Defense Seeks to Overturn Conviction of Former Portland Teacher Found Guilty in Mailman’s 2024 Killing

Defense attorneys are seeking to overturn Chad Westover’s sentence to 25 years in state prison for the murder of 43-year-old Portland mailman, Tristan Thomas, in 2024.

Former Portland Teacher Found Guilty of Stabbing Mailman 11 Times

The former Portland Public Schools teacher was found guilty of second-degree murder by a Clackamas County jury yesterday. The incident occurred during an argument between neighbors, which Westover intervened in, at the Twin Creek Apartments, 11480 SE Sunnyside Road, Clackamas, on September 21, 2024.

The off-duty postal worker was stabbed 11 times by Westover, while, according to court documents, his friends begged him to stop the attack, and Thomas’ mother screamed for help from the second-floor landing.

The stabbing occurred when Westover, a neighbor, and a woman confronted Thomas in the parking lot of the apartment complex, following an altercation about the neighbor’s motorcycle parking.

Female Juror Discussed the Case on a Social Media Platform

Westover stabbed Thomas “relentlessly,” according to Clackamas County Circuit Court prosecutor Torrey McConnell. Thomas was already deceased by the time emergency crews arrived on the scene. The mailman leaves behind a 13-year-old daughter.

In seeking to overturn the sentence, defense attorneys Barry Engle and Alexander Hamalian claim that  a trial juror had commented on the case before sentencing was passed.

They identified the juror as a female who used the name “13witchymama” on the Reddit platform.

In a court filing, Engle said jurors took details of Westover’s wrestling history into consideration when deciding whether he had acted in self-defense. They say the fact that he had a history in wrestling was irrelevant, and the jurors had used that as a standard on which to base their verdict.

The state and the defense will present their arguments on whether to overturn the jury’s verdict on March 31.

In the meantime, Westover has begun serving his sentence in an Oregon state prison.