Murder and Intrigue in Old Tualatin by: Loyce Martinazzi
Deputies were gathered. Dad saw one of the deputies come out of the brush vomiting. It was typical May weather and Ristman had been dead 10 days. His skull had been crushed.
The story was front page news for weeks. Thompson was tried on second degree murder charges (there being no penalty set for first degree as the State at that time had abolished the death penalty). The courtroom in Hillsboro, the seat of Washington County, was packed.
Thompson was convicted on circumstantial evidence. Stains on his undershirt were an exact match to a shirt found on the trail down to the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Thompson was sentenced to life in the state pen, and he died there in 1940, still claiming he was innocent. Click here for Full Story and Photos
