UW stabbing suspect makes first court appearance, court documents reveal victim was stabbed 40 times

The suspect in Sunday’s fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old University of Washington (UW) student made his first court appearance Thursday afternoon.

The judge found probable cause to hold him on suspicion of first-degree murder. According to court documents obtained by MyNorthwest and KIRO Newsradio, the victim was stabbed 40 times.

Investigators said the 31-year-old former UW student from Bellevue called police at approximately 10:40 p.m. Wednesday night, then walked into the Bellevue Police Department and surrendered. His surrender came just hours after the Seattle Police Department (SPD) released photos of the suspect.

“We’re very relieved. The No. 1 priority is the safety of all the students at the University of Washington,” SPD Detective Eric Muñoz told KIRO Newsradio. “The fact that they were able to do so so quickly is a testament to how hard these detectives worked, how important this case was, and obviously, I think everybody in Seattle, especially on the UW campus, can sleep a little bit safer knowing that justice has been done.”

Some had anticipated a hate crime charge because the victim was a transgender woman.

“At this point, we have not determined if that was a reasoning for this crime, but the truth of the matter is, whenever someone from a vulnerable community is hurt, we should take a look at that and to see if that was one of the deciding factors,” SPD Chief Shon Barnes told “The Gee and Ursula Show.”

Bail has been set at $10 million.

19-year-old UW student found dead in laundry room

The 19-year-old transgender woman was found dead inside an off-campus apartment complex near the UW campus late Sunday night.

Police said the woman was discovered in a laundry room at Nordheim Court Apartments, located north of University Village behind the Crate and Barrel store and nearby apartments. The complex primarily houses international and graduate students affiliated with the university.

Authorities said the first 911 call came in around 10 p.m. Investigators have not yet released whether the suspect and victim knew each other.

UW students recall run-ins with suspect prior to fatal stabbing

KIRO Newsradio heard from UW students about a separate incident in which a man matching the suspect’s description was found inside a university dorm. A student said the man followed another female into the dorm, and a resident assistant working at the dorm told him to leave, according to the student.

In a text message to friends, another student warned, “Please be careful. He was following one of my friends around a week before the girl died.”

Detective Muñoz said detectives worked around the clock with UW Police, trying to locate the suspect after piecing together multiple reports.

“I know our detectives have worked with UW Police, getting that information; they are aware of those previous incidents,” Muñoz said. “Obviously, we could never predict if that is, in fact, the same person that was seen on campus; you could never predict that he would commit such an egregious crime.”

Contributing: Luke Duecy, James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio; Julia Dallas, Jason Sutich, MyNorthwest

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