Nancy Bergeson's Accused Killer Makes First Court Appearance

PORTLAND, OR – Christopher Alexander Williamson made his first appearance in court on Tuesday on the charge that he murdered Nancy Bergeson. Prosecutors say that Williamson killed the 57-year-old Bergeson, who was a federal public defender, two days before Thanksgiving in 2009.

A public defender for Williamson entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

A grand jury is hearing the case against Williamson and it's believed that when he appears in court next week, he could faces charges beyond the count of murder that he currently faces.

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Williamson was arrested on Friday at the the Fresenius Dialysis Clinic on Southwest Mohawk Street in Tualatin where he was treated three times a week.

He has been living with his mother in Vancouver.

While there had been much speculation after Bergeson was found murdered that the crime was a professional hit, maybe related to her work, officials tell Patch that neither was the case.

Officials say that while the murder was not related to Bergeson's work, it was not a random crime. Williamson lived not far from Bergeson at the time.

Prosecutors have not said what the motive for the murder was or exactly what led them to Williamson, who is currently on food stamps, unemployed, and receiving disability benefits believed to be related to his kidney failure.

People with knowledge of the case who were not authorized to speak publicly say that investigators from the Portland Police Bureau and and Multnomah County District Attorney's Office received information from someone who knows Williamson.

Bergeson's family says that they are relieved to know that someone has been arrested for her murder.

"Even though it has been 9 years, Nancy continues to have a tremendous presence and positive influence in the lives of many people," they said in a statement.

"Her friends and family appreciate the tenacious work of law enforcement; for the first time in many years, we carry a hope that there will be answers and justice."

Bergeson was a federal public defender when she was killed in her home, just two days before Thanksgiving in 2009. She was preparing to fly to Boston to celebrate with her daughter who had graduated from Dartmouth the year before.

Bergeson was discovered that Tuesday before Thanksgiving in 2009 by a young woman who showed up at her home on 4146 Southwest Hamilton walk her golden retriever, Bodhi.

The dog walker saw Bergeson lying on the floor of her home and ran to a neighbor for help.

At the time, Bergeson was 57, a lawyer in the office of the Federal Public Defender. She was in great shape – she ran marathons and just a couple of months earlier had participated in the world paddling championships in Prague.

The investigation got off to a rough start as the deputy medical examiner who responded to the scene originally thought that Bergeson had died of natural causes.

Nothing had been stolen from the home.

It was only 12-hours later, that evidence was found indicating that she had been strangled.

There was also evidence that Bergeson had fought with her attacker.

Detectives had no clear suspects and were deprived of some evidence that might have been found had Bergeson's body not been moved to the medical examiner's office from her home.

Photo via Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.