Joshua Michals was found guilty of the murder of Zhe Wang at the Old Bailey this week, with the court hearing he had tried to dispose of evidence after stabbing his lover
A “nepo baby” killer who murdered his “germaphobe” girlfriend in a savage attack following a fight over an STD tried to get rid of incriminating evidence in a desperate bid to avoid suspicion.
Joshua Michals, 26, a wealthy student from the US, brutally stabbed his girlfriend, fellow student Zhe Wang, and left her dying in a pool of her own blood at her flat in Manor Park, Lewisham, in London. A trial at the Old Bailey heard Michals had “everything going for him” when he murdered Ms Wang by stabbing her in the face and leaning on her neck on March 20, 2024.
But instead of calling an ambulance, a murder trial heard Michals desperately disposed of incriminating evidence before high-tailing it back to his plush southeast London flat.
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The Old Bailey heard that Michals had brought food around to Ms Wang’s flat, and planned to put together a charcuterie board when she accused him of giving her an STD. The day before their blowout, a judge heard that she had accused Michals of “ruining my life” after she discovered she had a rash, which could have been caused by her taking the morning after pill.
Michals told jurors Ms Wang had a phobia of germs, and had noticed a “red dot” on her skin after the two were intimate, and demanded he take an STD test. She wrote: “I hate you for not taking a test, I hate you for pushing me to take the pill, I hate you for ruining my life.”
Michals claimed he was stabbed Ms Wang in the face after she came at him with a kitchen knife. Following the altercation, the court heard, Ms Wang lay dying for between 30 and 60 minutes before her death, with an ambulance not called until 11.08pm, four hours after the attack.
During that time, Michals dumped Ms Wang’s phone and the food he had brought into a bin bag, which he threw into a communal bin area outside. He then took an Uber back to his own flat in Greenwich, with the court hearing he had called his father the vice president of French-owned lighting firm Legrand, for help hiring a solicitor.
Michal was found guilty of Ms Wang’s murder on Monday, with friends saying following the sentencing that they were “dumbfounded” about what had happened.
A friend said: “I’m just dumbfounded. He had everything going for him. He was a chill dude who seemed comfortable around other people and never gave any sign he could be violent.
“Josh came from a good upbringing and seemed like he was a regular person. I know he wanted to go into video production and make short videos. I’m shocked. This doesn’t seem like him at all.”
