Oregon Mailman Stabbed to Death After Argument Over Cooler Escalates to Chaos

Chad Weston, a 53-year-old roofer and general contractor from Clackamas, is facing life imprisonment for the death of a mailman whom he stabbed 11 times.

Weston is charged with second-degree murder following the death of Tristan Thomas (43), who was taken off life support a few days after his admittance to the hospital with multiple stab wounds, including to his head and neck.

A Clackamas County jury heard closing arguments on Friday, and if found guilty, Weston faces life behind bars with the possibility of parole in 25 years.

Footage of the September 21, 2024, incident, taken by a bystander, shows Thomas screaming for help more than a dozen times. Weston is seen pinning him to the ground in a stairwell of the Twin Creek Apartments.

Accused Told Friends His Injuries Were the Result of a Motorcycle Accident

After the late-night fatal encounter, Weston fled the scene and returned to his home in Oregon City in his work truck, where he told friends that his injuries were the result of a motorcycle accident.

The incident occurred when Weston intervened after an argument between Thomas and a neighbor, Christopher Stewart. In a video shown in evidence, Thomas is seen removing a cooler from a pick-up owned by Stewart. He then proceeds to urinate into the cooler before placing it on a curbside.

Stewart was not at home and was alerted about the incident by his teenage daughter. He then returned home to the Twin Creek Apartments together with Weston.

Stewart returned home to the Twin Creek Apartments together with Weston.

According to the defense attorney, Weston was stabbed near his eye, torso, and the back of his hand with a kitchen knife brandished by Thomas. Weston wrestled the knife away from Thomas and began stabbing the mailman with his own weapon.

The video footage shows Stewart telling Weston to let Thomas go. He repeats this on seven occasions while the mailman continued to shriek.