London student tells court he killed ‘germaphobic’ woman in self-defence

A London student has told a court he killed a “germaphobic” woman in self-defence, after she allegedly attacked him due to fears she caught a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Joshua Michals, 26, is on trial for the murder of “warm” and “bubbly” Zhe Wang in her Lewisham flat last March.

Zhe, 31, was found with two stab wounds to the face after Michals called emergency services to the property.

Michals, an American student at Goldsmiths, University of London, has told jurors he stabbed the fellow creative writing student after she became “stressed” about “a dot” of dry skin on her body.

The Old Bailey heard that before stabbing her, Michals had put his hands around Zhe’s neck to prevent her from attacking him with a knife. He testified that he felt he had no choice but to stab Zhe after “she just wouldn’t stop the attack”, with the defendant saying he thought the student “would have tried to kill [him],” The Times reports.

The Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales via Google Maps

After first meeting one another while enrolling at Goldsmith’s, Michals and Zhe exchanged numbers and met up nine or 10 times before her death.

The court heard that Zhe struggled with germaphobia and would clean Michals’ couch before sitting on it. “She sprayed the couch, the bathroom, started wiping down the surfaces, the counter tops, bathroom, sink, anything she thought she might touch,” Michals told jurors.

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According to the BBC, the 26-year-old said when the pair first met up in October and November 2023, they engaged in “kissing and cuddling”. However, before they progressed, Zhe asked to see test results showing Michals had not contracted any STDs from previous partners.

The defendant told the court that although the two “got along really well, and the conversation was really fun”, they were not in a relationship, partly due to Zhe’s germophobia: “I didn’t quite understand it. It was just bizarre,” he said.

Goldsmiths, University of London via Canva

Jurors heard that Zhe was “very disgruntled” by the fact that the two had not seen each other for three months after a meeting in November 2023. During the gap between their meetings, Michals testified that he had had sex with a friend from his course after a Christmas party.

After Zhe brought up the idea that they should have sex, the two met up again on 23rd February 2024.

Michals told jurors he used a condom, but it came off. In the days following the encounter, he claims Zhe became “stressed” over “a little dot of dry skin”, fearing she had contracted a “life-threatening” STD.

The court heard that Zhe sent messages about feeling suicidal, and tried to force Michals to see a GP to get tested. Michals testified that he “didn’t understand what the big deal was”, but tried to be supportive.

“We did discuss things. We were sitting at her living room table; she [was] talking about killing herself. She was saying if it was a disease she can’t deal with it and it would be easier to kill herself.

“I just went over to her, I gave her a hug and tried to calm things down,” Michals said.

The trial continues.

If you feel affected by this story, please speak to someone or contact Samaritans on 116 123 at any time.

You can contact Anxiety UK on 03444 775 774, Mind on 0300 123 3393, and Calm (Campaign against living miserably, for men aged 15 to 35) on 0800 58 58 58.

Goldsmiths students can find support here. 

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Featured image via Google Maps and Canva