A Bellevue man accused of stabbing and killing University of Washington student Juniper Blessing will receive mental health treatment at Western State Hospital after an evaluator found he is not competent to stand trial.
Christopher Leahy, 31, has not entered a plea in his first-degree premeditated murder case and his arraignment was pushed several times to evaluate his competency. On Monday, King County Superior Court Judge Joe Campagna adopted findings from a state psychiatric evaluator that support Leahy is incompetent, meaning he is not able to understand the nature of the proceedings or aid his attorney in his defense.
Leahy was charged with premeditated murder after he allegedly stabbed Blessing more than 40 times in the laundry room of her off-campus apartment complex, Nordheim Court, on May 10. Authorities do not believe the stabbing of Blessing, a transgender woman, was a hate crime.
The 31-year-old allegedly stalked another female student and resident of Nordheim Court and returned to the neighborhood two days after Blessing was killed.
When someone is found “incompetent,” the state is required to offer them short-term treatment — typically a combination of legal education and psychiatric medication — in an effort to restore their competency. If the defendant ultimately cannot be found competent, the charges are dismissed and a civil process to commit them to mental healthcare might begin.
After a brief stint in “competency restoration,” it’s possible that Leahy could be sent back to jail to proceed through the criminal system.