American scholar discovered responsible of murdering girlfriend after ‘argument over STI’
Joshua Michals stabbed his girlfriend Zhe Wang after visiting her in her London flat, with a post-mortem examination revealing the creative writing student had also been strangled
American student Joshua Michals has been found guilty of murdering his on-off girlfriend Zhe Wang in her south-east London home. Michals, 26, stabbed fellow Goldsmiths University student Ms Wang, 31, at her flat in London in March last year.
Ms Wang, a creative writing student and Chinese national, suffered two stab wounds to her face, with a post-mortem examination revealing she had also been strangled.
During the trial at the Old Bailey, Michals claimed he had acted in self-defence during an argument which had escalated because she wrongly believed he’d given her an STI. Michals called police on March 20 last year to say there had been a ‘knife incident’ at her flat in Manor Park, Hither Green in the capital. When cops arrived, they discovered Ms Wang in a pool of her blood.
They had met at Goldsmiths, University of London, where they both started studying in September 2023. Michals described how things “had been a bit tense” between them, so he went round to her flat with a charcuterie selection as he “thought it would be a nice thing to do” but found her “cold” and monosyllabic.
Michals said that after using the bathroom in Ms Wang’s flat, he came out to find her holding a knife, which she then attacked him with. Michals had told the court the blade was ‘flashing back and forth’ as they struggled, and described how he saw her face ‘go red’ with blood from a cut.
During the struggle, the knife fell to the floor, and they both pounced for it. Michals said he grabbed the handle and Ms Wang held the blade, before he yanked it from her grasp.
Previously, Michals had told the court he was unsure about pursuing a relationship with Ms Wang due to her phobia of germs.
Prosecutor Henrietta Paget KC said Michals had “flown into a rage” and killed Ms Wang after meeting her at her flat, reports the BBC.
Michals previously told jurors he did not mean to strike Ms Wang with the knife, saying: “I just wanted to get her away from me.”
He also said he pressed his forearm to her neck to try to restrain her and did not mean to kill her or cause her harm.
Michals called his father after the incident and obtained the details for a solicitor before going to his own flat and calling 999, the trial heard.
Michals will be sentenced at a later date.
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