Man accused of killing UW student is not competent to stand trial
Lauren Girgis / The Seattle Times (TNS)
The 31-year-old man charged with first-degree murder in connection with the killing of University of Washington student Juniper Blessing has reportedly experienced schizophrenia for years and is not currently competent to stand trial, according to court documents.
Christopher Leahy, who is accused of stabbing 19-year-old Blessing dozens of times in her off-campus apartment laundry room, turned himself in to Seattle police in May. He has not entered a plea and his arraignment in King County Superior Court has been pushed several times.
The following month, a judge found he was incompetent, meaning he was not able to understand the nature of the proceedings or aid his attorney in his defense.
A private forensic psychologist hired by the prosecutor's office who conducted an evaluation of Leahy in June diagnosed him with experiencing an acute schizophrenic episode with catatonia, a syndrome associated with mental illness in which someone does not seem to respond to other people and their environment.
Dr. Jessica Hart wrote she was unable to form an opinion" regarding his capacity to understand his charges, but that he lacked sufficient capacity to assist in his defense. With treatment, she opined, there is a "reasonable probability" he could become competent.
Judge Nelson Lee ruled Monday that Leahy would go through a second 90-day period of competency restoration and receive treatment at Western State Hospital.
Services during a restoration period are extremely limited, often only providing medication and a basic education about the criminal legal system. If a defendant is deemed competent after the restoration process, a defendant can be sent back to jail. Leahy will be reassessed after the 90-day period ends.
Being found incompetent, which happens at the front-end of the court process and looks at a person's state of mind during legal proceedings, is a far cry from being found not guilty by reason of insanity. Finding a person not guilty by reason of insanity means a person did not understand the crime they're charged with at the time they committed it. The ruling takes place at the end of what is typically a yearslong court process that includes extensive mental health treatment.
If the defendant ultimately cannot be found competent, the charges are dismissed and a civil process to commit them to mental health care might begin.
Authorities do not believe the stabbing of Blessing, who was transgender, was a hate crime. The 31-year-old allegedly stalked another female student and resident of Nordheim Court.
'Treatment resistant' schizophrenia
Leahy's mental health issues began in adolescence, according to the report, around the time he was at Seattle private school University Prep. His time there at the school later became the target of a lawsuit filed by the Leahy family, who argued the school failed to protect him from harassment and bullying by other students.
Hart's report described Leahy had a history of experiencing auditory hallucinations, which started getting "more difficult to handle" when he was about 16. After Hart explained what a competency evaluation was, Leahy seemed unable to adequately understand and answer follow-up questions.
According to the report, Leahy was committed to a mental health care facility in 2019 for six days under the involuntary treatment act, the state law which allows a person to be committed against their will if they pose a danger to themselves or others. He experienced worsening psychosis in the days leading up to his admission and tried to buy an AR-15 rifle, according to the report, and believed he was communicating with CIA agents and Donald Trump.
He received psychotherapy, behavioral health services and community support services between April 2020 and April 2026. He was consistently diagnosed with schizophrenia during those six years. A 2020 discharge summary stated he "had a very treatment resistant version of schizophrenia."
During an appointment nine days before Blessing's death, he reported he was "doing fine" and denied psychotic symptoms. His speech was normal and his thought process coherent. He occasionally gave answers that were not fully related to the question or chuckled inappropriately.
Post-arrest evaluations
Looking at pharmacy records, a jail staffer wrote in an intake report that Leahy's medications would have run out about three weeks before his arrest, so his medications were not considered active.
During an appointment in the King County Jail, Leahy reportedly told a jail nurse he had a history of depression and that it was "very important" he take his medication. He was alert and his speech was clear, but there were delays in responding, the report notes.
On June 1, he was found unresponsive on the floor of his cell and was taken to the hospital. When he returned, he told staff he was doing well and stopped responding when a social worker brought up taking medication again, according to the report. He was found unresponsive again days later and exhibited symptoms of catatonia, Hart wrote.
On June 11, he was transferred to Western State Hospital. During an assessment, he described visual hallucinations and sometimes stopped answering questions halfway through.
Days later, he reported hearing voices that told him to hurt others, according to the report, and his monitoring notes were changed to say he was a danger to himself and others.
When Hart asked Leahy during his competency evaluation about what he was charged with, the report states he hesitated, put his head down and said: "I think it's Assault."
When Hart asked if it was a murder charge, and whether a felony or misdemeanor was more serious, the report says he "began rocking back and forth" and Leahy said he didn't understand the question.
In a Monday statement, Blessing's family said they remain focused on Juniper, "whose 20th birthday was last week, whose ashes we spread earlier this month, and whose love is everlasting.
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