Christopher Leahy charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of university student
Leahy faces 264 to 344 months in prison if convicted of murder and the deadly weapon enhancement charge
Christopher Leahy has been formally charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of University of Washington student Juniper Blessing, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has confirmed.
The charges and potential sentence
Leahy, 31, was charged on Monday, 18 May with murder in the first degree with a deadly weapon enhancement. If convicted, he faces between 264 and 344 months in prison — equivalent to 22 to 28.6 years.
The potential sentence breaks down as 240 to 320 months for the murder conviction and an additional 24 months for the deadly weapon enhancement.
What the charging documents allege
According to charging documents reviewed by PEOPLE, Leahy "viciously" murdered Blessing on 10 May, inflicting more than 40 stab wounds on the 19-year-old whilst they were "innocently" doing their laundry at an off-campus housing complex.
The documents further allege that Leahy had been present in the area before and after the killing. "Although not a student at the university and not a resident of Seattle, tracking apps and video recordings have placed the defendant in campus buildings and attempting to enter private homes in Ravenna prior to the murder and back near the murder scene two days after the murder," the documents state.
Alleged stalking behaviour
As previously reported by PEOPLE, witness accounts and surveillance footage cited in court records allege that Leahy stalked others at the apartment complex.
Charging documents claim he allegedly followed one University of Washington student across the complex before ending up in the same room as Blessing.
No evidence of a hate crime
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office confirmed there is no evidence to suggest Blessing's murder was motivated by hate. "That's the determination by both police investigators and multiple senior deputy prosecutors after an independent review," the office stated, adding that if new evidence emerges, the matter may be referred to prosecutors to consider additional charges.
Leahy is scheduled to be arraigned at the King County Courthouse on Thursday, 21 May.