Suspect in killing of trans UW student to get mental competency evaluation before arraignment

The man charged in the brutal stabbing death of a University of Washington transgender student will undergo a court-ordered competency evaluation after his attorneys raised concerns about his ability to participate in his defense.

Christopher Leahy, 31, did not appear in King County Superior Court on Thursday for his scheduled arraignment on a charge of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon enhancement in the death of 19-year-old UW student Michael “Juniper” Blessing. Instead, defense attorneys appeared on his behalf.

According to information provided by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, defendants are permitted to waive their appearance in court. In those circumstances, judges determine whether proceedings can continue without the defendant or whether an order requiring their attendance is necessary.

During Thursday's hearing, the judge found that representations made by Leahy’s attorneys were sufficient to create a genuine question about his competency to stand trial. As a result, the court ordered Leahy committed to Western State Hospital for up to 15 days of observation and directed the Department of Social and Health Services to conduct a formal forensic competency evaluation. The court scheduled a return hearing for June 25.

The competency proceedings temporarily pause the case from moving to the next stage, but prosecutors emphasized that the criminal charges remain active. “This does not mean that the criminal case is dismissed,” prosecutors said in a statement to The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI.

Because the competency issue must first be resolved, Leahy did not enter a plea on Thursday. Prosecutors said arraignment and plea can occur once the court determines whether he is legally competent to proceed. Leahy remains jailed on $10 million bail.

King County prosecutors formally charged Leahy earlier this week with first-degree murder and a deadly weapon enhancement in the May 10 killing of Blessing, a transgender University of Washington student who was found stabbed to death inside a laundry room at Nordheim Court, a UW-affiliated housing complex in Seattle. Court documents allege Blessing suffered more than 40 stab wounds during the attack. Prosecutors have argued the killing was premeditated and described evidence suggesting Leahy stalked another UW student through the apartment complex shortly before the homicide.

Charging documents also revealed that investigators had placed Leahy in campus buildings and near private residences in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood before the murder. Prosecutors have said there is currently no evidence that the crime was motivated by hate.

If convicted as charged, Leahy faces a standard sentencing range of approximately 22 to nearly 29 years in prison, including the deadly weapon enhancement.