Home / Crime and Justice / 13 Years of Terror: Stalker's Obsession Ends in Prison
13 Years of Terror: Stalker's Obsession Ends in Prison
7 Oct
Summary
- Thomas stalked Samantha Stites for 13 years before kidnapping her.
- He held her captive in a soundproof bunker he built.
- Thomas received a 40-60 year prison sentence for his crimes.
Christopher Thomas's obsessive stalking of Samantha Stites spanned 13 years, beginning with online messages in 2011 and culminating in her kidnapping in October 2022.
After meeting Thomas in a campus group, Stites repeatedly rejected his advances, but he persisted, following her to her job and even her internship program. A protective order granted in 2014 expired in September 2020, after which Thomas resumed his stalking behavior, rejoining a soccer league Stites played in.
In October 2022, Thomas broke into Stites' home, subdued her, and transported her to a soundproof bunker he had built. He bragged about using GPS trackers and being inspired by the Netflix series You. Thomas raped Stites before returning her home.
Stites, using her social work training and personal resilience, managed to escape and alert authorities. Her detailed account of Thomas's actions, including the bunker's location and his methods, led to his arrest and the discovery of incriminating evidence. Thomas later pleaded guilty to kidnapping, torture, aggravated stalking, and home invasion.
In February 2024, Thomas was sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison. Stites, who has advocated for other survivors and helped change local PPO policies, has since moved and invested in enhanced security, continuing her work as a social worker and co-founding Beekeepers Advocacy.
