UW stabbing suspect ordered another round of mental health evaluations
UW stabbing suspect ordered more mental health evaluations
The man accused of stabbing a University of Washington student to death has again been found incompetent to stand trial, prompting the court to order months of mental health evaluations through late December.
SEATTLE - The man accused of stabbing a University of Washington student to death has again been found incompetent to stand trial, prompting the court to order months of mental health evaluations through late December.
Christopher Leahy faces charges of premeditated first-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Juniper Blessing.
The defense has repeatedly argued that Leahy is mentally incapable of standing trial. The court ordered a competency exam, which found that Leahy is incompetent to stand trial.
According to the King County Prosecutor's Office, Leahy now must undergo rounds of competency restoration — three-month-long mental health procedures with the goal of restoring his competency so he can stand trial.
Leahy completed the first round on Friday, and was still found incompetent.
The court ordered a second round of competency restoration, with a scheduled return date of Dec. 12, 2026. The court proceedings will again be paused during this time.
Christopher Leahy makes his first court appearance (FOX 13 Seattle)
Suspect accused of ‘stalking’ UW students
Dig deeper:
Court documents reveal Leahy reportedly stalked other students at the same apartment complex before Blessing was killed. Leahy was also caught on security cameras at various UW campus buildings, and even tried to force open the door to a private home in the Ravenna neighborhood just days prior to the attack.
While Juniper Blessing was a transgender woman, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said it will not be seeking charges for a hate crime, as there is not enough evidence to prove the stabbing was motivated by hate.
Christopher Leahy, suspect in the fatal stabbing of a transgender University of Washington student.
Will the UW stabbing suspect walk free?
What we know:
The prosecutor's office clarified that, if a dependent is found incompetent, that does not mean the case is dropped or that the suspect is back out on the street.
If the mental health proceedings convince the court that a suspect's competency is "restored," the trial will resume.
If the suspect is found incompetent after several rounds of evaluations, the prosecutor's office says a felony criminal case cannot move forward, and the court would likely move to commit the suspect to a facility like Western State Hospital. These civil commitments are filed separately from the criminal case.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, as well as previous coverage from FOX 13 Seattle.