The man accused of stabbing a University of Washington student to death last month will spend the next fifteen days undergoing a mental health evaluation at Western State Hospital. The order, handed down at a court appearance, pauses the criminal case while doctors examine whether the defendant is fit to face trial.
The suspect, identified as thirty one year old Christopher Leahy, was not present in court for his arraignment, though his defense team appeared on his behalf. Video from the proceeding showed the case moving forward without him, as the judge issued the order sending him for the competency examination rather than entering directly into the trial phase.
Under the judge's order, Leahy is to be evaluated over a fifteen day period to determine his competency. While that assessment is carried out, the case is placed on hold, but officials stressed that it has not been dismissed, leaving the prosecution intact pending the outcome of the medical review.
Once the results of the evaluation are returned, a judge will decide whether Leahy is competent to stand trial. That determination will shape how the case proceeds, since a defendant must be found fit before the matter can move ahead toward a full trial on the charges he is facing in connection with the killing.
The charges stem from the death of nineteen year old Juniper Blessing, described as a transgender student at the University of Washington. Her killing drew attention last month, and the case has remained closely watched as it has worked its way through the early stages of the court process in the weeks since.
Prosecutors have accused Leahy of killing Blessing in the laundry room of an off campus apartment. According to the account presented by prosecutors, he then went on the run for several days following the attack before he was eventually located, taken into custody and formally charged with her murder.
For now, the proceedings are effectively suspended while the competency evaluation is completed at Western State Hospital. Another hearing in the case has been scheduled for June 25, when the court is expected to take up the next steps depending on what the evaluation concludes about the defendant's fitness to stand trial.