US student who murdered ‘germophobic’ lover jailed for life

An American student at a London university has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years for murdering his sexual partner in a stabbing which he claimed was self-defence.

Chinese national Zhe Wang, 31, a creative writing student at Goldsmiths, University of London, was found dead with two stab wounds to her face at her flat in Manor Park, Lewisham, south-east London, on March 20 2024.

Fellow student Joshua Michals, 26, told his trial at the Old Bailey that Ms Wang was “germophobic” and became “stressed”, believing, incorrectly, that she had contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD) after they had sex.

Michals, who was found guilty of murder in December following the trial, was sentenced at the same court on Friday.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Michals studied film-making at university before moving to London to pursue a year-long master’s degree at Goldsmiths.

During the trial, prosecutor Henrietta Paget KC said Michals had “flown into a rage” and killed Ms Wang after meeting her at her flat.

They had first met on the Goldsmiths campus and began an on-and-off casual relationship in 2023.

Michals told jurors he had felt “so-so” about pursuing a relationship with Ms Wang because she had a phobia of germs.

After finding a “red dot” on her skin after the pair had sex, she demanded he get an STD test, even vowing to find him on campus to “drag” him to see a GP, the court previously heard.

Jurors were told Michals, of Deals Gateway, south-east London, never had a sexually transmitted disease.

The student said he went to her flat on March 20 2024 with a charcuterie selection to bring some “normalcy” to the “bizarre situation”.

He claimed that when he arrived at the flat in Lewisham, he found Ms Wang “cold” and monosyllabic, and that she attacked him with a knife as he came out of the bathroom.

A post-mortem examination found Ms Wang died from stab wounds to the head and compression to the neck, the trial heard.

Brian St Louis KC, mitigating, said: “He (Michals) expresses that he deeply regrets what happened to Miss Wang.”

“That is an expression of remorse extremely late in the day, not expressed during the trial,” Judge Richard Marks KC told the court.

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 claimed he did not mean to kill her or cause her harm.

But Judge Marks said: “My conclusion is that you became enraged by the whole situation. In a fury you lost complete control of your temper and your senses.”

The judge said Michals inflicted two serious wounds to Ms Wang’s face with one of her kitchen knives and that the second wound involved “a use of severe force”.

“The proliferation of bleeding did not bring you to your senses… you used your forearm with considerable force to then throttle her,” he said.

Michals called his father after the incident and got details of a solicitor before going to his own flat and calling 999, the trial heard.

He also took Ms Wang’s phone from her kitchen and put it in a bin outside, jurors were previously told.

It was recovered days later at a refuse area in Newham, east London.

Michals, who wore a pale blue jumper over a white shirt in the dock, was supported by his mother in the public gallery.

His family had attended court throughout his trial, Judge Marks said.

In a victim impact statement from Ms Wang’s cousin, Xiao Li Wang, read to the court by prosecutor Henrietta Paget KC, she said it was difficult to verbalise “the emotions and heartbreak of losing a close family member”.

The relative, who observed proceedings via video link from China, said Ms Wang’s family thought it was a scam when they first received a call with the news that she had died.

“Nobody wanted to believe what we had been told, it felt like something you see in the movies,” Ms Wang’s cousin said.

She added: “Zhe was so positive, hardworking, passionate about life and yet something so cruel had happened to her.”

Judge Marks said that evidence showed Ms Wang was “a hugely talented writer, a gentle and kindly young woman, private and sensitive and it would seem to me someone emotionally fragile”.