May 17, 2026
New Details in Brutal Stabbing Death of University of Washington Student
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RSS Feed Ahead of Monday’s scheduled hearing for the 31-year-old suspect accused of stabbing a transgender University of Washington Student, new court documents reveal the viciousness of the attack. Police say 19-year-old Juniper Blessing was stabbed more than 40 times while doing laundry at University Housing. The family of Blessing releasing a heartbreaking statement about the loss of the beloved student.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:00:02
Speaker 1: And that folks.
00:00:02
Speaker 2: It is Sunday, May seventeenth, and a man in Washington State has a court appearance tomorrow. His bail has been said, add ten million dollars. What in the world did he do to deserve a bail so high when he's accused of a horrific stabbing death of a University of Washington transgender student.
00:00:26
Speaker 1: And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. This is a story road.
00:00:29
Speaker 2: We heard about the death a few days back, we're hearing about just horrific it was.
00:00:36
Speaker 3: Now yes, actually the murder took place exactly one week ago this evening, and it happened on campus. It happened at student housing, laundry facilities, and this is just a horrific crime. But to get some of these details, it is so chilling, and anyone who is a college student at home, this is just so heartbreaking. A young student nineteen years old, their name was Juniper Blessing, a transgender student. Yeah, cleaning the lint tray when this all went down.
00:01:09
Speaker 2: This is one of these horrible stories that we'll get into, and they're going to get into about campus safety, campus security or even security near campus having to do with college students, the idea of locks being on doors, keypads that don't work. Who has access to a building, who's letting people into the building. There's cameras involved, surveillance cameras involved in this one, and that's I guess one of the creepiest parts of this story is that this guy. They have him on camera appearing to look for cameras.
00:01:40
Speaker 3: Yes, they say when he entered the facility, and to your point, from what we're hearing from court documents, another young woman said that she let him in. Basically, she was going into the housing facility and going into the laundry room and he kind of went in behind her and said, yeah, I'm waiting on my I'm waiting on my laundry. I've got it in the dryer, and so she lets him in and that's how he got into the building. Because we're talking about a thirty one year old man. And yes, they have him on camera looking around, scanning for cameras, kind of going in and out and then looking directly into the camera that was capturing him, and you can see him. They say his eyes follow the cord to where it went so he could eventually unplug it, and they.
00:02:26
Speaker 2: Do have those images of this suspect, the thirty one year old Christopher Lahy. I believe I have the name right the victim, Junifer Blessing, so I have that name right as well, nineteen year old Juniper or Blessing, nineteen year old transgender woman. But at this point, I don't know what this thirty one year old, what connection to this school, this camp, is this building for any reason other than to possibly be there to do harm and robes we talk about that. The video that's going to be a part of this case.
00:02:54
Speaker 1: It is eerie.
00:02:56
Speaker 2: See we're going to tell you about some of these details, and they are tough to hear about what happened to this student. But rose when you hear those details and then you go back and look at these images and him staring in the camera in such a way, it's the eery, creepy stuff to see.
00:03:12
Speaker 4: It really is it.
00:03:13
Speaker 3: Honestly, it took me back to the Savannah Guthrie case, the Nancy Guthrie case, where we had those images. It's just it's so frightening to see someone who's about to do something unthinkable to another human being in the moments before it happened. It just kind of takes your breath away. But it was that image and it was such a clear close up image and video. Police released it almost immediately, and shortly thereafter the suspect's own brother called police and said, that is one hundred percent my brother. And he said, without a doubt, here is your suspect, and he handed over his brother.
00:03:48
Speaker 2: Oh this wasn't There have been several high profile cases here lately where they released some video you mentioned, Guthrie. I remember the campus shooting was at Columbia and Brown University.
00:03:59
Speaker 1: Some grain up.
00:04:00
Speaker 2: So what I'm saying, folks, this ain't that This almost looks like a damn high school yearbook photo. I mean, it is such a clear and cropped and perfect image of that face. Either, it's not even grainy. Rhodes looks like ifold seventeen pro just took this shot. It is as clear as you cannot mistake if you know this person who it is, it's unmistakable.
00:04:20
Speaker 3: So thank God for the security and the surveillance cameras that were there. And also another young student who ended up finding nineteen year old Juniper Blessing, actually passed the suspect as he.
00:04:32
Speaker 4: Was racing out and she was just walking in.
00:04:35
Speaker 3: So there is a mountain of evidence against this man before he even goes into his hearing tomorrow, which by the way, he hasn't entered a plea yet. He did turn himself in after his brother said, yeah, that's your guy.
00:04:49
Speaker 4: He turned himself in with his parents. I thought that was interesting.
00:04:51
Speaker 3: He's a thirty one year old man, but he showed up at the police station midweek with his parents. He's been behind bars ever since. And you mentioned that astron bail that was set for him.
00:05:02
Speaker 2: Yeah, we don't see them set that high that often, and we've seen some pretty horrific cases lately, and just the judge made a determination. I think the stalking has a lot to do with it. This is a first degree murder charge, so I think they were trying to get a lower bail for him and trying to say this wasn't first degree, it is premeditated Washington State.
00:05:22
Speaker 1: I don't know there are rules out.
00:05:23
Speaker 2: There with the death penalty, but usually the only in most states first degree that it oftentimes can be a death penalty case. Absolutely, but some of the details here about this and what he is alleged to have done to this nineteen year old student. You could see why ten million dollars bail might have been appropriate.
00:05:40
Speaker 3: And it's hard to imagine because we actually know the time stamps of this because of the surveillance video. And when the young woman found Juniper Blessing covered literally they said, in a pool of blood, it was within ten minutes. And that is just remarkable to think what this poor young man went through in that short period of time and his cause of death he literally bled out, so he was stabbed forty more than forty times, they said, in a very quick period of time, his head, his neck, his shoulder, his arms, his hands, and they yes, and they ended up dying from blood loss, which is just a horrific just to imagine.
00:06:24
Speaker 4: And then ten minutes.
00:06:25
Speaker 3: Later they were found by another student who then called nine one one.
00:06:29
Speaker 1: Again. This is I always been.
00:06:31
Speaker 2: Look a lot of people listening got kids in college, and you know this setup. You know a building, you know where these kids stay. You know, the laundry room is a very important spot that kids go in and as constant traffic in there, as horrible as what Juniper Fleming went through, ROSEI whoever walked in and saw that scene, that poor dear.
00:06:58
Speaker 3: I know this and also just before in the surveillance video, because they do have this all in a timeline to think that, I don't know why this stayed with me, but to know that Juniper was literally they can see them taking the lint, the lint tray out and taking out the you know what a courteous act right to take, you know some people, you know, especially in a college dorm, just to think that they were conscious enough or just concerned enough about the others taking the lint tray out. And then one of the last things that they did was throw the lint in the trash can. And then that is when the surveillance camera literally goes dark, because that is when the suspect in this case, according to police, Christopher Lahy, disabled the camera and did what he did to this poor unsuspecting young student who was literally just trying to get their laundry done.
00:07:52
Speaker 1: Forty stab wounds is what they say, folks.
00:07:54
Speaker 2: And there's no motive at this point, no understanding of what this person would because it's seems targeting random people because again this is an idea that they were the suspect was stalking another and yes, this will be a part of the story. It is already a part of the story that Junior bur Fleming is a transgender woman nineteen years old. I don't know if this person was targeted, given what the police are saying that the suspect was possibly following and looking for a suspect just happened upon this one or targeted this one because of it's a transgender.
00:08:30
Speaker 3: Woman, correct, and so yes, to that point, the university president has already put out a statement certainly trying to calm everyone's fears because this was a I mean, this is a frightening event, and certainly the LGBTQ plus community on campus there is concerned. So they're putting together obviously some services for them and some counseling services for them. But point saying, right now, at this point, we don't know what or why this happened, and so they said much is still unknown about what caused this tragedy. So the hope is that at least on Monday, perhaps we'll get some sort of idea or some at least we'll get a plea from the suspect in this case, but hopefully some more information will come out as to the motive behind this horrific killing. When we come back, we are going to tell you what Juniper Blessing's family had to say about this beautiful soul. This is a powerful statement this family released. Please stay tuned to hear what they had to say.
00:09:36
Speaker 1: We continue here on Amy and TJ.
00:09:38
Speaker 2: Tomorrow court date, expecting to see Christopher Lahey in court, thirty one year old man accused of the horrific stabbing attack death of a nineteen year old transgender University of Washington student last week, nineteen year old Juniper Fleming Junifer Blessing Blessing. Excuse me, we did hear from the several groups. When you hear something like this robes. We've seen horrific cases like this where transgender folks were targeted and were killed. Don't know yet in this situation, but I thought it was nice. It was a kind of an extended statement from the family. I thought it was beautiful.
00:10:16
Speaker 3: It really is, because I loved that instead of talking about what happened, their anger, their need for justice, which you often hear, and that's so understandable, the Blessing family chose just to take this moment to let the world know who Juniper was. And I thought that was so beautiful, so we'll read the statement right now. Our family has been shattered. Juniper was simply the most amazing human being we have ever known. Highly intelligent, extremely talented, and deeply sensitive to the needs of others. Juniper's loss not only devastates us, but diminishes the world. A gifted singer with a transcendent voice, Juniper was admitted to New Mexico School for the Arts, where they studied from twenty twenty until twenty twenty four. Weather was a love of Juniper since early childhood, and at the University of Washington, they intended to study atmospheric science while continuing to study voice and pursuing minors in music and philosophy. They love Seattle and Santa Fe, where they worked as an usher during summers at the Santa Fe Opera. Juniper was courageously living their life as who they were until it was cut tragically short.
00:11:25
Speaker 4: I think sometimes we just it's just so.
00:11:28
Speaker 3: Important to remember who these victims were when we talk about tragedies like this, And I just thought the family did such a phenomenal job of giving us just a little window into who Juniper was and what an unbelievable loss it is. For this world that they're no longer in it.
00:11:45
Speaker 2: I haven't seen a lot of the headlines, of course, the story is just being covered, but I haven't seen a lot of question or debate or anything happening around it. But the Human Rights Alliance out there put out a statement as well, and they mentioned it kind of goes along with what you're saying there about the family, how they decided to just focus on their loved one, but the Alliance here so they ask the public and media approach this tragedy with sensitivity and care, remembering that behind every headline is a grieving family whose world has been forever changed. That that should always be said, should always be understood. But I don't mind the reminder being put in there. It becomes a thing and we start going after each other and attacking each other, And some of the headlines can be salacious, the conversations online can be awful, But it's not just you've lost a nineteen year old like in the worst possible and horrific of ways, knowing what the end of Juniper's life was in the final moments, doing something as innocuous, mundane as.
00:12:48
Speaker 1: Your laundry, right right, And it's an awful store.
00:12:51
Speaker 3: No one should have to suffer that sort of fate. And certainly when you when you hear and read about how Juniper died, that's rape.
00:13:00
Speaker 4: That is rage.
00:13:01
Speaker 1: I don't know why.
00:13:02
Speaker 2: I mean, no connection between these folks that we can tell. Why is thirty one year old? Is why just looking for a target could be nuts crazy? Like literally just mind is something else we don't just don't know, But this doesn't make sense. I mean, it's senseless, no mind, it's going to be senseless. But man, some of these just random acts. You don't You don't feel any better when somebody's dead, but rolled, it's something about it just eats at us. Knowing that you can be going about your day and your life and doing nothing and bothering no one and this type of thing can befall you is just disturbing.
00:13:35
Speaker 3: Yes, And I think hearing a story like this that happens on college campus, on a college, in a college facility, in a laundry room, in a housing complex where you think your kids are safe, they should have security guards. They should have just security in place where folks can't come in who are thirty one years old, who aren't affiliated with the university. You know how many times I think about people who try to into an apartment building or certainly in to a housing complex and they try to just sneak in behind you, and you're supposed to tell them no.
00:14:07
Speaker 4: But that's a hard thing to do, to put that on a young woman.
00:14:09
Speaker 1: Nobody does that, first of all, nobody does that.
00:14:12
Speaker 2: We've all been that, and you just hold open the door because you're being polite, you're being kind, not thinking you're letting in a murderer.
00:14:18
Speaker 1: Maybe we need to rethink that.
00:14:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, there are a lot of lessons that I'm sure the University of Washington and other universities around this country are going to be looking at following this unbelievable tragedy. But thank you as always for listening to us.
00:14:31
Speaker 4: Everyone. I Meany Robach alongside TJ. Holmes. We will talk to you soon.
Speaker 1: And that folks.
00:00:02
Speaker 2: It is Sunday, May seventeenth, and a man in Washington State has a court appearance tomorrow. His bail has been said, add ten million dollars. What in the world did he do to deserve a bail so high when he's accused of a horrific stabbing death of a University of Washington transgender student.
00:00:26
Speaker 1: And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. This is a story road.
00:00:29
Speaker 2: We heard about the death a few days back, we're hearing about just horrific it was.
00:00:36
Speaker 3: Now yes, actually the murder took place exactly one week ago this evening, and it happened on campus. It happened at student housing, laundry facilities, and this is just a horrific crime. But to get some of these details, it is so chilling, and anyone who is a college student at home, this is just so heartbreaking. A young student nineteen years old, their name was Juniper Blessing, a transgender student. Yeah, cleaning the lint tray when this all went down.
00:01:09
Speaker 2: This is one of these horrible stories that we'll get into, and they're going to get into about campus safety, campus security or even security near campus having to do with college students, the idea of locks being on doors, keypads that don't work. Who has access to a building, who's letting people into the building. There's cameras involved, surveillance cameras involved in this one, and that's I guess one of the creepiest parts of this story is that this guy. They have him on camera appearing to look for cameras.
00:01:40
Speaker 3: Yes, they say when he entered the facility, and to your point, from what we're hearing from court documents, another young woman said that she let him in. Basically, she was going into the housing facility and going into the laundry room and he kind of went in behind her and said, yeah, I'm waiting on my I'm waiting on my laundry. I've got it in the dryer, and so she lets him in and that's how he got into the building. Because we're talking about a thirty one year old man. And yes, they have him on camera looking around, scanning for cameras, kind of going in and out and then looking directly into the camera that was capturing him, and you can see him. They say his eyes follow the cord to where it went so he could eventually unplug it, and they.
00:02:26
Speaker 2: Do have those images of this suspect, the thirty one year old Christopher Lahy. I believe I have the name right the victim, Junifer Blessing, so I have that name right as well, nineteen year old Juniper or Blessing, nineteen year old transgender woman. But at this point, I don't know what this thirty one year old, what connection to this school, this camp, is this building for any reason other than to possibly be there to do harm and robes we talk about that. The video that's going to be a part of this case.
00:02:54
Speaker 1: It is eerie.
00:02:56
Speaker 2: See we're going to tell you about some of these details, and they are tough to hear about what happened to this student. But rose when you hear those details and then you go back and look at these images and him staring in the camera in such a way, it's the eery, creepy stuff to see.
00:03:12
Speaker 4: It really is it.
00:03:13
Speaker 3: Honestly, it took me back to the Savannah Guthrie case, the Nancy Guthrie case, where we had those images. It's just it's so frightening to see someone who's about to do something unthinkable to another human being in the moments before it happened. It just kind of takes your breath away. But it was that image and it was such a clear close up image and video. Police released it almost immediately, and shortly thereafter the suspect's own brother called police and said, that is one hundred percent my brother. And he said, without a doubt, here is your suspect, and he handed over his brother.
00:03:48
Speaker 2: Oh this wasn't There have been several high profile cases here lately where they released some video you mentioned, Guthrie. I remember the campus shooting was at Columbia and Brown University.
00:03:59
Speaker 1: Some grain up.
00:04:00
Speaker 2: So what I'm saying, folks, this ain't that This almost looks like a damn high school yearbook photo. I mean, it is such a clear and cropped and perfect image of that face. Either, it's not even grainy. Rhodes looks like ifold seventeen pro just took this shot. It is as clear as you cannot mistake if you know this person who it is, it's unmistakable.
00:04:20
Speaker 3: So thank God for the security and the surveillance cameras that were there. And also another young student who ended up finding nineteen year old Juniper Blessing, actually passed the suspect as he.
00:04:32
Speaker 4: Was racing out and she was just walking in.
00:04:35
Speaker 3: So there is a mountain of evidence against this man before he even goes into his hearing tomorrow, which by the way, he hasn't entered a plea yet. He did turn himself in after his brother said, yeah, that's your guy.
00:04:49
Speaker 4: He turned himself in with his parents. I thought that was interesting.
00:04:51
Speaker 3: He's a thirty one year old man, but he showed up at the police station midweek with his parents. He's been behind bars ever since. And you mentioned that astron bail that was set for him.
00:05:02
Speaker 2: Yeah, we don't see them set that high that often, and we've seen some pretty horrific cases lately, and just the judge made a determination. I think the stalking has a lot to do with it. This is a first degree murder charge, so I think they were trying to get a lower bail for him and trying to say this wasn't first degree, it is premeditated Washington State.
00:05:22
Speaker 1: I don't know there are rules out.
00:05:23
Speaker 2: There with the death penalty, but usually the only in most states first degree that it oftentimes can be a death penalty case. Absolutely, but some of the details here about this and what he is alleged to have done to this nineteen year old student. You could see why ten million dollars bail might have been appropriate.
00:05:40
Speaker 3: And it's hard to imagine because we actually know the time stamps of this because of the surveillance video. And when the young woman found Juniper Blessing covered literally they said, in a pool of blood, it was within ten minutes. And that is just remarkable to think what this poor young man went through in that short period of time and his cause of death he literally bled out, so he was stabbed forty more than forty times, they said, in a very quick period of time, his head, his neck, his shoulder, his arms, his hands, and they yes, and they ended up dying from blood loss, which is just a horrific just to imagine.
00:06:24
Speaker 4: And then ten minutes.
00:06:25
Speaker 3: Later they were found by another student who then called nine one one.
00:06:29
Speaker 1: Again. This is I always been.
00:06:31
Speaker 2: Look a lot of people listening got kids in college, and you know this setup. You know a building, you know where these kids stay. You know, the laundry room is a very important spot that kids go in and as constant traffic in there, as horrible as what Juniper Fleming went through, ROSEI whoever walked in and saw that scene, that poor dear.
00:06:58
Speaker 3: I know this and also just before in the surveillance video, because they do have this all in a timeline to think that, I don't know why this stayed with me, but to know that Juniper was literally they can see them taking the lint, the lint tray out and taking out the you know what a courteous act right to take, you know some people, you know, especially in a college dorm, just to think that they were conscious enough or just concerned enough about the others taking the lint tray out. And then one of the last things that they did was throw the lint in the trash can. And then that is when the surveillance camera literally goes dark, because that is when the suspect in this case, according to police, Christopher Lahy, disabled the camera and did what he did to this poor unsuspecting young student who was literally just trying to get their laundry done.
00:07:52
Speaker 1: Forty stab wounds is what they say, folks.
00:07:54
Speaker 2: And there's no motive at this point, no understanding of what this person would because it's seems targeting random people because again this is an idea that they were the suspect was stalking another and yes, this will be a part of the story. It is already a part of the story that Junior bur Fleming is a transgender woman nineteen years old. I don't know if this person was targeted, given what the police are saying that the suspect was possibly following and looking for a suspect just happened upon this one or targeted this one because of it's a transgender.
00:08:30
Speaker 3: Woman, correct, and so yes, to that point, the university president has already put out a statement certainly trying to calm everyone's fears because this was a I mean, this is a frightening event, and certainly the LGBTQ plus community on campus there is concerned. So they're putting together obviously some services for them and some counseling services for them. But point saying, right now, at this point, we don't know what or why this happened, and so they said much is still unknown about what caused this tragedy. So the hope is that at least on Monday, perhaps we'll get some sort of idea or some at least we'll get a plea from the suspect in this case, but hopefully some more information will come out as to the motive behind this horrific killing. When we come back, we are going to tell you what Juniper Blessing's family had to say about this beautiful soul. This is a powerful statement this family released. Please stay tuned to hear what they had to say.
00:09:36
Speaker 1: We continue here on Amy and TJ.
00:09:38
Speaker 2: Tomorrow court date, expecting to see Christopher Lahey in court, thirty one year old man accused of the horrific stabbing attack death of a nineteen year old transgender University of Washington student last week, nineteen year old Juniper Fleming Junifer Blessing Blessing. Excuse me, we did hear from the several groups. When you hear something like this robes. We've seen horrific cases like this where transgender folks were targeted and were killed. Don't know yet in this situation, but I thought it was nice. It was a kind of an extended statement from the family. I thought it was beautiful.
00:10:16
Speaker 3: It really is, because I loved that instead of talking about what happened, their anger, their need for justice, which you often hear, and that's so understandable, the Blessing family chose just to take this moment to let the world know who Juniper was. And I thought that was so beautiful, so we'll read the statement right now. Our family has been shattered. Juniper was simply the most amazing human being we have ever known. Highly intelligent, extremely talented, and deeply sensitive to the needs of others. Juniper's loss not only devastates us, but diminishes the world. A gifted singer with a transcendent voice, Juniper was admitted to New Mexico School for the Arts, where they studied from twenty twenty until twenty twenty four. Weather was a love of Juniper since early childhood, and at the University of Washington, they intended to study atmospheric science while continuing to study voice and pursuing minors in music and philosophy. They love Seattle and Santa Fe, where they worked as an usher during summers at the Santa Fe Opera. Juniper was courageously living their life as who they were until it was cut tragically short.
00:11:25
Speaker 4: I think sometimes we just it's just so.
00:11:28
Speaker 3: Important to remember who these victims were when we talk about tragedies like this, And I just thought the family did such a phenomenal job of giving us just a little window into who Juniper was and what an unbelievable loss it is. For this world that they're no longer in it.
00:11:45
Speaker 2: I haven't seen a lot of the headlines, of course, the story is just being covered, but I haven't seen a lot of question or debate or anything happening around it. But the Human Rights Alliance out there put out a statement as well, and they mentioned it kind of goes along with what you're saying there about the family, how they decided to just focus on their loved one, but the Alliance here so they ask the public and media approach this tragedy with sensitivity and care, remembering that behind every headline is a grieving family whose world has been forever changed. That that should always be said, should always be understood. But I don't mind the reminder being put in there. It becomes a thing and we start going after each other and attacking each other, And some of the headlines can be salacious, the conversations online can be awful, But it's not just you've lost a nineteen year old like in the worst possible and horrific of ways, knowing what the end of Juniper's life was in the final moments, doing something as innocuous, mundane as.
00:12:48
Speaker 1: Your laundry, right right, And it's an awful store.
00:12:51
Speaker 3: No one should have to suffer that sort of fate. And certainly when you when you hear and read about how Juniper died, that's rape.
00:13:00
Speaker 4: That is rage.
00:13:01
Speaker 1: I don't know why.
00:13:02
Speaker 2: I mean, no connection between these folks that we can tell. Why is thirty one year old? Is why just looking for a target could be nuts crazy? Like literally just mind is something else we don't just don't know, But this doesn't make sense. I mean, it's senseless, no mind, it's going to be senseless. But man, some of these just random acts. You don't You don't feel any better when somebody's dead, but rolled, it's something about it just eats at us. Knowing that you can be going about your day and your life and doing nothing and bothering no one and this type of thing can befall you is just disturbing.
00:13:35
Speaker 3: Yes, And I think hearing a story like this that happens on college campus, on a college, in a college facility, in a laundry room, in a housing complex where you think your kids are safe, they should have security guards. They should have just security in place where folks can't come in who are thirty one years old, who aren't affiliated with the university. You know how many times I think about people who try to into an apartment building or certainly in to a housing complex and they try to just sneak in behind you, and you're supposed to tell them no.
00:14:07
Speaker 4: But that's a hard thing to do, to put that on a young woman.
00:14:09
Speaker 1: Nobody does that, first of all, nobody does that.
00:14:12
Speaker 2: We've all been that, and you just hold open the door because you're being polite, you're being kind, not thinking you're letting in a murderer.
00:14:18
Speaker 1: Maybe we need to rethink that.
00:14:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, there are a lot of lessons that I'm sure the University of Washington and other universities around this country are going to be looking at following this unbelievable tragedy. But thank you as always for listening to us.
00:14:31
Speaker 4: Everyone. I Meany Robach alongside TJ. Holmes. We will talk to you soon.