PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — More than 9 years after prominent Portland defense attorney Nancy Bergeson was found slain inside her Southwest Portland home, a 28-year-old man was arrested and charged with her murder.

Christopher Alexander Williamson was arrested Friday by Portland police detectives and charged with murder. He will be arraigned Tuesday.

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

The Case

Nancy Bergeson was found dead inside her home at 4146 SW Hamilton Street around 3 p.m. on November 24, 2009 — two days before Thanksgiving. 

The killing was so mysterious that the deputy medical examiner who went to the house first said it wasn’t murder, thinking Bergeson had died of natural causes.

There were no visible marks on her body, so it wasn’t until the autopsy 12 hours later that investigators learned the 57-year-old had been strangled and even fought back against her attacker.  

But there were no suspects and very few clues. The case remained unsolved from that day forward.

She was killed the day after she lost a tough case, leading to big questions. Was the killer someone Nancy defended in court? Had she learned something serious enough for someone to kill her?

Bergeson’s job as a defense lawyer complicated the investigation.

Nancy Bergeson, a public defender who was found slain in her Southwest Portland home on November 24, 2009, in an undated photo (KOIN, file)

Steve Wax, who was her boss at the federal public defender’s office for nearly 20 years, had to work with detectives who wanted to look at Nancy’s case files for clues, while at the same time making sure attorney-client privilege was still protected.

Christopher Alexander Williamson , 28, is charged witth the 2009 murder of Nancy Bergeson, January 29, 2019 (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office)

The case remained an active investigation.

In a release Saturday, the Portland Police Bureau said homicide detectives “worked tirelessly over the past nine years, investigating every lead. This investigative work, in collaboration with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office” led to the arrest of Williamson.

PPB said “no additional details will be released at this time.”

“These cases are very challenging when you have a victim and you have seemingly no reason why that person would be killed and there’s just no information,” said PPB Sergeant Pete Simpson. “Solving this case is a real victory for investigators.” 

Those who knew Bergeson personally and professionally said the arrest has been a long time coming. 

Steven Wax, who hired Bergeson as an assistant federal defender in 1990, said Bergeson was “a terrific person — she was full of energy and full of life. It’s just terrible and sad that she’s gone.” 

Anyone with knowledge and information about this case is asked to call the PPB Homicide Bureau at 503.823.0479.

In memory of Nancy Bergeson, the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (OCDLA) created the Nancy Bergeson Ardent Advocate Lecture Series. In creating the lecture series, the OCDLA stated, “Nancy Bergeson was a career-long public defender whose legal acumen was matched only by her uncanny ability to empathize with her clients. She articulated her client’s position to a jury or judge as if it was Nancy, herself, on trial for her life.” For more information about this lecture series, please visit https://www.ocdla.org