An Oregon man was found guilty of stabbing a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier to death during an altercation at their apartment complex.
Chad Michael Westover, 53, was convicted last week of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon in the death of 43-year-old Tristan Salvatore Thomas, according to the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office.
Westover and Thomas were scuffling on Sept. 21, 2024, when the now-convicted murderer told pals to stop filming the ordeal so he could “handle it.” He attacked Thomas with a kitchen knife as the victim’s mother looked on. Thomas died at a hospital on Oct. 3, 2024.
“Several neighbors and Thomas’ mother yelled at Westover, who was on top of Thomas and stabbing him with the kitchen knife, to halt the assault. Westover was also injured during the altercation. Thomas was stabbed several times and suffered a 4-inch slash to his left vertebral artery,” the DA’s office said.
The suspect fled the scene but was arrested a few days after the attack. His lawyers claimed Thomas was the aggressor and was an “unreasonable and unstable man” who was drunk on the night of the crime, prosecutors said.
