London student found guilty of murder after stabbing fellow student in the face

An American student at Goldsmiths, University of London, has been found guilty of murdering his on-and-off girlfriend, a fellow Goldsmiths student.

Joshua Michals, 26, attacked Zhe Wang, 31, at her flat in Lewisham on 20th March 2024. Zhe was found dead by emergency services after suffering two stab wounds to the face, and a post-mortem examination revealed that she had also been strangled.

Michals previously told the court he attacked her in self-defence after an argument in which Zhe tried to force him to get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) test.

Goldsmiths has paid tribute to ‘joyful’ and ‘generous’ Zhe Wang via Metropolitan Police

The two had been in an on-and-off relationship for several months, and had slept together for the first time weeks before Zhe’s murder. Michals claimed Zhe became convinced that he had given her an STD after finding a “red dot” on her skin after sex, and had attempted to force him to get an STD test due to her phobia of germs.

According to the BBC, Michals told jurors he strangled Zhe to prevent her from attacking him with a knife, and stabbed her when “she just wouldn’t stop the attack.” Later in the trial, prosecutor Henrietta Paget KC said he had instead killed her after he had “flown into a blind rage.”

Examination of Michals’ phone revealed that 40 minutes after arriving at Zhe’s residence, he returned home, where he waited for almost four hours before calling the emergency services. The court heard he took Zhe’s phone and disposed of it in a bin outside, before attempting to delete their chat history from his own phone, calling his father, and obtaining the details of a solicitor.

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Michals was arrested in his home the same evening. Police found bloodstained clothes in his property, which were later DNA-matched to Zhe. The former creative writing student’s phone was recovered days later at a refuse site in Newnham, east London.

Police used the recovered phone and recovered data from Michals’ phone to piece together a timeline of the events leading up to Zhe’s murder. Text conversations revealed the two began a casual relationship shortly after enrolling at Goldsmiths in 2023, but Zhe’s phobia of germs had been a growing point of tension.

Goldsmiths, University of London, where Michals and Zhe met, via Google Maps

Metropolitan Police detective inspector Claire Guiver, who led the investigation, said: “Michals carried out a brutal and savage attack on Zhe, who was described by her friends as a quiet and gentle woman enjoying her studies in London.

“Our thoughts continue to remain with her family and friends, both in China and the UK. Our commitment to tackling violence against women and girls is unwavering and we will continue to do everything we can to make London a safer city.

“We are pleased the jury has seen through his claims that he killed Zhe by accident when she tried to attack him with a knife. It is clear that Michals is a dangerous, violent individual and he will now have to live with the consequences of his actions.”

In a statement released on Monday (8th December), Dr Francis Gilbert, senior lecturer in the School of Mind, Body and Society at Goldsmiths, said: “We are devasted by the loss of Zhe Wang, who was a wonderful student, a remarkable writer and a thinker who combined deep intellectual curiosity with creative courage and approached writing as a mindful practice.

“She was preparing to publish her work, and we will honour her intentions by including her writing in a forthcoming Goldsmiths anthology.

“Zhe was joyful, mindful, and generous. She was deeply loved by her peers, who continue to speak of her gentleness, her humour, and her thoughtful presence. Her classmates continue to mourn her loss and remember her with profound love, recalling the warmth of her presence and the inspiration she offered so generously to others.

“We will miss Zhe always.”

Michals is due to be sentenced at a later date.

Goldsmiths has said it takes violence against women and girls seriously and has measures in place to address such matters. Anyone in the university’s community who is experiencing these issues can report them and receive support through its Report and Support system.

General wellbeing support for Goldsmiths students can be found here. 

You can access support and information from Women’s Aid here or call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for free, available 24/7, on 0808 200 247.

Featured image via Metropolitan Police