A university student accused of fatally stabbing a “germaphobic” woman told jurors she attacked him after she became “stressed” she may have caught a sexually transmitted disease.
Joshua Michals, 26, denies murdering Zhe Wang, a fellow student at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Ms Wang, 31, was discovered with two stab wounds to her face at her flat in Lewisham, south-east London, on March 20 last year after the defendant phoned 999.
Michals, of Deals Gateway in south-east London, told the Old Bailey on Monday he had put his hands around her neck to try to restrain her because she was trying to attack him.
He insisted he did not mean to cause her harm but said “she would have tried to kill me”.
Brian St Louis KC, defending, asked: “What do you think would have happened if you hadn’t managed to get the knife out of Ms Wang’s hand?”
Michals, who was born and raised in Chicago, replied: “I think she would have tried to kill me. She just wouldn’t stop the attack.”
The accused killer, who studied film making at university before coming to London to pursue a year-long master’s degree at Goldsmiths, met creative writing student Ms Wang on campus when he went to enrol and collect his identification.
Joshua Michals is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of Ms Wang’s murder
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The pair began to exchange text messages and went on to “hang out” nine or 10 times in the months before her death, the court heard.
They initially engaged in “kissing and cuddling”, but she asked him to prove he did not have a sexually transmitted disease before taking things further.
When Ms Wang visited him at his flat, she insisted on cleaning his couch before she would sit on it, the court was told.
Michals said: “She sprayed the couch, the bathroom, started wiping down the surfaces, the counter tops, bathroom, sink, anything she thought she might touch.”
In early November 2023 he said he was feeling “so-so” about pursing the relationship, telling jurors: “We got along really well, the conversation was really fun.
“The germophobia was a bit much at times. I didn’t quite understand it. It was just bizarre.”
Over the next three months, Michals said he focused on his film making course and spending time with his classmates, one of whom he slept with after a Christmas party.
He next saw Ms Wang on February 23, 2024, when she initiated sex at her flat, jurors heard.
Michals met fellow Goldsmiths student Ms Wang on campus when he went to enrol and collect his identification
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Summarising messages leading up to the meeting, Judge Richard Marks KC said: “She has, to say the least, been very disgruntled by the fact you have not seen each other for three months.
“You have effectively sidelined her for three months, she has now initiated the idea you should have sex, and you are happy to go along with it.”
Michals agreed and told jurors he had gone to her flat and found Ms Wang waiting for him in the bedroom wearing lingerie.
In the days leading to her death, Ms Wang became “stressed” over “a dot” of dry skin and feared that she had contracted a “life-threatening” sexually transmitted disease, the court was told.
Jurors heard how Ms Wang sent messages about being suicidal and tried to force him to go to a GP to get tested.
Describing a meeting with Ms Wang in early March, Michals said: “I was just confused this was a big deal. I thought it was going to be something quite bad – it was mildly pink.
“We did discuss things. We were sitting at her living room table, she is 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 her mental state was “deteriorating” and he was concerned herbal remedies would make her skin worse.
Previously, Michals said he had found Ms Wang to be a “very sweet, warm, bubbly” person.
It came as a surprise when he found out during the legal process that someone else had said they were in a relationship with her too, he said.
The defendant told jurors Ms Wang was against having children, saying: “I thought most people had a positive outlook about having kids. I don’t think I had heard anybody say they hate babies prior to her.”
The court heard that Michals had never been in trouble with police before and never had a sexually transmitted disease or suffered from any mental health issues in his life.
The trial continues.