The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a University of Washington student who was killed on Sunday as Juniper Blessing.
She was 19.
A suspect is in custody. He turned himself in to the Bellevue Police Department on Wednesday night after photos of him taken from security camera footage were released to the public.
Blessing was found fatally stabbed in a laundry room at Nordheim Court Sunday night.
Blessing was a transgender woman, and her killing has rocked the local LGBTQ community. In a statement shared on social media earlier this week, the Trans Collective at UW noted, “Trans women, particularly trans women of color, are among the most vulnerable populations to violent crimes.” According to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to be the victims of violent crime.
Officials have not yet released details about the circumstances leading up to the crime or whether Blessing was targeted because of her identity.
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The Trans Collective and Gender Justice League will host a community healing event on May 16 at 4 p.m. in Sylvan Grove on the university’s Seattle campus.
In a statement posted to Instagram, the organization said, “Our community is still grieving deeply and TCUW will be offering a place to support processing these emotions. It is our priority to respect the victim’s privacy and the family’s wishes, so this event will be catered towards those most affected by the recent news. All Transgender & Gender-Expansive folks and allied community members are welcome to attend.”
Attendees are asked not to film or take photos at the gathering, and the family requested that media not attend.
