The trans University of Washington student found stabbed to death inside an off-campus housing laundry room has been identified as a 19-year-old white male named Michael Blessing.

He used the name “Juniper,” identified as female and was from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Michael Blessing was stabbed to death
 

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office publicly identified Blessing after , a 31-year-old black Bellevue man, surrendered himself to authorities after surveillance images from the crime scene were released to the public.

Leahy was booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder in connection with the May 10 killing at Nordheim Court, a privately managed student housing facility that contracts with UW.

A motive has not been established but Blessing was found with over 40 stab wounds. 

According to the Seattle Police probable cause document, officers responding to the building complex shortly after 10 p.m. found Blessing unconscious and unresponsive on the floor of a first-floor laundry room. Seattle Fire Department medics pronounced the man dead at the scene.

An autopsy later determined Blessing suffered more than 40 stab wounds to the head, neck, shoulders, arms and hands and died from massive blood loss, investigators said.

Police documents describe a chilling sequence captured on surveillance footage before the killing.

Investigators said Blessing entered the laundry room around 9:45 p.m. A man later identified by witnesses as Leahy allegedly entered shortly afterward.

At around 10 p.m., the suspect allegedly returned to the laundry room and stared directly into a surveillance camera before disconnecting its power cord from the wall, according to the probable cause statement.

No other individuals were seen entering the room before another resident discovered Blessing’s body and called 911 around 10:11 p.m.

The suspect was identified by his brother and a former school friend. Leahy arrived at the Bellevue Police Department, accompanied by his parents, on May 13 and was taken into custody without incident. He has no known prior criminal history.

Authorities have not announced a motive. Blessing was a singer who graduated from the New Mexico School for the Arts in 2024. 

The murder suspect was previously involved in a lawsuit against the University Prep School when he was a minor. His parents sued the school for allegedly tolerating racism and sexual orientation harassment against their son. 

Police have not stated whether Blessing was specifically targeted because of his gender identity but the killing nevertheless sparked rage from the Seattle-area transgender and far-left activist groups. 

A planned May 13 event by TPUSA featuring Chloe Cole, a former child victim of trans medicine, was postponed following threats of violence by Antifa and far-left extremists. This journalist has also received death threats for reporting that the victim is male. 

On Reddit, trans activists lamented that the victim was not simply identified as a “woman” or “female.”

The Trans Collective at UW used Blessing’s death to further their own agenda. They claimed in a statement that transgender women “are among the most vulnerable populations to violent crimes.” The organization and the Gender Justice League announced a community healing event on campus and asked media not to attend.

Leahy’s bail is set at $10 million.