Naman Shrestha
ABC’s ‘Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror’ is a three-part documentary series that chronicles the horrific kidnapping of Samantha Stites in October 2022. After she broke free from her captor, she went straight to the authorities and filed a report against Christopher Thomas, who had been stalking her for more than 10 years. It turned out she had already sought intervention from the authorities for the stalking she had endured at his hands. In the docuseries, the survivor opened up about her traumatic experience being locked up in a confined space for several hours and how she managed to escape Christopher’s captivity. It also showcases how Samantha’s longtime stalker was eventually brought to justice for his crimes.
Christopher Thomas Relentlessly Stalked Samantha Stites For Years Before Abducting Her
Born on August 15, 1984, Christopher Blaine Thomas was attending Grand Valley State University when he developed an unhealthy obsession with Samantha Stites, one of his juniors, in 2011. Apart from bombarding her with text messages, he also went to the same Christian group as hers, hoping to interact with her. While he incessantly asked her out several times, she rejected his advances and made it very clear that she wasn’t interested. However, Christopher refused to stop and even harassed her at her workplace by showing up with flowers. According to reports, he had even installed a GPS tracker on her vehicle in order to follow her and track her every move.
In September 2014, Samantha got a Personal Protection Order (PPO) against Christopher, who had been stalking her for years. Forced to stay away from her, he was employed at a Beaverton company before getting transferred to Traverse City, Michigan. On September 18, 2020, when Samantha’s PPO expired, the stalker began inserting himself into her life by showing up at random places, including her soccer games. After she tried to get another PPO against him, he broke into her house on October 7, 2022, and abducted her. Christopher drove her to a rental storage unit in Blair Township. He had spent several weeks building a soundproof room within the storage unit, where he held Samantha captive for several hours.
Christopher planned to keep her inside for a couple of weeks, but she managed to convince him to let her go and promised not to tell the police. She also offered sex in return for her freedom. After about 14 hours, Christopher released her and dropped her off, after which she reported the entire ordeal to the authorities. Upon delving deeper into his past, the police learned that he was also linked to stalking another woman named Kelli, who had obtained a protection order against him in 2009. In October 2022, the stalker was arrested for kidnapping and sexually assaulting Samantha Stites. He was officially arraigned on multiple charges, including kidnapping, torture, first-degree home invasion, aggravated stalking, and first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Christopher Thomas is Currently Incarcerated at a Michigan Prison Facility
In December 2023, Christopher Thomas took a plea deal, per which he pled guilty to the charges of kidnapping, torture, and aggravated stalking. The agreement led to the dismissal of 4 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct as well as a count of first-degree home invasion. In February 2024, the judge sentenced him to a minimum of 40 to 60 years behind bars for the first two charges and 2-5 years for the aggravated stalking charge, to be served concurrently. He received a credit of 485 days for the time he already served at Grand Traverse County Jail. Prior to his sentencing, Christopher expressed remorse for his actions, stating, “I am tremendously sorry for my actions. There’s no way to really punish me for what I’ve done because it’s so horrendous — I know that. I wish I could take it all back, but I can’t.”
Taking his heinous actions into account, the judge remarked, “I don’t see any potential for any rehabilitation here whatsoever.” Before declaring the verdict, the judge took into account Christopher’s life expectancy. Therefore, for the brutal ordeal he inflicted on Samantha, the 41-year-old will reportedly be spending the rest of his life in prison. The judge also noted that if Christopher gets out before his demise, all his movements must be monitored with a GPS tracker. As of writing, he is serving his sentence at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan. According to prison records, his earliest release date is set at October 7, 2062.
Read More: Where is Samantha Stites Now?
