Nancy Bergeson Murder Suspect Found By Tip, Agency Cooperation

PORTLAND, OR – For more than nine years multiple agencies – most notably the Portland Police Bureau and Multnomah County District Attorney's Office – worked together to try and solve the murder of Nancy Bergeson. She was found murdered two days before Thanksgiving in 2009.

They tracked dow leads and were quickly able to dismiss many leads. Most notably, they were fairly quick to dismiss the likelihood that it was a professional hit.

A tip from someone who knows 28-year-old Christopher Alexander Williamson led detectives to arrest Williamson at the Fresenius Dialysis Clinic on Southwest Mohawk Street in Tualatin where he was treated three times a week.

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And charge him with murder.

Officials have not gone into detail about what led to the murder but, Patch has learned, are fairly sure that it was not a hit, that it was not related to her work – they have not found any evidence linking him to any of her cases – and that he acted alone.

Williamson, whose father was convicted of sex crimes, lived in two houses not far from Bergeson's home in SW Portland.

He has been convicted of a few non-major crimes including being a minor in possession of alcohol and third degree assault. He was also arrested of assaulting his father but that charge was later dropped after Williamson completed a diversion program.

THE CRIME

It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving in 2009 and Nancy Bergeson was getting ready to go visit her daughter, who had graduated from Dartmouth College the year before, in Boston. She was ready for the trip, just a few days earlier she had wrapped up a three-week trial defending a man on federal tax charges.

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

Around 3 p.m., the woman who every day walked Bergeson's golden retriever, Bodhi, arrived at Bergeson's home at 4146 Southwest Hamilton Street. As she walked up to the door, she could see inside the home, Bergeson was lying on the floor of her home. She was dead. She ran to a neighbor's and 911 was called.

The investigation was made more complicated by the fact that the deputy medical examiner who was at the scene originally said that Bergeson had died from natural causes.

It was only about 12 hours later that evidence was found that she had been strangled.

Detectives had also found evidence that she had fought with her attacker.

Also adding to the mystery at the time was the fact that nothing had appeared stolen and it did not appear that someone had forced their way in.

Williamson will be arraigned on Tuesday, Jan, 22. Sources not authorized to speak publicly about the case say that it's likely that he will eventually face more charges.

Photo of Nancy Bergeson via Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.