that night after an attorney contacted Bellevue police, according to court documents.
He was later transferred to Seattle police and booked into the King County Jail.
A court order filed Wednesday extends Leahy’s arraignment from May 21 to June 4. The order said the delay was granted to give defense attorneys more time to evaluate concerns about Leahy’s mental health and competency.
Blessing’s family released a statement thanking the community, Seattle police, victims’ advocates, the King County Prosecutor’s Office and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“Today and every day, we remain focused on our Juniper, whose loving spirit knows no bounds,” the statement read. “Jinip was a beautiful person whose heart was filled with love, tolerance, talent, determination and intellectual curiosity, and she was a beacon of light in our world and beyond.
“We would also like to thank the Seattle community whose response to this tragedy has been overwhelming. Thank you to the community of Santa Fe, and to the LGBTQIA2S+ communities and advocates across the country who called Juniper’s name with love, honor and respect and held moments of silence and vigils in her honor. Thank you for standing by our family as we mourn the loss of our beloved Juniper. Every gesture of support is another candle lit and another flower blooming in Juniper’s memory.”
If convicted, Leahy faces up to nearly 29 years in prison.
