Postal worker stabbed, killed after confrontation with neighbor, 2 suspects

OREGON CITY, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) - Two suspects are facing charges connected to the deadly stabbing of an off-duty postal worker from Oregon.

Samantha Christensen, 48, turned herself in to the Clackamas County Jail on Wednesday after being charged with first-degree assault, tampering with physical evidence, hindering prosecution and interference with making a report, according to court documents. She is being held on a $250,000 bail.

Christensen and her cousin, 52-year-old Chad Michael Westover, are facing charges related to the Oct. 3 death of Tristan Thomas, a 43-year-old postal worker, following a stabbing attack. KPTV reports Westover was initially indicted for first-degree assault, but the charges were upgraded upon Thomas’ death.

According to court documents, Thomas called police around 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21 to report an altercation with his neighbor stemming from a parking issue at an apartment complex in Clackamas. No arrests were made, but responding officers indicated that there was evidence that the neighbor had attacked Thomas and that Thomas had pepper sprayed him.

Thomas went to a nearby hospital but didn’t receive any treatment and called police shortly before 8 p.m. to let them know that he was returning home. He wanted assurance that the neighbor would be arrested, but officers lacked enough evidence to do so at the time.

About an hour later, Thomas again contacted authorities, to report a welfare check to the neighbor’s apartment, saying he heard a child screaming and believed he heard the man slap the child as well. Police responded but found no indication of an active disturbance.

Then, at about 11:20 p.m., Thomas called 911 once again to report that he was being confronted by the neighbor, his friend Christensen and Westover, along with the neighbor’s 16-year-old daughter. The beginning of the attack was heard on the 911 call.

The group accused Thomas of stalking the daughter. Christensen told police that the neighbor was at her house, along with Westover, for a party when he received a call from his daughter saying that a strange man had been following her, according to court documents. The neighbor believed the man to be Thomas, based on the earlier confrontation, and the group headed to the apartments, where they confronted the victim.

According to court documents, cellphone video from the neighbor shows part of the interaction, while cellphone video from another resident at the apartments shows Westover telling the neighbor and Christensen, with Thomas not visible, “If you guys are done filming, I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m done. Take care of it, Chad,” Christensen replies. The video then shows Westover going off screen, apparently toward Thomas.

Christensen told police that Thomas had a large kitchen knife in his pocket. Court records show that Westover alleged in a later phone call with Christensen and the neighbor that Thomas stabbed him towards his face and again in the side as he went for a “double-leg” takedown. Court documents show pictures of the stab wounds to Westover.

Audio of the actual attack was also recorded by the same resident, in which Thomas can be heard screaming for help. The neighbor can be heard telling Westover, “Chad, let him go, let him go...”

After repeatedly being told to get off Thomas, Westover then left the victim in a pool of blood and departed the scene with Christensen.

Police say Christensen also took Thomas’ phone. When 911 called back from the dropped call during the attack, she told operators that everything was fine, although Thomas could apparently be heard yelling for help in the background.

Responding officers found Thomas suffering multiple stab wounds to his neck, face and shoulder. He was rushed to the hospital and was in a coma until his death on Oct. 3, two weeks after the attack.

The United States Postal Service confirmed that Thomas was a postal worker and was off duty at the time of the attack.

Brandon Thomas, a close cousin of the victim, says these two weeks have been difficult, but support from the community has helped the family through this unthinkable tragedy.

“Absolute strangers have been reaching out to me with various messages,” he said. “I’m not even sure how they got my phone number. I get a text and all these wonderful things about my cousin, and it’s nice to hear. That’s what’s getting me through right now.”

Close relatives tell KPTV that the funeral will be held later this month, and they have created a GoFundMe to help pay for all medical bills and final resting place expenses.

“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 said. “We want something positive to come out of it.”

Anyone with information relating to the investigation is asked to contact the sheriff’s office tip line by phone at 503-723-4949 or on their website.

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