A campus romance in London ended in a cold-blooded murder after a Chinese master student repeatedly asked her American boyfriend to get tested for sexually transmitted disease (STD).
It is reported that Joshua Michals, a film major, killed a fellow Goldsmiths, University of London student, Wang Zhe, at her flat in Lewisham in March 2024.
Wang, 31, was pursuing a master's degree in creative writing and education at Goldsmiths when she first met Michals, a film major student, in late 2023.
Romance turns sour
The duo has since developed an on-and-off casual relationship, with friends noting that Wang planned to apply for a PhD and return to China to teach.
Described by friends as gentle and meticulous about hygiene, the couple’s relationship reached a turning point as Wang noticed skin rashes after their first sexual encounter in February 2024.
Deeply concerned about a possible STD, Wang pressed Michals to get tested, leading to escalating tensions between them.
It is later revealed that Michals, the son of a US company vice president, has been simultaneously involved with another woman.
He grew increasingly irritated by Wang's demands, even calling her having a “phobia of germs” with obsessive cleaning habits during the trial.
Following repeated refusals, Wang's emotions crumbled. She expressed despair, saying she would "rather die than contract a disease."
A deadly visit
The conflict finally erupted on March 20, when Michals arrived at Wang's flat with a "peaceful offering" including strawberries, cheese, and cold cuts, seemingly to calm the situation.
Their last message concluded with a simple message by Michals, “I’m here” at 7.17pm.
The court heard that Michals was flown into a rage, delivering two stabs to Wang's face and strangling her. The knife was still embedded in her face when police arrived at the scene.
A post-mortem examination revealed the two wounds in Wang’s upper face were so deep they reached the bone.
Most chillingly, it was discovered Wang survived for at least 30 to 60 minutes after the attack. In other words, she might have lived if she had received medical help earlier.
However, Michals reportedly spent approximately 40 minutes at the scene phoning his father in the US and consulting a lawyer for his defense.
He then fled by Uber, discarding the murder weapon and Wang's phone, and deleting their chat history in an attempt to cover his tracks.
It was only three hours later, reportedly on his lawyer's advice, that he called police to report a "serious incident," while falsely claiming he was not at the scene.
"I just want her away"
During the trial, Michals claimed he had been acting in self-defense, alleging Wang had attacked him with a knife.
"I just wanted to get her away from me," he said, arguing the killing was an accident during an altercation.
However, police forensics, including blood spatter analysis and recovered phone data, systematically dismantled his story.
Following 16 hours of jury deliberation, the defendant was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 16 years.
The court noted that the tragedy illustrated Michals' tendency to evade responsibility and his inability to manage emotional conflict, creating a dangerous mismatch in expectations.
While Wang sought a committed relationship, Michals allegedly wanted a casual affair but never made this clear, leaving her to face the tragic consequences alone.
