Two suspects are charged with the fatal stabbing of an off-duty postal worker from Oregon.
Samantha Christensen, 48, surrendered to the Clackamas County Jail on Wednesday after being charged with first-degree assault, tampering with physical evidence, impeding prosecution, and interfering with the filing of a report, according to court records. She is being held on $250,000 bail.
Christensen and her cousin, 52-year-old Chad Michael Westover, are charged in the killing of Tristan Thomas, a 43-year-old postal worker, who was stabbed on October 3. According to KPTV, Westover was first indicted for first-degree assault, but the charges were escalated after Thomas died.
According to court filings, Thomas called police around 5:30 p.m. on September 21 to report an altercation with his neighbor over parking at an apartment complex in Clackamas. No arrests were made, however, responding cops stated that there was evidence that the neighbor attacked Thomas and that Thomas pepper-sprayed him.
Thomas went to a neighboring hospital but was not treated, so he called the police soon before 8 p.m. to say he was coming home. He wanted assurance that the neighbor would be arrested, but investigators didn’t have enough evidence at the time.
About an hour later, Thomas contacted authorities again to report a welfare check at the neighbor’s apartment, claiming to have heard a child screaming and believing he had also heard the guy slap the youngster. Police responded, but discovered no evidence of an active disturbance.
Then, around 11:20 p.m., Thomas contacted 911 again to say that he was being approached by the neighbor, his friend Christensen, Westover, and the neighbor’s 16-year-old daughter. The 911 call revealed the commencement of the attack.
The group accused Thomas of stalking the daughter. According to court documents, Christensen told police that the neighbor and Westover were at her house for a party when he received a call from his daughter reporting that a strange man was following her. Based on the earlier altercation, the neighbor identified the man as Thomas, and the gang proceeded to the apartments to confront the victim.
According to court filings, cellphone footage from the neighbor shows part of the discussion, while cellphone video from another resident at the apartments shows Westover saying to the neighbor and Christensen, with Thomas not visible, “If you guys are done filming, I’ll take care of it.”
“I’m finished.” “Take care of it, Chad,” Christensen responds. The footage then shows Westover disappearing off-screen, maybe toward Thomas.
Christensen informed police that Thomas had a huge kitchen knife in his pocket. Court papers show that Westover claimed in a later phone chat with Christensen and the neighbor that Thomas stabbed him in the face and twice in the side while attempting a “double-leg” takedown. Court docs reveal images of Westover’s stab wounds.
The same resident recorded audio of the actual attack, which included Thomas crying for aid. The neighbor is heard saying to Westover, “Chad, let him go, let him go…”
After being repeatedly urged to get off Thomas, Westover abandoned the victim in a pool of blood and fled the scene with Christensen.
According to police, Christensen also seized Thomas’ phone. When 911 contacted again after the dropped call during the attack, she informed operators that everything was alright, even though Thomas could be heard begging for help in the background.
Responding cops discovered Thomas with multiple stab wounds to his neck, face, and shoulder. He was brought to the hospital and remained unconscious until his death on October 3, two weeks after the incident.
The USPS confirmed that Thomas was a postal worker who was off duty at the time of the incident. Brandon Thomas, the victim’s close relative, says the past two weeks have been challenging, but community support has helped the family cope with an unexpected tragedy.
“Absolute strangers have been reaching out to me with various messages,” he told me. “I don’t even know how they acquired my phone number. I received a text with all these beautiful things about my cousin, which is nice to hear. That’s what’s keeping me going right now.”
Close family tells KPTV that the funeral will take place later this month, and they have set up a GoFundMe to help pay for all medical bills and last resting place expenditures.
“Next on the docket will be funeral plans, get that taken care of to really, properly remember Tristan, to have a real celebration,” Brandon Thomas told reporters. “We want something positive to come out of it.”
Reference:
Postal worker stabbed, killed after confrontation with neighbor, 2 suspects