CLACKAMAS, OR – Tensions erupted into deadly violence at an apartment complex just east of Portland, leaving a local mail carrier dead and a fellow resident convicted of murder. The incident, which unfolded in late September at the Twin Creek Apartment complex, has sent shockwaves through the community and left lingering questions over what exactly sparked the deadly confrontation.

Chad Michael Westover, 53, was found guilty last week of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon for the fatal stabbing of 43-year-old Tristan Salvatore Thomas, a U.S. Postal Service employee. Authorities said the clash erupted after a series of disputes among neighbors and escalated into a bloody fight witnessed by several residents, including the victim’s mother.

According to investigators, the series of events began on September 21 when Thomas confronted a neighbor, Christopher Stewart, about how he parked his motorcycle at the complex. The exchange reportedly led to Stewart assaulting Thomas, who sought medical attention for his injuries and later returned to the apartment complex.

Later that evening, Stewart and Westover attended a gathering hosted by Samantha S. Christensen. The atmosphere shifted suddenly when Stewart received a call from his teenage daughter, reporting that she was being followed by an unfamiliar man within the complex. The group left the party to investigate and soon encountered Thomas, who was reportedly carrying a butcher knife.

Authorities say a tense confrontation ensued, with several witnesses capturing portions of the altercation on video and Thomas himself making calls to 911, expressing fear for his safety. In what prosecutors described as a chaotic scene, Westover was seen instructing others to stop recording so he could “take care of” the situation.

What followed was a prolonged and violent struggle. Witnesses later told police that Westover wrestled Thomas to the ground and stabbed him multiple times with a kitchen knife, even as bystanders—including Thomas’ mother—pleaded for him to stop. Thomas sustained several stab wounds, including a critical cut to an artery in his neck.

The aftermath was equally harrowing, as Westover reportedly discarded the knife near Thomas’s body before leaving the scene with Christensen. Neither called 911, according to detectives. Authorities said that when emergency services returned a dropped call from Thomas’s phone, Christensen answered and falsely assured them everything was fine.

Emergency responders arrived to find Thomas gravely wounded. Despite medical intervention, he died 12 days later at a hospital from his injuries.

Westover was apprehended several days after the attack. In court, his attorneys painted Thomas as the aggressor, citing claims that Thomas was intoxicated and unstable that night. However, evidence presented by the prosecution countered those assertions, noting that Thomas had made repeated cries for help and that Westover’s explanation of his injuries did not match the facts.

Christensen, who is related to Westover, also faces charges including first-degree assault, evidence tampering, and hindering prosecution. She later admitted to investigators that she took Thomas’s phone and initially lied to responders about the gravity of the situation.

The District Attorney’s office described the knife wounds that Westover claimed to have sustained as “curious,” noting the lack of any defensive injuries. Furthermore, when Westover sought hospital treatment, he told staff his injuries resulted from a motorcycle accident, according to deputies.

Friends and family remembered Thomas as a beloved member of the community, known for his vibrant personality and commitment to his work as a mail carrier. A fundraising campaign has been launched to assist his family with expenses following the tragedy.

Westover is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17. The case continues to reverberate throughout the Clackamas neighborhood, where neighbors continue grappling with the loss and the violence that shattered their sense of safety.