Fatal Stabbing of University of Washington Student Leads to Arrest of 31-Year-Old Suspect

A man wanted for homicide was arrested on May 14 after authorities released his photo to the public. The suspect was wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a University of Washington student .

The Seattle Police Department did not name the suspect but said in a statement that a 31-year-old man had turned himself in to the Bellevue Police Department. In a separate statement, the Bellevue Police Department said the suspect was arrested at about 10:42 p.m. on May 13.

The suspect was then transferred to the custody of Seattle Police Department homicide detectives and was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of murder, according to the statement released by police.

The suspect turned himself in after police released photos taken from the security camera on May 13. Police had asked for public assistance in the investigation after releasing the images. The photos appeared to show the man inside a laundry room.

On May 10, University of Washington police officers responded to the Nordheim Court apartments, a housing complex for undergraduate students. They found a woman stabbed to death in a laundry room. The victim, who a local official previously said was a 19-year-old transgender student, was identified by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as Juniper C. Blessing on May 14.

The incident prompted law enforcement to launch an operation and advised Nordheim Court residents to stay in their homes and lock their doors and windows for several hours.

In a statement on May 14, University of Washington President Robert Jones said an arrest had been made “in connection with the horrible act that took the life of our student on Sunday night (May 10th).”

“I hope the arrest brings some sense of relief to our community,” Jones said. “But this arrest does not lessen the profound shock and grief that the victim’s loved ones and our campus are still experiencing, nor bring back a beloved, promising, and talented member of our university.”

“Much is still unknown about what caused this tragedy, and while this development is important, we will be looking closely at the circumstances in which this event occurred as part of our continued efforts to keep our campus community safe,” he added, noting that the university “remains committed to offering resources for those who need support, including the LGBTQIA+ community, during this difficult time.”